Vanderbilt vs McNeese College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for NCAA Tournament First Round

The No. 5 seed Vanderbilt Commodores (26-8) and the No. 12 seed McNeese Cowboys (28-5) will meet in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at 3:15 p.m. ET. The matchup airs on truTV.

Before you place your bet on this game at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Vanderbilt vs. McNeese Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Thursday, March 19, 2026
• Game time: 3:15 p.m. ET
• TV channel: truTV
• Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Arena: Paycom Center

Vanderbilt vs. McNeese Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Vanderbilt win (67%)

Take a look at some betting trends and insights for Vanderbilt (-11.5) versus McNeese on Thursday. The total is set at 150.5 points for this game.

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Vanderbilt vs. McNeese: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Vanderbilt has put together an 18-16-0 record against the spread this season.
• McNeese has compiled a 14-17-0 record against the spread this season.
• Vanderbilt covers the spread when it is an 11.5-point favorite or more 45.5% of the time. That's more often than McNeese covers as an underdog of 11.5 or more (never covered this season).
• The Commodores have covered the spread in the same percentage of games at home as road games (50%). They have covered eight times in 16 games when playing at home and six times in 12 games on the road.
• The Cowboys have performed better against the spread at home (7-6-0) than on the road (3-11-0) this year.

Vanderbilt vs. McNeese: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Vanderbilt has been the moneyline favorite in 23 games this season and has come away with the win 18 times (78.3%) in those contests.
• The Commodores have a mark of 5-1 in contests where sportsbooks favor them by -752 or better on the moneyline.
• McNeese has won 33.3% of the games this season it was the moneyline underdog (1-2).
• The Cowboys have played as a moneyline underdog of +520 or longer in just one game this season, which they lost.
• Vanderbilt has an implied victory probability of 88.3% according to the moneyline set by oddsmakers for this matchup.

Vanderbilt vs. McNeese Head-to-Head Comparison

• Vanderbilt is outscoring opponents by 11.2 points per game with a +379 scoring differential overall. It puts up 86.4 points per game (13th in college basketball) and allows 75.2 per contest (220th in college basketball).
• Tyler is 54th in college basketball with a team-high 19.1 points per game.
• McNeese is outscoring opponents by 13.5 points per game, with a +448 scoring differential overall. It puts up 80 points per game (82nd in college basketball) and gives up 66.5 per contest (23rd in college basketball).
• Larry Johnson's 17.5 points per game leads McNeese and ranks 125th in college basketball.
• The 32.3 rebounds per game the Commodores average rank 154th in the nation. Their opponents collect 31.4 per contest.
• Devin's 6.7 rebounds per game lead the Commodores and rank 196th in college basketball play.
• The Cowboys win the rebound battle by an average of 2.5 boards. They are collecting 32.2 rebounds per game (167th in college basketball) compared to their opponents' 29.7.
• Johnson leads the Cowboys with 5.5 rebounds per game (419th in college basketball).
• Vanderbilt's 108 points per 100 possessions on offense rank 13th in college basketball, and the 94.1 points it allows per 100 possessions rank 145th in college basketball.
• The Cowboys average 103.2 points per 100 possessions on offense (56th in college basketball), and concede 85.7 points per 100 possessions (10th in college basketball).

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