The No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies are riding high after a huge win over the No. 13 Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday. They will look to keep that momentum going in SEC play when they travel to Nashville to take on the Commodores.
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HOW THE TEXAS A&M AGGIES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Texas A&M is looking to win its first conference title since becoming a member of the SEC and Jalen Jones has been a big reason why. Jones wasn't very impressive in the Aggies' big win over the Cyclones, shooting just 5-19 from the floor, but he has been Texas A&M's primary scorer when on the floor.
Despite him only being 6'7, Jones is a prolific rebounder as well, leading the team with 7.4 rebounds a game. He hauled in 14 boards against Iowa State and has racked up at least 10 boards in three of his last five games.
The Aggies are hopeful that freshman Tyler Davis is starting to adjust to college basketball and will be able to help Jones when the tournament comes around. Davis averages 2.7 offensive rebounds a game but has been even better recently with four offensive rebounds in each of the Aggies' last three games. He is also picking it up with his scoring, averaging 15.7 points in his last three to help Jones in that end as well.
If he continues to develop at this pace, the Aggies become a much scarier team to play.
HOW THE VANDERBILT COMMODORES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Vanderbilt has played a very tough schedule outside of the SEC, with games against Dayton, Kansas, Baylor, Purdue, and Texas all showing up in the loss column. This team is much better than its 12-9 record indicates and they have some very talented big men.
Luke Kornet is one of Vandy's men in the middle and is the leading rebounder for the Dores with 7.1 rebounds a game. His real talent though lies in his ability to block shots. Currently Kornet ranks fourth in the nation in blocks per game, with 3.13 BPG a night. He swatted away six in Vanderbilt's big one point win against Florida a week ago and a season high 10 against Auburn three weeks ago.
There is one major flaw in his game however, he is an awful shooter. Kornet is averaging 39.7 percent from the floor on the season and in his last three games has only hit four of his 20 shots from the floor. If he discovers a shooting touch for just one game, it needs to be this one if the Commodores hope to topple the Aggies.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Aggies are 8-6-2 ATS on the season but a very shaky 1-3-1 ATS away from College Station. In their last road game, the Aggies were tripped up by a mediocre Arkansas team and aren't their best playing away from home.
Vanderbilt is 9-10 ATS this year, yet their home ATS record is a respectable 5-4.
The under has been a staple for both of these NCAAB teams. The Commodores have seen it go 11-7-1 on the season and Texas A&M has played 10 of its 16 total games under the number with it a money-making 4-1 in their five road games.
Texas A&M is the much better team but their road woes give Vanderbilt a shot here. To take advantage of that shot, the Commodores need big games from their bigs down low. Until Vandy proves they can beat a solid team though, it's hard to take them as a real threat.
Look for the Aggies to score the road win and cover.
Texas A&M 75, Vanderbilt 67
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