Posted on 3/13/2008 2:38:30 PM

College Basketball Odds - AUBURN vs. VANDERBILT

By Charles jay

BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds: VANDERBILT -8.5, Total 149.5

The Auburn Tigers (14-15 SU, 9-11-1 ATS) will try to redeem themselves a bit for a disappointing season as they open the SEC tournament, facing off against the Vanderbilt Commodores (25-6 SU, 15-15 ATS) in quarterfinal action that is scheduled to tip off at 3:15 PM ET at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

In the BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds, Vanderbilt is listed as an 8.5-point favorite, with a total of 149.5 points.

Here are some of the NCAAB betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* AUB is 2-3-1 ATS in its last six games

* AUB has lost five of its last six games SU

* VAND has covered six of its last nine games

* VAND has won eight of its last ten games SU

* VAND has played 11 of its last 16 games UNDER the total

* AUB has covered four of the last five meetings

* VAND has won five of its last seven games SU

* Four of the last six meetings have gone UNDER the total

* VAND has had the shooting edge in five of the last seven meetings

* VAND has had the rebounding edge in four of the last five meetings

Auburn did not come roaring down the stretch, losing its last four. Really, the Tigers have had a problem all season long, because they lost front court people, including Josh Dollard and Korvotney Barber, and played much of the year with just seven scholarship players.

You can point to Auburn's shooting stats toward the end and see that they were under 40% against Mississippi State, South Carolina and Georgia, before doing a little better against Arkansas in the season finale. That's poor performance. But Vanderbilt had some cold pockets too, although their sub-40% efforts came against good defensive teams like Tennessee, Mississippi State and Alabama.

Certainly Vandy did not play incredibly well on the road, winning four of ten away from home. There may be some reflection of that here, since Vandy is so dominant on its home court. But the 'Dores already have punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament, and Auburn, despite the fact that they have been shorthanded, have not given up all year. That will spill over into this post-season effort, as the Tigers, if they can finish over the .500 mark, still ave a chance to go to a lesser tournament like the NIT or CBI.

We'll grab the points with Auburn, the 8.5-point underdog in the BetUS NCAAB betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: AUBURN

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)