Who's Playing

Alabama A&M @ Vanderbilt

Current Records: Alabama A&M 3-7; Vanderbilt 5-6

What to Know

The Vanderbilt Commodores and the Alabama A&M Bulldogs will compete for holiday cheer at 8 p.m. ET Thursday at Memorial Gym. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

The Commodores were close but no cigar on Saturday as they fell 70-66 to the NC State Wolfpack. Forward Myles Stute put forth a good effort for the losing side as he had 16 points.

Meanwhile, Alabama A&M has to be aching after a bruising 68-47 defeat to the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday. The Bulldogs were surely aware of their 32.5-point disadvantage in the point spread, but the foreknowledge did nothing to prevent the result. The top scorers for Alabama A&M were Garrett Hicks (13 points) and Messiah Thompson (12 points).

Vanderbilt is the favorite in this one, with an expected 18.5-point margin of victory. But bettors beware: they are only 2-4 against the spread when favored.

Vanderbilt is now 5-6 while Alabama A&M sits at 3-7. A couple stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Commodores are 29th worst in college basketball in takeaways, with only 11.3 on average. To make matters even worse for Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs rank 26th in college basketball when it comes to takeaways, with 17.6 on average. Maybe that strength will give Alabama A&M the oomph they need to beat the odds.

How To Watch

  • When: Thursday at 8 p.m. ET
  • Where: Memorial Gym -- Nashville, Tennessee
  • TV: ESPN Plus
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $4.00

Odds

The Commodores are a big 18.5-point favorite against the Bulldogs, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Commodores as a 19-point favorite.

Over/Under: -109

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Series History

This is the first time these teams have played each other within the last seven years.