Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 10 SEC Tournament (Wildcats Dominate After Halftime)

Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball SEC Tournament Game
• No. 23 Kentucky (21-10, 12-6 SEC) vs. Vanderbilt (19-13, 11-7 SEC)
• Date: Friday, March 10, 2023
• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
• Venue: Bridgestone Arena -- Nashville, Tennessee
• Coverage: SEC Network

The No. 23 Kentucky Wildcats go one-on-one with the Vanderbilt Commodores in an SEC Tournament quarterfinal matchup at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 10.

Kentucky was given a bye to begin the tournament after ending the regular season with an 88-79 win over Arkansas. On the other side, Vanderbilt advanced past the second round with a 77-68 victory against LSU last night.

Which of these SEC schools has what it takes to secure a semifinal spot tonight?

Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: UK: (-385) | VANDY: (+300)
• Spread: UK: -8.5 (-110) | VANDY: +8.5 (-110)
• Total: 144.5 -- Over: (-105) | Under: (-115)

Kentucky enters this contest as the heavy favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 144.5 points with the under being favored at -115 odds.

Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Betting Trends

• Kentucky is 16-15-0 against the spread this year.
• The Wildcats are 9-10 as 5.5-point favorites or more.
• This year, 19 of Kentucky's 31 games have hit the over.
• Against the spread, Vanderbilt is 18-14-0 this year.
• The Commodores' ATS record as 5.5-point underdogs or greater is 7-4.
• Out of Vanderbilt's 32 games so far this season, 18 have hit the over.

Kentucky Rank	Kentucky AVG		Vanderbilt AVG	Vanderbilt Rank
100th	75.1	Points Scored	72.2	166th
106th	67.6	Points Allowed	71.6	226th
10th	36.1	Rebounds	33.7	64th
6th	11.6	Off. Rebounds	10.2	45th
287th	6.4	3pt Made	8.4	66th
31st	15.5	Assists	11.8	284th
58th	10.7	Turnovers	9.9	22nd

Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick

Although Vanderbilt won the latest chapter of this rivalry just over a week ago, it's important to remember that Kentucky won 14 straight matchups before that. On top of that, the Wildcats have won 76 of their previous 90 matchups against the Commodores when the former is the only ranked team.

Kentucky has the offensive advantage, averaging 75.1 points (No. 75) on 46.0% shooting (No. 73), whereas Vanderbilt averages 72.2 PPG (No. 138) on 42.4% shooting (No. 282). The Wildcats also have the defensive edge. They own the No. 93-ranked scoring defense while the Commodores sit at No. 209.

Vanderbilt is good enough to keep things close, but its inconsistent accuracy and defensive shortcomings will be its downfall. Expect Kentucky to capitalize on any mistakes.

Final Score Prediction: Kentucky: 75 | Vanderbilt: 72

Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Best Bet

While these SEC rivals split their two regular-season meetings, one trend that remained consistent was Vanderbilt having a poor second half. The Commodores were outscored after halftime in both contests, averaging a minus-4.5 second-half scoring margin.

I fully expect a similar result tonight. After all, Vanderbilt allows an average of 39.1 points (No. 294) with a minus-1.2 scoring margin in the second half. For comparison, Kentucky owns the 14th-best second-half scoring margin in the country (plus-4.7) and has been scoring an average of 43.3 points in the second frame over the last three games.

Regardless of how close the final score is, I expect Kentucky to outplay Vanderbilt after halftime.

Bet: Second-Half Spread — Kentucky -4.5 (-114)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.