Vanderbilt will look to stay unbeaten when it hosts Kent State on Thursday afternoon.
The Commodores are off to a 4-0 start and most recently captured a 79-70 home victory over Liberty.
Meanwhile, Kent State’s lone loss on the season is to that same Liberty squad, with the Golden Flashes coming off a 104-84 win over Savannah State.
Let’s run through what to watch for in this game.
Game Details
- Vanderbilt (4-0) vs. Kent State (4-1)
- Location: Memorial Gym – Nashville, TN
- Game Date: Nov. 23
- Game Time: 5 p.m. EST
- Watch: SEC Network+
Players to Watch
Darius Garland (Vanderbilt)
Garland has put together a string of excellent performances in his first season in Nashville, but none better than his 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting in the win over the Flames.
He’s now averaging 19.8 points on the season while shooting 52.8 precent from the floor and 47.8 percent from 3-point range.
There’s no longer any doubt that the Commodores have one of the best point guards in college basketball, and Garland’s development is going to a lot of fun to watch this season.
Jalen Avery (Kent State)
The 6-0 senior has seen his role expand this season, and he’ll attempt to go toe-to-toe with Garland in this particular matchup.
Avery leads the Golden Flashes with 18.0 points and 4.8 assists while playing a team-high 32.4 minutes per contest.
Rob Senderoff will undoubtedly need Avery to be a reliable contributor in this game if Kent State wants to have a shot at scoring the road upset.
Key Stats
The Golden Flashes had issues shooting the ball from beyond the arc last year (299th nationally at 32.6 percent), and they’re currently at 32.7 percent thus far this season.
That percentage probably won’t improve against a team like Vanderbilt, who is allowing opponents to shoot just 24.2 percent from long range (16th nationally).
The Commodores are also doing a good job in overall defense, as they rank 77th in the country in field-goal percentage defense (39.4 percent).
Kent State is the more experienced team in this matchup (93rd nationally in experience), but Vanderbilt will boast a bigger lineup (34th nationally in average height).
Game Outlook
- Spread: Vanderbilt 11.5
- Over/Under: 152.5
- KenPom Projection: Vanderbilt, 87 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Vanderbilt, 79.7 percent chance to win
For the second-straight game, this will be a situation where Bryce Drew’s team must be focused from the opening tip.
Kent State has started off well, but there’s a potential X-factor that could make things even better.
Jaylin Walker, the team’s leading scorer last season (16.6 ppg), hasn’t played this season due to an indefinite suspension, but Senderoff mentioned after the Savannah State win that the 6-1 senior was very close to returning to action.
It’s unknown if that return will be in this game, but if it does happen, it would give the Golden Flashes a major boost.
Vanderbilt is the better team, and this should be another matchup that brings out the incredible playmaking ability of Garland and fellow freshman Simisola Shittu.
Those should be the difference once again, even if Kent State is able to make this a close one for most of the way.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 52-10
Game Prediction: Vanderbilt 83, Kent State 73
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