The No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks welcome the No. 15 Vanderbilt Commodores to the Bud Walton Arena on Tuesday night.
Both of these ranked teams have looked vulnerable lately and my Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas predictions are backing the home-side in what should be a close game.
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Here are my best free college basketball picks for this SEC showdown on January 20.
Vanderbilt vs Arkansas prediction
Vanderbilt vs Arkansas best bet: Arkansas -1.5 (-110)
The Vanderbilt Commodores were a perfect 16-0 entering last week but dropped back-to-back games to fall out of the Top 10. Meanwhile, the Arkansas Razorbacks have lost two of their last three.
Both teams like to push the pace with guard-oriented lineups and they take care of the ball while shooting extremely well. However, there are a couple of key reasons why I like Arkansas here.
The Razorbacks rely heavily on threes which makes their offensive production more sustainable at home where they’ve gone 10-0.
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Meanwhile, Vanderbilt has been getting killed on the glass in conference play and could struggle with Arkansas’ superior length.
The Razorbacks are also 83rd in free throw rate (39.8%) while ranking 29th in opponent FT rate (27.8%).
The Dores sit outside the Top 300 in opponent FT rate (43%) and sending foes to the charity stripe is a recipe for a loss in a game with a spread this small.
Vanderbilt vs Arkansas same-game parlay
The Razorbacks elite attack has been led by point guard Darius Acuff who is averaging 19.8 points and 6.3 assists per game. The five-star freshman has dropped 6+ dimes in nine of his last 11 games.
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Arkansas’ biggest flaw has been interior defense with the Razorbacks 236th in opponent two-point percentage (53.1%).
Vanderbilt’s top scorers are perimeter players but 244-pound forward AK Okereke has stepped up lately, scoring 10+ points in four of his last five games.
Vanderbilt vs Arkansas SGP
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Darius Acuff Jr. Over 5.5 assists
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AK Okereke Over 9.5 points
Our beyond the arc SGP: Thomas dominates the boards
In a fast-paced game with a ton of threes, there should be plenty of long rebounds for Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas. The 6-foot-5 freshman has snagged a total of 10 boards over the last two contests.
Vanderbilt vs Arkansas SGP
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Darius Acuff Jr. Over 5.5 assists
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AK Okereke Over 9.5 points
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Meleek Thomas Over 3.5 rebounds
Vanderbilt vs Arkansas odds
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Spread: Vanderbilt +1.5 | Arkansas -1.5
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Moneyline: Vanderbilt +105 | Arkansas -125
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Over/Under: Over 174 | Under 174
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Vanderbilt vs Arkansas betting trend to know
The Razorbacks are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 games at home. Find more college basketball betting trends for Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas.
How to watch Vanderbilt vs Arkansas
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Location |
Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, AR |
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Date |
Tuesday, January 20, 2026 |
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Tip-off |
9:00 p.m. ET |
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TV |
ESPN |
Vanderbilt vs Arkansas key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here
