Vanderbilt Commodores vs Missouri Tigers Picks and Predictions March 1st 2025

No. 14 Missouri Faces Surging Vanderbilt in Key SEC Clash

Two red-hot teams, No. 14 Missouri and Vanderbilt, will put their momentum to the test on Saturday in a crucial Southeastern Conference showdown in Nashville, Tenn.

Missouri secured a 75-66 victory over Vanderbilt earlier this season and holds a slight 10-8 edge in their all-time series. Interestingly, 15 of their 17 matchups have been won by the home team, with one contest played at a neutral site.

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Missouri’s Offensive Explosion

The Tigers (21-7, 10-5 SEC) roll into Nashville following a dominant 101-71 win over South Carolina on Tuesday. Caleb Grill led Missouri with 22 points, while Anthony Robinson II contributed 14 points and eight assists. Mark Mitchell and Tony Perkins each tallied 13 points, Tamar Bates added 11, and Jacob Crews chipped in with 10.

This offensive outburst marked the first time Missouri had six players reach double figures in an SEC game. Their 30-point margin of victory was the largest in conference play since a similar win over Arkansas on March 5, 2013. The Tigers shot an impressive 63.5% from the field—one of their best performances in an SEC contest.

“It was just a complete team effort and that’s the most difficult to beat,” Grill said. “When we’re clicking like that, it makes us really tough to beat. I don’t think we’ve played our best game yet. I don’t think we’ve found our best rhythm yet, and I think we’ll find that stretch coming forward.”

Missouri has now won four of its last five games, reaching 10 conference victories for the first time since joining the SEC in 2013.

Vanderbilt’s Statement Win

Vanderbilt (19-9, 7-8 SEC) returns home riding high after a thrilling 86-84 road victory over No. 12 Texas A&M on Wednesday. The Commodores have now defeated two consecutive ranked teams and boast four wins over Top 25 squads in SEC play.

Despite leading by 10 points with just over three minutes left, foul trouble and turnovers nearly cost Vanderbilt the game. However, Tyler Nickel’s career-high seven three-pointers powered him to 21 points, while MJ Collins added 16 and Jason Edwards scored 15.

“A lot of times as a coach you want to win when you deserve to win, and I felt like we did,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said. “A&M almost pulled it from us, but I’m proud of our guys. It’s one of our best wins this year, maybe the best, beating a good team like this on the road at the end of February.”

The victory, combined with their recent win over then-No. 24 Ole Miss, has likely secured Vanderbilt a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Commodores will face unranked Arkansas and Georgia following Saturday’s battle with Missouri.

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“The games are important now. You want to play meaningful games at the end of February, play meaningful games in March, and we are. We’ve had moments where I feel like we’re sometimes better, but you’ve got to win. We’ll take it any way possible.” Byington added.

What’s at Stake

Both teams enter this matchup with a lot on the line. Missouri looks to solidify its positioning for the SEC Tournament, while Vanderbilt aims to further cement its NCAA Tournament resume. With both squads peaking at the right time, expect a hard-fought battle in Nashville.

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