The Big Ten gets a chance to prove its branding as supposedly the best conference in the country when Wisconsin takes on Vanderbilt in an East Regional third-round game Saturday in Albuquerque.
The Badgers, the four seed in the East, looked good in dispatching of Montana Thursday 73-49. The Commodores, meanwhile downed Harvard 79-70.
This matchup is a neutral-site affair being played at The Pit.
Wisconsin will face the 25-10 Commodores, who own a 18-13 ATS mark on the season. In totals betting, the Badgers are 15-16 favoring the UNDER so far this season while the Commodores are 13-18 favoring the OVER.
View Vanderbilt vs Wisconsin Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
The Commodores were listed as 1-point favorites at Sportsbook in East Regional odds (check out their Sweet 16 special).
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Badgers rated this week at No. 43 and the Commodores sitting at No. 19. It may or may not play a role in Odds Shark score prediction modelling that produced a 75-72 result in favor of the Badgers.
How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Wisconsin has the nation's No. 261-rated offensive output, at 64.1 PPG. The visiting Commodores defense ranks No. 115 allowing on average 65.1 PPG. The Badgers FG% has averaged 42.5% so far, less than the Commodores marksmen have achieved on the year, 46.1% per game.
Defensively, Vanderbilt features the nation's No. 152-rated defense on the road, allowing 68.8 points per game. Wisconsin, meanwhile, comes in at No. 258 nationally in scoring at home.
Vanderbilt won its last outing, a 79-70 result against Harvard on March 15. They covered in that game as a 5.5-point favorite. John Jenkins scored 27 points for Vanderbilt on Thursday, leading the Commodores to a 79-70 win over Harvard at The Pit.
In their last action, Wisconsin was a 73-49 Sportsbook at home against Montana. They covered the 8.5-point spread as favorites. Wisconsin cruised to victory on Thursday, running Montana out of the gym and running up a 73-49 score at The Pit.
