UAB Blazers (27-9) vs. Vanderbilt Commodores (22-14)
March 22, 2023 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Vanderbilt Commodores -1.5 / UAB Blazers +1.5 ; Over/Under: 152
(Get latest betting odds)
The UAB Blazers and the Vanderbilt Commodores meet Wednesday in NIT college basketball action from Vanderbilt University Memorial Gym. UAB is currently 27-9 overall. the Blazers are fresh off a tournament win over Morehead State on Sunday. As for Vanderbilt, they’re sitting at 22-14 following a victory versus Michigan over the weekend. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
UAB Blazers
UAB posted a solid 23-8 record over the course of the regular season. The Blazers beat Rice and North Texas in the Conference USA Tournament, but ultimately fell to Florida Atlantic 78-56. After that came a win over Southern Miss 88-60 in the first installment of the NIT.
On Sunday in NIT activity versus Morehead State, the Blazers hit a 39-27 run in the first half. UAB outscored the Eagles 38-32 from there and won easily 77-59. Leading the way was Ty Brewer on 25 points, and Trey Jemison doubled on 11 points and 16 rebounds.
Vanderbilt Commodores
Over on the Vanderbilt side, their regular season ended up an 18-13 campaign. The Commodores beat LSU 77-68 and Kentucky 80-73 in the SEC Tournament before an 87-75 loss to Texas A&M. Vanderbilt took out Yale in their first NIT game 71-62.
Matched up against Michigan on Saturday, the Commodores trailed 30-29 going into the second half. Vanderbilt hit a 37-35 run from there and made the comeback 66-65. Tyrin Lawrence posted 24 points with nine rebounds to top the team.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably take a stab on UAB here. This should be an interesting matchup, though; you could make a case either way. With the relatively thin line, I could also side with Vanderbilt. That said, the Blazers didn’t have a ton of trouble with Morehead State in their last outing, shooting 50 percent from the field with a 44-30 rebounding advantage (11-7 offensive) and just six turnovers. UAB has their offense working well these days; they’ve been below 70 points just once in the last 15 games. As for Vanderbilt, they got past a tricky Michigan team on Saturday despite getting out-rebounded 39-23 (10-4 offensive). The Commodores shot fairly well (43.1 percent) and had just seven turnovers to the Wolverines’ 15, however. If this ends up as a lower total I think Vanderbilt has a better shot, but if UAB can push the tempo and get into a consistent scoring groove they should be in line for a cover/win. It’ll be a good matchup regardless.
