The Auburn Tigers take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Auburn Vanderbilt prediction and pick. Find how to watch Auburn Vanderbilt.

The Auburn Tigers have the potential to be special this season. We have seen Auburn climb to considerable heights under Bruce Pearl, first making the Final Four in 2019 and then getting a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and winning the SEC championship in 2022. Before this 2023-2024 season began, Auburn was not expected to be a top-tier contender in the SEC. Tennessee, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Alabama comprised the top five of the preseason edition of the SEC media poll. Auburn was picked sixth by voters. Past Auburn teams with a higher ceiling had at least one if not two elite game-changing players, such as Jabari Smith or Walker Kessler or Chuma Okeke. This team didn't seem to have that kind of player, but the Tigers have blended beautifully at both ends of the court.

Auburn has shown a lot more poise and discipline than many people expected. The Tigers blew out Arkansas on the road, a highly unexpected event. They withstood a push to fend off Texas A&M. They have responded well to a number of challenges this season and were solid in nonconference play before the SEC season began. Auburn enters this game against Vanderbilt 14-2 overall, 3-0 in the SEC. The Tigers are pursuing a high seed in the NCAA Tournament and have a chance to establish themselves as a legitimate contender for the Sweet 16. Final Four talk might be premature, but Auburn making the second weekend of the Big Dance would be a terrific achievement for this team. The next several weeks are all about putting the Tigers in position to reach that goal.

Here are the Auburn-Vanderbilt College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Auburn-Vanderbilt Odds

Auburn Tigers: -12.5 (-102)

Vanderbilt Commodores: +12.5 (-120)

Over: 148.5 (-115)

Under: 148.5 (-105)

How To Watch Auburn vs Vanderbilt

Time: 9:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm PT

TV: SEC Network

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Auburn Could Cover the Spread

The Tigers are substantially better than Vanderbilt. Auburn is 14-2, Vanderbilt 5-11. Auburn has an elite coach, Bruce Pearl, while Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse is on the hot seat and likely to be fired at the end of the season. Auburn has worked really well together, while Vanderbilt has utterly failed to mesh as a cohesive unit. Vanderbilt ended last season on an upswing and narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament. The program had seemingly gained considerable momentum, but all of that optimism was squandered in the first game of the new season, a home-court loss to Presbyterian. Vanderbilt has never really recovered from that early stumble. The Commodores have been overwhelmed in SEC play and don't figure to have answers for an Auburn team which crushed Arkansas on the road.

Why Vanderbilt Could Cover the Spread

The Commodores are not better than Auburn, but they can lose by 12 on their home floor and still cover the spread. Vanderbilt, even in its worst years, is a tough out in SEC play at Memorial Gym. The most distinctive home floor in college basketball, with the benches on the baselines and not the sidelines, throws a curveball to visiting teams on many occasions. Vanderbilt might not win a lot this season, but it has put up a fight against its opponents. VU covered the spread against Alabama as a heavy underdog a few weeks ago. VU can cover the spread again in SEC play versus Auburn.

Final Auburn-Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick

The spread is well-measured. It's hard to make a call here, so stay away and wait for a live play.

Final Auburn-Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick: Vanderbilt +12.5