Vanderbilt vs McNeese: Efficiency vs Streak

0:00On March 18th, number 16, Vanderbilt takes on McNeese in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Commodore has finished 26 and 8 overall with a 13 and 8 mark in the SEC. McNeese comes in at 28 and 5, dominating the Southand Conference at 21 and 3. Tipoff is Thursday at 3.15pm, Eastern and Oklahoma City. Vanderbilt has been sharp against conference foes and perfect at 13 and 0 outside the league. They shoot 47.5% from the field, well above what McNeese allows at 40.7% to opponents. The Commodore's give up just 75.2 points per game on average. McNeese leaves the Southland in fast brick scoring with 16 points per game in transition. They put up 80 points per contest, edging Vanderbilt's defense by about 5 points. The Cowboys have been lights out lately, winning all 10 of their last games while holding foes to 64 points. Key for Vanderbilt is Tyler, averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.4 steals.

1:05Duke Miles chips in 13.1 points over the past 10. McNeese relies on Larry Johnson at 17.5 points and 5.5 boards, plus Taishan Archie's 2.33s per game. Recently, betting lines have Vanderbilt as 11.5 favorites with a total of 150.5. This matchup pits Vanderbilt's efficiency against McNeese's hot streak, should make for a tense opener. Made in AI.