Wake Forest vs. Vanderbilt Prediction, Men's College Basketball Odds & Best Bets (11/5)

Fact checked at 6:39 AM ET, Nov 5, 2026

Odds as of 6:06 AM ET, Nov 5, 2026

No. 24 Vanderbilt hosts Wake Forest at 6:00 PM ET at Memorial Gymnasium on ESPN2, and this one should get away from the Demon Deacons in a hurry. Vanderbilt's pressure turns Wake Forest mistakes into run-outs, the Commodores score in the high 80s or better, and Wake Forest picks up enough in transition and late minutes to push the total past 155.5. A 90-70 final covers the spread and clears the total.

Each team has played once, so treat the openers as one-game samples. Last season's numbers come from rosters that have turned over heavily on both sides.

Wake Forest vs. Vanderbilt Predictions

• Pick #1: Vanderbilt -17.5 (-109)
• Pick #2: Over 155.5 (-105)

PICK #1: Vanderbilt -17.5 (-109)

Vanderbilt's defense decided its opener. The Commodores forced 23 Bellarmine turnovers and turned them into 37 points, piled up 12 steals, won the glass 38-20 and beat a 36.5-point spread in a 93-47 win. Tyler Tanner scored 20 on 7-of-10 shooting with six assists and four steals, and three other starters reached double figures: Berke Buyuktuncel with 13, Ace Glass III with 12 and Chandler Bing with 11.

Wake Forest's opener went the other way against the number. The Deacs beat Maryland Eastern Shore 83-62 but were laying more than 30 and didn't cover, and they shot 7-of-23 from three. Kevair Kennedy, the point guard who came over from Merrimack, had 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Now he has to bring the ball up against Tanner in Wake Forest's first true road game of the season. That's where we expect this to break open. Last season's meeting at Wake Forest ended 98-67 Vanderbilt, though both rosters look different now.

The price of -109 implies a 52.2% chance, and the ratings don't love it. One projection makes Vanderbilt only about an 11-point favorite and sees an 81-69 final. Those ratings still rest mostly on preseason guesses about two rebuilt rosters, and the one real game each team has played pointed the other way. Watch the back door. Byington played a lot of guys in the opener, and a long stretch for the bench can trim a big lead fast.

PICK #2: Over 155.5 (-105)

This total runs on Vanderbilt's scoring, the same thing the spread needs. The Commodores shot 60% in their opener with 21 fast-break points, and they averaged more than 85 points a game last season. Wake Forest likes to run, too. It scored 25 fast-break points and 31 points off 18 Maryland Eastern Shore turnovers, and freshman Gavin Placide went for 20 in his debut.

Last season's meeting landed at 165 points. A 20-point Vanderbilt win with Wake Forest scoring in the high 60s or low 70s clears this number.

At -105 you're paying for a 51.2% chance, and the case against it is easy to make. Neither opener reached this total (140 and 145 points), both stayed under their closing numbers, and the projection above adds up to 150. Our answer is the script. If Vanderbilt's pressure is creating turnovers, those turn into quick baskets at the other end, and that's how a lopsided game also gets to 156.

21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.