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Vanderbilt basketball will head to March Madness for the first time since 2017 as a No. 10 seed with a matchup against No. 7 seed Saint Mary's.
The game will take place in Cleveland on Friday.
The Commodores (20-12) lost their last three games of the regular season, but March provides a chance for a clean slate. Last year, when Mark Byington was at James Madison, his No. 12 seed James Madison team pulled a first-round upset over Wisconsin.
Vanderbilt lost the last NCAA tournament game it played back in 2017. That time, the Commodores were a No. 9 seed and lost to No. 8 seed Northwestern.
The SEC got 14 bids into March Madness, while Saint Mary's was one of two bids from the West Coast Conference.
Like Texas A&M, Saint Mary's is unexceptional at shooting. But the Gaels generate tons of extra possessions through offensive rebounding and avoiding turnovers.
Saint Mary's also plays stifling defense, especially at the rim. The Gaels are the No. 1 team in the country in rebounding margin.
Buy Vanderbilt basketball NCAA tournament tickets
The Gaels are big at every position. The same five players have started all 33 games, and none of them are shorter than 6-foot-3.
Center Mitchell Saxen is 6-10, and Saint Mary's also has 7-1 Harry Wessels off the bench. Point guard Augustas Marciulionis is 6-4.
Saint Mary's faced just three teams all season that made the NCAA tournament. The Gaels lost one matchup to Utah State at home, then took two of three games against Gonzaga, losing the neutral-site matchup in the conference tournament.
Saint Mary's 67, Vanderbilt 62: Vanderbilt has some things going for it in this matchup, but the Gaels' size and ability to rebound −an area in which the Commodores do not excel − could prove to be problematic.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt vs Saint Mary's prediction, pick, odds March Madness first round
Continue reading...
The game will take place in Cleveland on Friday.
The Commodores (20-12) lost their last three games of the regular season, but March provides a chance for a clean slate. Last year, when Mark Byington was at James Madison, his No. 12 seed James Madison team pulled a first-round upset over Wisconsin.
Vanderbilt lost the last NCAA tournament game it played back in 2017. That time, the Commodores were a No. 9 seed and lost to No. 8 seed Northwestern.
The SEC got 14 bids into March Madness, while Saint Mary's was one of two bids from the West Coast Conference.
Saint Mary's plays similarly to this SEC team
Like Texas A&M, Saint Mary's is unexceptional at shooting. But the Gaels generate tons of extra possessions through offensive rebounding and avoiding turnovers.
Saint Mary's also plays stifling defense, especially at the rim. The Gaels are the No. 1 team in the country in rebounding margin.
Buy Vanderbilt basketball NCAA tournament tickets
Saint Mary's size has the potential to bother Vanderbilt basketball
The Gaels are big at every position. The same five players have started all 33 games, and none of them are shorter than 6-foot-3.
Center Mitchell Saxen is 6-10, and Saint Mary's also has 7-1 Harry Wessels off the bench. Point guard Augustas Marciulionis is 6-4.
How Saint Mary's has performed against good teams
Saint Mary's faced just three teams all season that made the NCAA tournament. The Gaels lost one matchup to Utah State at home, then took two of three games against Gonzaga, losing the neutral-site matchup in the conference tournament.
Vanderbilt vs. Saint Mary's prediction: NCAA tournament first round
Saint Mary's 67, Vanderbilt 62: Vanderbilt has some things going for it in this matchup, but the Gaels' size and ability to rebound −an area in which the Commodores do not excel − could prove to be problematic.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt vs Saint Mary's prediction, pick, odds March Madness first round
Continue reading...
