The 2021-22 college basketball season continues Saturday, January 15, with plenty of interesting matchups around the country, so we bring you the best Vanderbilt vs. Georgia betting pick, tips, and odds. 

Vanderbilt is winless in four straight meetings with Georgia, but the Commodores are listed as firm 5-point favorites for Saturday’s clash in Athens, Georgia, according to BetOnline Sportsbook. The Bulldogs have been awful as of late, so let’s take a closer look.

The Commodores hope to stop their two-game slide  

The Vanderbilt Commodores (9-6; 8-7 ATS) fell to 1-2 in the Southeastern Conference play following a 78-66 defeat to the No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats this past Tuesday. After an upsetting 72-70 home loss to South Carolina, the Commodores failed to cover an 8-point spread, allowing the Wildcats to shoot 52.5% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the arc.

Scotty Pippen Jr. had a big night against Kentucky. Junior guard accounted for 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting from the field and 6-for-11 from beyond the 3-point line. Pippen is averaging 19.2 points and 3.5 rebounds on the season, while another junior G Jordan Wright is adding 11.9 points and 5.6 boards per game.

The Commodores are No. 79 in the latest KenPom rankings and No. 87 in the NCAA NET Rankings. They score 106.8 points per 100 possessions (111th in the country) and surrender 97.1 in a return (56th). Vanderbilt ranks 316th in the country in field goal percentage (40.9%) and 283rd in 3-point percentage (31.4%).

The Bulldogs lost five in a row

The Georgia Bulldogs (5-11; 5-10-1 ATS) are riding a five-game losing streak following an 88-72 defeat at the Mississippi State Bulldogs this past Wednesday. They fell to 0-3 in the conference play and failed to cover for the fifth time in their previous seven outings at any location.

Sophomore guard Kario Oquendo leads the way for Georgia, tallying 13.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, while senior forward Braelen Bridges adds 12.0 points and 6.0 boards a night. The Bulldogs are without senior wing Jailyn Ingram (10.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG), who’s done for the season with a knee injury.

Georgia is No. 208 in the KenPom rankings and No. 225 in the NCAA NET Rankings. The Bulldogs score 105.9 points per 100 possessions (124th in the nation) and yield 108.9 in a return (288th). They rank 324th in the country in the opposition field goal percentage (46.1%).

Trends:

Vanderbilt:

  • 8-3 ATS in the last 11 games on the road
  • 7-3 ATS in the last ten games played on Saturday   

Georgia:

  • 4-10 ATS in the last 14 games overall  
  • 1-5 ATS in the last six home games played on Saturday 

Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Pick

I don’t feel comfortable with a 5-point spread, but there’s no way I’m backing the lowly Bulldogs to cover after they’ve gone 4-10 ATS over their last 14 games. Georgia will try its best to break out of its funk, and we should see a tight contest down the stretch. I’m expecting the Commodores’ defense to make the difference, while Scotty Pippen Jr. should make key shots down the stretch.

Georgia has struggled mightily on the defensive end thus far. The Commodores are not a great offensive team, but they should have enough firepower to see off the Bulldogs’ challenge.

Pick: Take Vanderbilt -5.0 at -110                  

The Total:

The Bulldogs have allowed 80 or more points in four of their last five showings. I expect a much better defensive job in a matchup with the Commodores’ offense, but the Bulldogs will have a tall task to execute well offensively against Vanderbilt.

The Commodores prefer to play at a slow pace (67.1 possessions per 40 minutes). They play aggressive defense, but their offense depends on Pippen Jr. a lot. Hereof, I’m not expecting a high-scoring affair. Seven of Vanderbilt’s last eight contests have produced fewer than 145 points in total. 

Pick: Go under 147.0 points at -110