Vanderbilt Commodores at Missouri Tigers
Wednesday, 12/8/10, 9:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPNU
Opening Point Spread: Missouri -4.5
Current Betting Line: Missouri -4
Opening Total: 152.5
Current Total: 153.5
Vanderbilt slipped by with a 85-76 win over crosstown rival Belmont on Saturday in the team’s first road game of the season and now the level of competition rises with a trip to Missouri. The Commodores actually trailed by seven points in the first half and the squad needed every bit of Festus Ezeli’s career-high 24 points to pick up the victory. “Ezeli is all-in, with his attitude, his personality,” said coach Kevin Stallings. “When he got here, it was the first organized team he’d ever been on. It’s to his credit that he’s become what he’s become.” With its last win, Vanderbilt ran its winning streak to five games and captured its 700th win in Memorial Gym. The team is 2-0 ATS as an underdog this year and is currently getting points on the college basketball lines page.
The Commodores lead the all-time series with the Tigers, 3-1, with their only loss coming in the last meeting in Columbia during the 1958-59 campaign. Wednesday night’s contest marks the second against a ranked opponent this season, as the team knocked off a top 10 team earlier this year, capturing a victory over North Carolina in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Vanderbilt is 82-101 in games against teams in the AP Top 25 all-time, including a 27-47 mark in the Stallings’ era. The program is also 39-20 in games against current members of the Big 12 and picked up a 59-49 victory over Nebraska earlier this year.
Missouri begins a four-game home stand on Wednesday and is coming off an exciting 83-80 road win over Oregon last week. The Tigers nearly blew a 20-point halftime lead against the Ducks, which has many experts believing that the 7,300 miles of travel the team did early on this season caught up with them in the second half. Before its contest in Eugene, Oregon, the team played in Mexico, Kansas City and St. Louis. Despite all the traveling, head coach Mike Anderson’s club is 6-1 to open the year and is shooting 55.4 percent from the floor in the early going. Missouri is 30-19 ATS as a favorite over the last three seasons.
The Tigers have absolutely dominated non-league opponents during the Anderson era in Mizzou Arena, posting a 43-0 record and averaging a 26.2 points per game margin of victory. Some of those victories have come against the likes of Arkansas, California, Davidson and Mississippi State. A key contributor to the team’s success at home and everywhere else is the bench, averaging 30.5 points per game this season. Missouri has actually been led in scoring by a reserve three separate times.
Bettors will be interested in the Commodores 4-1 ATS mark on the road, while the Tigers are 11-5 ATS after suffering a spread loss.
The college basketball handicappers at Maddux Sports are off to an exciting start and ready for you to join them today!
