Vanderbilt vs. McNeese Dunkel Predictions & Vegas Odds - First Round

The No. 5 seed Vanderbilt Commodores (26-8) and the No. 12 seed McNeese Cowboys (28-5) will meet in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at 3:15 p.m. ET. Vanderbilt is favored by 11.5 points in the matchup, which airs on truTV. Here's everything you need to know about this 5-12 matchup when filling out your brackets. The matchup has an over/under of 150.5 points.

In its last game on Sunday, Vanderbilt suffered an 86-75 loss to Arkansas. Tyler Nickel scored a team-high 19 points for Vanderbilt in the loss. McNeese's last game on Wednesday ended in a 76-59 win over SFA. Jovohn Garcia scored a team-leading 31 points for McNeese in the victory.

Vanderbilt vs. McNeese Odds and Game Time

• When: Thursday, March 19, 2026 at 3:15 p.m. ET
• Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Spread favorite: Vanderbilt -11.5
• Moneyline favorite: Vanderbilt -680
• Moneyline underdog: McNeese +456
• Over/Under: 150.5 points

How to watch Vanderbilt vs. McNeese

• TV Channel: truTV
• Check out the rest of our Dunkel Index NCAA Basketball Picks!

Betting the Over/Under: Vanderbilt vs. McNeese

• This season, Vanderbilt and its opponents have combined to outscore Thursday's over/under of 150.5 points 26 times.
• There have been eight McNeese games that finished with a combined score higher than 150.5 points this season.
• The Commodores average 86.4 points per game against the Cowboys' 80.0, totaling 15.9 points over the matchup's total of 150.5.
• This game's total is 8.8 fewer points than the 141.7 these two teams combine to allow per game in 2024.
• Vanderbilt has a 161.6 average over/under in its games this season, 11.1 more points than the over/under in this matchup.
• McNeese's games have an average over/under of 146.5 points this season, 4.0 points lower than the over/under for this game.

Betting the Spread: Vanderbilt vs. McNeese

• Vanderbilt has played 34 games, with 18 wins against the spread.
• The Commodores have been favored by 11.5 points or more 11 times this season and are 5-6 ATS in those games.
• Against the spread, McNeese is 14-17-0 this season.
• This year, the Cowboys are winless ATS when entering a game as an underdog of 11.5 points or more.
• Vanderbilt is 8-8 against the spread, and 13-3 overall, at home this year.
• At home, Vanderbilt is 4-5 ATS as a 11.5-point favorite or greater.
• This season in away games, McNeese is 3-11 against the spread and 9-5 overall.
• McNeese has one win ATS (1-3) as 11.5-point underdogs or more away from home.

Betting the Moneyline: Vanderbilt vs. McNeese

• This season, Vanderbilt has won 21 out of the 26 games, or 80.8%, in which it has been the moneyline favorite.
• The Commodores have a record of 8-1, a 88.9% win rate, when favored by -680 or more by sportsbooks this season.
• Sportsbooks have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that Vanderbilt has a 87.2% chance to win.
• McNeese has been victorious in one of the three contests it has been chosen as a moneyline underdog in this season.
• The Cowboys have played as an underdog of +456 or more just one time this year and came away with a loss in that game.
• Bookmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that McNeese has an 18% chance of pulling out a win.