The final spot in the 2023 SEC Tournament semifinals will be on the line when the Kentucky Wildcats and Vanderbilt Commodores square off in the fourth quarterfinal game on Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. As the No. 3 seed in the tournament, Kentucky (22-10) received a double-bye into the quarterfinal round. The Wildcats last played on Saturday, winning at Arkansas, 88-79. Meanwhile No. 6 seed Vanderbilt (19-13) advanced to the quarterfinals with a 77-68 victory over LSU on Thursday. Friday’s winner will advance to Saturday’s semifinal to face either Texas A&M or Arkansas.
Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET. The Wildcats are favored by 7.5 points in the latest Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 143.5. Before locking in any Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters conference tournament week 76-51 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,200 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now the model has zeroed in on Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky:
- Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt spread: Wildcats -7.5
- Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt over/under: 143.5 points
- Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt money line: Wildcats -345, Commodores +270
- UK: Oscar Tshiebwe leads the country in rebounding (13.1 rebounds per game).
- VAN: The Commodores lead the SEC in bench scoring (29.0 points per game).
- Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt picks: See picks at SportsLine
Featured Game | Kentucky Wildcats vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
Why Kentucky can cover
Tshiebwe is a dominant rebounding force. The reigning National Player of the Year averages 13.1 rebounds per game, which leads all Div. I players. Led by Tshiebwe, Kentucky outrebounds opponents by 8.5 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the country. That should be a big edge because Vanderbilt is missing center Liam Robbins due to a leg injury.
In addition, the Wildcats have one of the best sixth men in the conference in Antonio Reeves. The 6-foot-5 transfer from Illinois State averages 14.2 points per game and leads the team in made 3-pointers (71). For his efforts this season he was named the SEC co-Sixth Man of the Year.
Why Vanderbilt can cover
Vanderbilt has arguably the best bench in the conference. The Commodores get 29.0 points per game from their bench, which leads the SEC and ranks 10th in the country. In Thursday’s win over LSU, Vanderbilt got a major boost off the bench from the freshman trio of Colin Smith, Paul Lewis and Lee Dort, who combined for 20 points.
In addition, Vanderbilt enters Friday’s game knowing it beat Kentucky just nine days ago. On March 1 at Rupp Arena, Jordan Wright hit a fall-away jumper in the lane with 2.6 seconds remaining to help Vanderbilt knock off No. 23 Kentucky, 68-66. The win was the Commodores’ first at Rupp since January 2007.
How to make Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 146 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits over 50% of the time. You can only see the model’s picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt? And which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
