Nebraska vs. Vanderbilt Prediction
In the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup in the NCAA Tournament South Region, Nebraska vs. Vanderbilt is the second-round game on Saturday, March 21 with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
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How to Watch Nebraska vs. Vanderbilt
When: TBD p.m. ET on Saturday, March 21st
Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Watch: TBD
Odds for Nebraska vs. Vanderbilt
(odds current at time of publish)
Spread: Vanderbilt -2.5 (-108), Nebraska +2.5 (-112)
Total: Over 147.5 (-115), Under 147.5 (-105)
Nebraska vs. Vanderbilt Prediction & Preview
Troy was a popular pick to upset Nebraska in the opening round, but the Cornhuskers hammered the Trojans. Nebraska ended up winning that game by 29 points, earning the first March Madness win in program history. Fred Hoiberg now has to turn the page quickly, as his squad will be taking on a very good Vanderbilt team.
In looking at this matchup, it’s pretty easy to envision a scenario in which the Commodores end up being a popular side. They’re ranked higher than the Cornhuskers when looking at both KenPom and Bart Torvik, they have the appeal of being an SEC program, and they’re very short favorites. However, Nebraska’s statistical profile looks pretty good when looking at these two.
Vanderbilt is a top-10 team when looking at Torvik’s Adjusted Offensive Efficiency (127.4 heading into first round), meaning the team is way out in front of a Nebraska team that is outside the top 50 (117.2 before opening round). However, the Cornhuskers are an elite team when it comes to guarding the 3-ball, holding opponents to under 30% shooting from deep. Nebraska is also a top-10 team in the country when it comes to guarding without fouling, which is impressive considering the Huskers are a top-40 team in Turnover Rate Defense (19.4% heading into March Madness). They play in-your-face defense without sending you to the line, and that’ll be interesting to watch with the opponent being a team that never gets to the stripe.
I just think there’s a real chance the Huskers do a decent job of slowing down Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles, and doing that gives you a great shot of winning this game. Nebraska is just going to have to get up good shots against a strong Vanderbilt defense, but it’s hard to worry too much about that. This Cornhuskers team has an elite offensive head coach and some absolute snipers from deep. Nebraska should be able to generate good looks in this one, and Pryce Sandfort and a good bunch of perimeter players should bury enough of them.
This is also a game in which the Under looks somewhat appealing. These are two top-30 defensive teams, along with two teams that don’t play at warp speed. Vanderbilt was outside of the top 100 in pace of play heading into the tournament, and Nebraska was outside the top 200. The Huskers will also be looking to slow the Commodores down.
Estimated Score: Coming soon.
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