Vanderbilt Commodores vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Vanderbilt Commodores vs Kentucky Wildcats

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY

TV: ESPN+

The Kentucky Wildcats (18-10) welcome the Vanderbilt Commodores (22-6) at Rupp Arena on Saturday.

The Vanderbilt Commodores stepped onto the hardwood against Georgia and walked away with a win by a score of 88-80 in their last contest. When it comes to personal fouls, the Commodores left the arena with 19 while Georgia recorded 22 personal fouls. They also knocked down 10 of their 24 attempts from distance. Georgia finished shooting 75.9% when shooting free throws by knocking down 22 of their 29 tries. Additionally, Georgia collected 26 boards (6 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Georgia doled out 8 dimes and had 4 steals for the game. With regard to defending, Vanderbilt allowed their opponent to shoot 46.2% from the field on 24 of 52 shooting. They also dished out 16 assists in this matchup while forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and having 5 steals. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they earned 33 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Commodores converted 21 of their 24 tries for a rate of 87.5%. Vanderbilt wrapped up the contest with a 49.2% FG percentage (30 of 61) and buried 7 out of their 26 shots from downtown.

Devin McGlockton is a guy who played a role for the contest. He ended up shooting 70.0% from the field and recorded 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 29 minutes and snagged 10 rebounds. He accounted for 17 points on 7 out of 10 shooting.

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Vanderbilt steps onto the court with a win-loss mark of 22-6 on the season. They turn the ball over 9.6 times per game and as a team they commit 19.6 personal fouls per game. As a unit, Vanderbilt is grabbing 36.2 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 466 assists this year, which has them ranked 59th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Commodores are connecting on 35.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (275 of 767) and 78.0% from the free throw line. They are averaging 87.3 points per contest (12th in Division 1) while shooting 48.0% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Commodores are forcing 12.9 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.3 personal fouls. They give up 30.6% from beyond the arc and they rank 188th in the nation in points per game allowed (73.9). The Commodores are giving up a FG percentage of 41.8% (683 of 1,635) and they concede 34.3 rebounds per game as a team. They are 17th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 305 conceded this year.

For their last game, the Kentucky Wildcats walked away with a victory by a final of 72-63 against South Carolina. The Wildcats were able to collect 26 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive boards for a total of 41 for this game. They coughed up the ball 14 times, while earning 8 steals in the game. South Carolina was called for 16 personal fouls in this contest which got the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 18 tries. They were able to make 13 of those for a clip of 72.2%. Pertaining to shots from 3-point land, Kentucky converted 7 of their 25 attempts (28.0%). Overall, the Wildcats went 26 for 66 from the floor which gave them a rate of 39.4%. The Wildcats permitted South Carolina to make 21 of 57 tries from the field which had them shooting 36.8% for this game. They shot 27.6% from beyond the arc by going 8 out of 29 and finished the game at 13 out of 17 at the free throw line (76.5%). In regard to attacking the glass, Kentucky allowed South Carolina to collect 24 in all (5 on the offensive side).

Denzel Aberdeen ended up having an impact for the Wildcats for the game. He knocked down 6 out of 12 in this game giving him a rate of 50.0%, and tallied 4 rebounds. He totaled 19 points in his 37 minutes on the court and accumulated 5 assists in the matchup.

Kentucky has a mark of 18-10 for the season. As an offense, the Wildcats are hitting on 46.4% from the floor, which ranks 121st in the country. Kentucky has accounted for 2,265 pts so far this year (80.9 per contest) and they snag 38.4 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 16.0 times per game (69th in D-1) and they are turning it over 10.6 times per game. The Wildcats are committing 18.0 fouls every game and they connect on 72.3% from the free throw line.

The Wildcats are ranked 136th in college in points per game surrendered with 72.4. They are able to force 10.9 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.6% from the field (57th in college hoops). The Kentucky defense allows 31.5% on three-point shots (211 of 670) and their opposition knocks down 74.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 13.9 assists and 33.9 rebounds every game, which ranks them 226th and 149th in those categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Kentucky

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