Florida Gators vs Vanderbilt Commodores Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/17/2026

Game Time: 2:00 pm ET, Saturday, January 17, 2026

Venue:  Memorial Gymnasium, Nashville, TN

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Florida +3.5, Vandy -3.5; Over/Under:  160.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Florida +3.5, Vandy -3.5; Over/Under:  160.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Florida +3.5, Vandy -3.5; Over/Under:  160.5 points

Florida Gators:  12-5 (3-1) (5th place, SEC)

Vanderbilt Commodores:  16-1 (3-1) (2nd place, SEC)

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Florida Gators:  4-1  last 5

Vanderbilt Commodores:  4-1  last 5

Florida is entering this game with a 12-5 record overall, a 3-1 record in conference games, and they are 1-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Oklahoma Sooners in their last game. Thomas Haugh led the team in points in that game with 21 while Rueben Chinyelu was next on the team with 19. Boogie Fland led the team in assists with 7 in that game while Rueben Chinyelu led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 53.5% from the field, 27.3% from 3-point range, and 73.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 85.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 71.4 PPG against them. Florida has an ATS record of 6-11 this season and their O/U record is 7-10.

Vanderbilt is entering this game with a 16-1 record overall, a 3-1 conference record, and they are 9-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Texas Longhorns in their last game. Duke Miles led the team in points in that game with 21 while Tyler Tanner was next on the team with 17. Duke Miles led the team in assists with 4 in that game while Devin McGlockton led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 36.7% from the field, 36% from 3-point range, and 73.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 91.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 72.5 PPG against them. Vanderbilt has an ATS record of 10-7 this season and their O/U record is 9-8.

The current betting odds have Florida listed as a 3.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Florida has looked good in their games this season with their 12-5 record overall and their 3-1 conference record which has them right near the top of the SEC. They haven't been a great road team so far though with their 1-2 road record this year. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt has looked great in their games this season with their 16-1 record overall and their 3-1 conference record which has them right near the top of the SEC. They have also looked great on their home court this season with their 9-0 home record. Vanderbilt has been rolling this season as they were one of the last teams in the nation to stay undefeated, and they look like a true threat in the SEC this year. As good as they have looked, they are off their first loss of the season which was against Texas, and they could be coming back down to Earth now after such a hot start. Vandy does have a really good team, but they weren't tested much in the preseason with a weaker non-conference schedule, and the defending champions are starting to turn the corner now. Florida didn't look great to start the year after winning the National Championship last season, but they have also had a really strong schedule. They even started the SEC schedule with a questionable loss to Missouri, but that loss really served as a wake up call and they have been rolling since then. They have a ton of momentum on their side now with 3 wins in a row by double digits, and 2 of those were against ranked opponents. Florida is starting to look like one of the best teams in the SEC like how they were supposed to be, and Vanderbilt is cooling off after such a hot start to the season. The best way to place a bet here is on Florida to cover the spread in this game. 

Florida Vanderbilt Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, January 17, 2026 (2:00 pm ET start time) is Florida 81 Vanderbilt 77.

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Florida Gators: 0-4 ATS when the total is 160 to 169.5. 0-4 ATS after 3 or more consecutive wins. 3-6 ATS versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing 14 turnovers/game or less. 28-18 OVER versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game.

Vanderbilt Commodores: 24-18 ATS as a favorite. 15-9 ATS after playing a road game. 6-3 ATS at home after a loss by 15 points or more. 7-3 ATS at home off a road loss against a conference rival. 7-4 OVER versus poor 3 point shooting teams - making 31% of their attempts or less.

Florida Gators:  None.

Vanderbilt Commodores:  F. Collins (G) Out - Knee. G. Kimble (G) Out - Knee.

"That's an area we strive to win every night, but this game, specifically, yes, absolutely. We [felt] like we had a little more depth on the front line – that's where our better players are – and they would have to produce for us to have a good game." - Todd Golden after his team’s win against Oklahoma in their last game. 

“They played at a very high level, and losing to a team that plays that way, at that level, was tough to overcome. We had it at four points, maybe it was 8:34 left, I could be wrong, but they made plays. End-of-the-shot-clock plays. Mark was very, very good today. I thought we had some good defensive possessions and he was still making shots against good defense. I thought we had our chances. We got it to four, then Texas made another great run and our offense went dry toward the end. I don’t think we played our best, but I don’t think we played bad either. Texas was really high level today. We weren't bad tonight. We played pretty well for a good portion of the game.” - Mark Byington after his team’s loss against Texas in their last game. 

R. Chinyelu 

A. Condon 

B. Fland 

T. Haugh 

X. Lee

D. McGlockton 

D. Miles 

T. Nickel 

A. Okereke 

T. Tanner

PPG: Thomas Haugh (17.4)

APG: Alex Condon (3.7)

Reb/G: Rueben Chinyelu (10.7)

PPG: Duke Miles (17.5)

APG: Tyler Tanner (5.2)

Reb/G: Devin McGlockton (7.4)

Coaches:

Florida Gators: Todd Golden (4th season)

Vanderbilt Commodores: Mark Byington (2nd season)