Richmond vs Vanderbilt Picks and Odds
- The Richmond Spiders square off with the Vanderbilt Commodores at the Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee, at 1:00 PM ET on Wednesday, Dec. 16th
- Vanderbilt has yet to lose this season and Richmond is coming off their first loss
- See the odds, spread, analysis, and best bet below
Wednesday afternoon, the Richmond Spiders (4-1, 1-1 away) square off with the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-0, 2-0 home) at the Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee, at 1:00 pm ET.
Richmond will be looking to get back on track after getting boat raced 87-71 last time out by West Virginia. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt still has not lost this season although it should be noted that they had three games canceled already due to COVID-19 concerns.
The all-time series is knotted up at two wins apiece after the Spiders won last year’s tilt 93-92. Richmond is favored by 6.5 points in this matchup.
Richmond Spiders vs Vanderbilt Commodores Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Spiders | -6.5 (-118) | -295 | Over 146.5 (-110) |
| Vanderbilt Commodores | +6.5 (-104) | +240 | Under 146.5 (-110) |
Odds as of December 15th at FanDuel.
Richmond Tries to Bounce Back
Richmond suffered their first loss of the season of the season in Morgantown, West Virginia on Sunday. Nothing went right for the Spiders as they turned the ball over 16 times, gave up 36 points in the paint and let the Mountaineers shoot 57% from beyond the arc. The only bright spot was sophomore Tyler Burton who followed up his first collegiate double-double on Wednesday with his second collegiate double-double on Sunday.
Spiders win! Tyler Burton with career bests in points (21) and rebounds (13) as Richmond improves to 4-0 in Chris Mooney's 500th game at UR. #OneRichmond pic.twitter.com/zbtnRpzIxl
— Richmond Basketball (@SpiderMBB) December 10, 2020
Richmond fell behind early in this one after giving up 52 points in the first half. The Mountaineers seemed to hit everything they threw up early in this game and that had a lasting effect on the Spiders. They ended up winning the second half but it wasn’t nearly enough to erase the 22 point first half deficit.
Vanderbilt Is Rolling
The Commodores were able to knock off some rust at the expense of winless Mississippi Valley State in their last game. It was only Vanderbilt’s second game of the season as their basketball program was paused due to Covid-19 after their November 27th win over Valparaiso. The team was still not at full strength for Delta Devils but they had enough firepower to pull off a win.
2⃣ @spippenjr 🤝 0⃣ @tyrinlawrence#StackhouseEra | #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/10kGiKKdWu
— Vanderbilt Men's Basketball (@VandyMBB) December 13, 2020
It took standout sophomore Scottie Pippen Jr. and company longer than expected to put the Delta Devils away. The Commodores were trailing after eleven minutes and only led by 12 at the half. Vanderbilt won the second half by 31 points in what ended up being a laugher.
Best Betting Angle
Richmond is a much better team than they showed in Morgantown last weekend. West Virginia is a top ten defensive unit in the nation according to KenPom so it’s not like they got beat by a bad team. The Mountaineers were hitting three-pointers at a 57% clip and that’s a problem for any team.
The Spiders were still able to hang 71 points on the West Virginia in the loss. All five starters average double digits in scoring on the season so buckets can be expected from everyone. They are shooting 47.4% from the floor which is good for 53rd in the country. They can score the ball.
The big question for Vanderbilt is can they defend a team like Richmond? Sure they kept a squad like Mississippi Valley State in check but they also gave up 71 to Valparaiso in their season opener. To put that into perspective, Valparaiso is ranked 200 in offensive efficiency while Richmond is number 42 in the metric.
Vanderbilt is going to get Richmond’s best shot after the Spiders were kicked from the Top 25 following their loss to West Virginia. At this point in the season, it’s hard to believe the Commodores will be able to keep pace with the more experienced Spiders still reeling from a loss. I considered a play on the over 146.5 but ultimately decided to go with Richmond laying the points.
Pick: Richmond -6.5 (-118)
John has spent the past 20+ years betting sports on a daily basis and is considered by many to be a walking sports betting encyclopedia. From obscure player props to sides and totals, if there is an angle, John will find it.
