Oklahoma City will host a second-round matchup in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday night as the No. 4 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers face the No. 5 seed Vanderbilt Commodores at the Paycom Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast on TNT, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
Vanderbilt advanced to the second round with a first-round victory over McNeese, marking their first March Madness win since 2012. Nebraska, meanwhile, secured its first-ever NCAA Tournament win by defeating Troy. Both teams enter the contest with 27 wins on the season; Vanderbilt is 27-8 overall and 11-7 in SEC play, while Nebraska is 27-6 with a 15-5 record in the Big Ten.
The Commodores are currently favored by 1.5 points in the latest odds, as reported by USA Today. The over/under for total points scored in the game is set at 146.5. Vanderbilt holds a slight edge on the money line at -126, while Nebraska is at +105.
The SportsLine Projection Model, which has a strong recent record in predicting college basketball outcomes, has simulated the Nebraska-Vanderbilt game 10,000 times. The model is currently on an 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks and a 28-22 run on its top-rated side picks. According to the model’s simulations, the Over on the total (146.5 points) is the recommended pick.
The model’s projection is based on the expectation that both teams will continue to shoot effectively, particularly from the free-throw line, where both squads convert over 75% of their attempts. The simulations project a combined score of 157 points, suggesting a high-scoring contest. Nebraska demonstrated its offensive capabilities in the first round, making 14 three-pointers against Troy. Vanderbilt also finished the regular season strong offensively, exceeding the total in four consecutive games and scoring 91 points against Florida in the SEC Tournament.
The SportsLine model’s full pick, including spread analysis, is available to subscribers. The model has identified a specific side of the spread as offering the best value, a prediction derived from simulating every possession of the game 10,000 times.
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