The Auburn Tigers have really taken it on the chin over the course of the SEC season. They've been beaten in six straight and covered only one of the six. That should provide the Vanderbilt Commodores, a team in need of a big run to get into the dance this year, a relatively easy victory.
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HOW THE VANDERBILT COMMODORES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Pure size really should get the Commodores through this game. They outrebounded Auburn 45-33 earlier this season when the two were on the court together, and that came on a night where 7-footer Damian Jones played just 13 minutes due to foul trouble.
Jones and Luke Kornet average over 14 boards per game between them, and stopping both of the towers is really difficult for any team. Auburn doesn't have anyone bigger than 6-foot-9 to cover either man can simply be shot over, and that's largely why it allows teams to convert at a 44.3 percent from the field.
Still, Vandy has had this bad habit of winning a game followed by losing a game. One would like to think that will continue on Wednesday against Missouri after losing to Ole Miss last weekend, and getting over the hump here with a good start against Auburn is clearly crucial to its chances of getting into the dance.
HOW THE AUBURN TIGERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Auburn isn't a great outside shooting team, but there really isn't a choice here against a Commodores outfit which is just too big and strong defensively in the paint to contend with.
Cinmeon Bowers averages 9.5 boards per game and is a routine double-double man, but he'll have to really be at his best going against the two trees in the middle to keep up his averages. Bowers isn't going to be asked to get a double-double in this one, but he's going to have to hold his own for sure to give the Tigers any chance whatsoever.
The real issue though, is where the scoring is going to come from. Kareem Canty, who's averaging 18.3 points per game, was suspended for the game against Tennessee during the week, and it's unknown when and if he'll be reinstated.
Without Canty, Auburn shot 23.7 percent from the floor, and Tyler Harris, who will largely be counted upon for big stats in this game, shot 0-for-10 and was good for just two points.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It's just too hard to trust the Tigers at the moment. It's anyone's guess whether they'll have Canty, and even if they do, whether he'll be allowed to start or not is up to Bruce Pearl. This game might be played in Auburn, and it might be against a team which is just 2-6 ATS on the road this season, but Vandy owns some decisive edges that can’t be ignored.
That said, given our choices here between an underachieving team which badly needs to catch some fire to dance and a team which has nothing to play for and likely won't have its best player on the court, we'll take Vanderbilt and lay the lumber with it on the road.
Vanderbilt 72, Auburn 60
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BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Auburn Tigers will start at 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 13, 2016 at Auburn Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
