Alabama Crimson Tide vs Vanderbilt Commodores Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/07/2026

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Venue:  Memorial Gymnasium, Nashville, TN

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Alabama +4.5, Vanderbilt -4.5; Over/Under:  177.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Alabama +4.5, Vanderbilt -4.5; Over/Under:  177.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Alabama +4.5, Vanderbilt -4.5; Over/Under:  177.5 points

Alabama Crimson Tide:  11-3 (1-0) (3rd place, SEC)

Vanderbilt Commodores:  14-0 (1-0) (1st place, SEC)

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Alabama Crimson Tide:  4-1  last 5

Vanderbilt Commodores:  5-0  last 5

Alabama is entering this game with an 11-3 record overall, a 1-0 record in conference games, and they are 1-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Kentucky Wildcats in their last game. Aden Holloway led the team in points in that game with 26 while Labaron Philon was next on the team with 17. Aden Holloway led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Amari Allen led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 46.3% from the field, 39.5% from 3-point range, and 75% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 94.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 81.1 PPG against them. Alabama has an ATS record of 6-7 this season and their O/U record is 6-7.

Vanderbilt is entering this game with a 14-0 record overall, a 1-0 conference record, and they are 7-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the South Carolina Gamecocks in their last game. Tyler Tanner led the team in points in that game with 19 while AK Okereke was next on the team with 17. Tyler Tanner led the team in assists with 14 in that game while Jalen Washington led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 50.9% from the field, 43.5% from 3-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 93.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 70.7 PPG against them. Vanderbilt has an ATS record of 9-5 this season and their O/U record is 8-6.

The current betting odds have Vanderbilt listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Vanderbilt has looked great in their games this season with their 14-0 record overall and their 1-0 conference record which has them right at the top of the SEC. They have looked great on their home court too with their 7-0 home record this season. Meanwhile, Alabama has looked really good in their games this season with their 11-3 record overall and their 1-0 conference record which has them right near the top of the SEC. They have been a good road team so far too with their 1-0 road record this year. Alabama is off a big win over Kentucky in their last one and they have been rolling lately with 4 wins in a row now. They did take a really bad loss to Arizona though and they have struggled against some of the top opponents they have faced this year. All 3 of their losses were against other ranked opponents, and 2 of those losses were by double digits too. Vanderbilt has also been rolling in their games lately as they are one of the few undefeated teams left in the nation, and they have been playing like one of the best teams in the nation so far. They are off a road win over South Carolina in their last one and they really haven't played in many close games lately. This is going to be a big test for Vanderbilt since Alabama has played the tougher schedule to start the season, but Vanderbilt has the home advantage to lean on and they have been the better team on the defensive end too. The best way to place a bet here is on Vanderbilt to cover the spread in this game. 

Alabama Vanderbilt Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Wednesday, January 7, 2026 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Vanderbilt 85 Alabama 78.

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Alabama Crimson Tide: 30-20 ATS vs. good free throw shooting teams - making 72% of their attempts or more. 29-22 ATS versus good defensive teams - shooting pct defense of 42% or less. 11-2 OVER as a road underdog or pick. 23-15 OVER after playing a home game.

Vanderbilt Commodores: 4-8 ATS off a win against a conference rival. 5-8 ATS at home versus up-tempo teams averaging 62 or more shots/game. 8-4 OVER off a win against a conference rival. 9-4 OVER versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game.

Alabama Crimson Tide:  T. Bol Bowen (F) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Sherrell (F) Questionable - Lower Body. D. Hannah (G) Questionable - Undisclosed. C. Onyejiaka (C) Out - Undisclosed.

Vanderbilt Commodores:  D. Miles (G) Questionable - Illness. F. Collins (G) Out - Knee. G. Kimble (G) Out - Knee.

"We looked at a few stats coming in this game, I had our guys pull every assist they had because when I watched them play, I didn't feel like they moved the ball great. Then you look at their assist rates are actually pretty high. Well, took a little deeper dive, 27 assists, 27 assists, 27 assists in buy games that played a lot of zone. When they played high-major teams that were really good, their assist rate is very low." - Nate Oats after his team’s win against Kentucky in their last game. 

“It was obviously a hard-fought game. We had a short bench and there’s different things that come when you’re on the road. I thought our guys just showed a belief.” - Mark Byington after his team’s win against South Carolina in their last game. 

T. Bowen 

A. Holloway 

H. Mallette 

L. Philon 

A. Sherrell

D. McGlockton 

D. Miles 

T. Nickel 

A. Okereke 

T. Tanner

PPG: Labaron Philon Jr. (21.5)

APG: Labaron Philon Jr. (5.4)

Reb/G: Amari Allen (7.3)

PPG: Duke Miles (17.1)

APG: Tyler Tanner (5.5)

Reb/G: Devin McGlockton (7)

Coaches:

Alabama Crimson Tide: Nate Oats (7th season)

Vanderbilt Commodores: Mark Byington (2nd season)