The Grambling State Tigers take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Grambling State Vanderbilt prediction and pick.

The Grambling State Tigers were part of one of the more interesting stories in the early weeks of the college basketball season. You might have noticed — if you pay close attention to college hoops — that the Pac-12 and the SWAC created a small-scale event in which teams from both conferences met each other. You know about the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and the Big 12-Big East Battle. In late January, we get the SEC-Big 12 Challenge each year. What the Pac-12 and SWAC did was different: a Power Five conference faced a mid-major conference.

The SWAC won all three games in that series. Prairie View A&M beat Washington State, Texas Southern defeated Arizona State, and Grambling State beat Colorado. What was extra notable about Grambling State's win is that it came just a few days removed from Colorado's early-season upset of the Tennessee Volunteers in Nashville. Grambling State showed it could not only compete with, but rise above, a Pac-12 team. Before anyone says that the Pac-12 isn't very good (which contains some truth), let's be clear: Colorado has been one of the better programs in the Pac-12. The Buffaloes made the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and have made several NCAA appearances under coach Tad Boyle over the past decade. It's not as though Grambling State beat Cal, Stanford, or Oregon State, three of the worst teams in the Pac-12. They actually beat a decent team which has scored some notable wins this season. Vanderbilt has no good reason to take Grambling State lightly. The Tigers have shown they can be a force if their opponent doesn't lock in and focus on the task at hand.

Grambling is 5-3 on the season. The Tigers lost to Arizona State, Grand Canyon (a good WAC team) and Incarnate Word.

Vanderbilt is 5-4 through nine games. The Commodores just won a three-point home game against Wofford and then a 75-74 squeaker against Pittsburgh. Those are not high-end opponents, but Vanderbilt did manage to secure victories and avoid bigger hits to its resume. The Commodores have lost to Memphis, Southern Mississippi, Saint Mary's, and VCU. They also defeated Fresno State, Morehead State, and Temple.

Vanderbilt has played a lot of close games this season. The Temple win was by two points. Wofford was a three-point game, Pitt a one-point win. The loss to VCU was a five-point game. Even the games with a larger margin were close. Vanderbilt's 75-65 loss to Saint Mary's was a much closer game for a large portion of the second half.

Vanderbilt's offense has struggled this season. VU has regularly scored in the 60s. The 89-point outing against Temple was an outlier. Coach Jerry Stackhouse has failed to improve the program since he came aboard a few years ago. The Commodores did not show much patience with previous coach Bryce Drew, and one wonders how much longer they will allow Stackhouse to post decidedly mediocre results which do not move the needle for the basketball program.

Here are the Grambling State-Vanderbilt NCAA Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Grambling State-Vanderbilt Odds

Grambling State Tigers: +13.5 (-104)

Vanderbilt Commodores: -13.5 (-118)

Over: 137.5 (-115)

Under: 137.5 (-105)

Why Grambling State Could Cover the Spread

Vanderbilt is not a trustworthy team. Even in its recent wins, it has not covered the spread against ordinary opposition. Vanderbilt does not land big knockout punches, with the sole exception of Morehead State.

Why Vanderbilt Could Cover the Spread

The Commodores, after a few close wins, should simultaneously feel more confident and yet more intent on playing better so that they create a larger margin for error. This should lead to a strong and focused performance against Grambling State, resulting in a cover.

Final Grambling State-Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick

This is a game to stay away from with the given spread. Vanderbilt is not a reliable team, but Grambling State is showing signs of erosion after that early-season win over Colorado.

Final Grambling State-Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick: Grambling State +13.5