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Alabama at Vanderbilt

At the midway point of their SEC schedules, both the Alabama Crimson Tide and Vanderbilt Commodores would love to get the second half of conference play started with one in the win column. The Commodores need this win especially considering they are sitting at the bottom of the standings in the SEC East. Alabama, meanwhile, has been the surprise of the conference as they sit in first place in the SEC West. College basketball lines for this contest show us odds of Vanderbilt -6.5 over Alabama with a total set of 132 points.

No. 23 Vanderbilt (16-6, 4-4) has been unstoppable at home this season, so their chances of coming up with a victory Thursday are pretty good. The Commodores improved to 12-1 at Memorial Gym thanks to their 78-60 victory over South Carolina this past Saturday. They sit tied with the Gamecocks and Kentucky in the cellar of the SEC East. Their four league losses match their total from a year ago. Vanderbilt has won 10 straight home meetings with Alabama, with their last loss coming all the way back in the 1989-90 season.

Alabama (15-7, 7-1) will be seeking a sixth straight victory in conference play for the first time in more than six years. The biggest reason for their resurgence this season has been their defense. Players have bought in, and as a result the Crimson Tide rank among the best teams in the country in field-goal percentage defense (36.2) and points allowed (57.1). They have even taken three of their last four road games after beating Tennessee 65-60 in overtime on Saturday.

The Crimson Tide’s defense will be put to the test tonight as they try and slow down John Jenkins and Jeffrey Taylor. Jenkins the leading scorer in the SEC at 19.2 points per game. He has gone 27-of-58 from the 3-point line over his last nine games and is clearly a load. Taylor poured 17 points and a career-high four 3-pointers in their win over the Gamecocks on Saturday. These two helped the Commodores escape with a 65-64 win in Tuscaloosa in their last meeting, as Taylor scored 13 and Jenkins added 11 off the bench.

The Commodores will also have to deal with a dynamic duo that Alabama has to offer. Tony Mitchell and JaMychal Green are two of the best players in the conference. Mitchell is on an absolute tear, putting up a career-high 24 points Saturday after scoring 23 in their 75-61 win over Mississippi State on Wednesday. Green has been steady during their recent 10-1 run, averaging 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds over that stretch. In three games against Vanderbilt in his career, he has put up 10.7 points and 10.0 boards on average. Both teams have stud point guards who know how to share the basketball. Brad Tinsley leads the SEC in assists per game (4.5) for the Commodores, while freshman Trevor Releford is steadily improving for the Tide. Releford is averaging 14.5 points of his last two games and delivered eight dimes against Mississippi State.

Projected Score at BetOnline: Vanderbilt 69 – Alabama 63