Vanderbilt vs. Baylor Prediction, Game Preview

The Baylor Bears will be back home in Waco, Texas to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in the Ferrell Center. Below is the Vanderbilt vs. Baylor prediction and game preview.

Vanderbilt vs. Baylor Game Preview

Game Broadcast

Date: Sunday, Dec. 6
Game Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas
Network: ESPNU

Why You Need To Care

It’s time for another top-25 tussle with a member of the Southeastern Conference stepping foot into Big 12 territory.

Vanderbilt was off to a 5-0 start before falling to the Kansas Jayhawks just less than two weeks ago. But the Commodores responded with a 102-52 win against Detroit on Wednesday.

Head coach Kevin Stallings’ team is averaging 85.7 points and is giving up 59.4 points per game. It definitely has its hands full, though, with a tough road game against the Baylor Bears, who average 85.8 points and allow 60.5 points per game.

The Bears dropped their second game of the season on the road against the Oregon Ducks, but it’s been nothing but Ws since then. Baylor has ripped off four straight wins to improve to 5-1. The latest victory came against Prairie View 80-41 on Wednesday.

There’s nothing like an SEC-Big 12 showdown this early in the season.

Why Vanderbilt Will Win

Sure, the Commodores can score the basketball, and that’s obviously priority No. 1, but there are two things they do very, very well. Vanderbilt knows how to swat shots and protect the basketball, and those are two reasons why Vandy will win this one. Luke Kornet is averaging 9.9 points and 6.9 rebounds, but he’s also leading the team with three blocks per game. If he keeps that up, and Wade Baldwin continues to lead the way by scoring the basketball, the Commodores will be looking pretty good.

Why Baylor Will Win

Well, we just talked about it. Vanderbilt protects the basketball very well, so the Bears need to force some turnovers and get out into transition to build some momentum. Baylor is also shooting 39.1 percent from three while its opponents shoot just 27.8 percent from deep. Allerik Freeman has been a big reason for that differential. He’s shooting 46.9 percent from three and averaging 15.5 points per game. He’ll need to do his thing to help the Bears defend their home court.

What’s Going To Happen?

It’s very tough to win top-25 matchups on the road, and that’s why Baylor is the pick here. Both teams rebound well, but the Bears will control the glass on the defensive end. They’ll also force some turnovers and pick up some fast break points to separate themselves from the Commodores. Freeman will knock down some key triples to help Baylor pull out the win.