Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Vanderbilt Commodores Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 11/05/2026

Game Time: 6:00 pm ET, Thursday, November 5, 2026

Venue:  Memorial Gymnasium, Nashville, TN

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Wake Forest +17.5, Vanderbilt -17.5; Over/Under:  153.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Wake Forest +17.5, Vanderbilt -17.5; Over/Under:  153.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Wake Forest +17.5, Vanderbilt -17.5; Over/Under:  153.5 points

Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  1-0 (0-0) (1st place, ACC)

Vanderbilt Commodores:  1-0 (0-0) (1st place, SEC)

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Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  1-0  last 1

Vanderbilt Commodores:  1-0  last 1

Wake Forest is entering this game with a 1-0 record overall, a 0-0 record in conference games, and they are 0-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks in their last game. Gavin Placide led the team in points in that game with 20 while Justin Ray was next on the team with 15. Kevair Kennedy led the team in assists with 8 in that game while Kevair Kennedy led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 52.6% from the field, 30.4% from 3-point range, and 64% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 83 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 62 PPG against them. Wake Forest has an ATS record of 0-1 this season and their O/U record is 0-1.

Vanderbilt is entering this game with a 1-0 record overall, a 0-0 conference record, and they are 1-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Bellarmine Knights in their last game. Tyler Tanner led the team in points in that game with 20 while Berke Buyuktuncel was next on the team with 13. Tyler Tanner led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Sebastian Williams-Adams led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 60% from the field, 36.8% from 3-point range, and 80% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 93 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 47 PPG against them. Vanderbilt has an ATS record of 1-0 this season and their O/U record is 0-1.

The current betting odds have Vanderbilt listed as a 17.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Vanderbilt is coming off a big win over Bellarmine in their season opener. Vanderbilt was one of the best teams in the SEC last season and they enter this season ranked inside the top 25. They were playing against a much weaker opponent in their season opener, but they still left no doubt on the court with an embarrassing win by over 40 points. Meanwhile, Wake Forest looked good in their season opener with a big win over Maryland Eastern Shore, but they still failed to cover the spread in that one. They played a much weaker opponent and the game was never really in doubt, but they still gave up a lot of points considering the talent gap. Wake Forest hasn't exactly been a powerhouse in the ACC either, so this is going to be a very difficult 1st road trip for them. Byington has really turned this Vandy program around in a short amount of time and they are a lot more talented than Wake Forest. They will be looking to make a statement early on now that they aren't playing a cupcake and having the home advantage here will be a big help. Vanderbilt is a lot better on the defensive end and they have a lot more talent to score points with, so look for them to roll over Wake Forest with another blow out win here. The best way to place a bet here is on Vanderbilt to cover the spread in this game. 

Wake Forest Vanderbilt Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, November 5, 2026 (6:00 pm ET start time) is Vanderbilt 84 Wake Forest 64.

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Wake Forest Demon Deacons: 0-4 ATS against SEC opponents. 4-9 ATS as a road underdog or pick. 8-15 ATS when the total is 150 to 159.5. 3-1 UNDER against SEC opponents. 19-12 UNDER on the road in all games. 7-2 UNDER on the road in non-conference games.

Vanderbilt Commodores: 4-0 ATS against ACC opponents. 20-10 ATS in non-conference games. 6-1 ATS after a game where they made 55% of their shots or better. 19-11 UNDER after scoring 85 points or more. 4-0 UNDER after allowing 55 points or less.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  None.

Vanderbilt Commodores:  G. Nesmith (G) Out - Ankle. 

“Well, I thought we got off to a good start, playing a team that, truthfully, I'm not sure in my 39 years I've played a team that didn't scrimmage anybody or didn't play an exhibition. So we didn't have anything on them. I thought our guys did a really good job of adjusting throughout the game to some different defenses that they were trying to run.” - Steve Forbes after his team’s win against Maryland Eastern Shore in their last game. 

“I’ve been on the other side of these where I’ve gotten beaten pretty bad. The school’s got to make money and everything else. But, with us and with our team, the whole focus was we just got to learn our team and get better.” - Mark Byington after his team’s win against Bellarmine in their last game. 

I. Carr 

K. Kennedy 

X. Pintelon 

G. Placide 

J. Ray

C. Bing 

B. Büyüktuncel 

A. Glass 

T. Tanner 

S. Williams-Adams

PPG: Gavin Placide (20)

APG: Kevair Kennedy (8)

Reb/G: Kevair Kennedy (9)

PPG: Tyler Tanner (20)

APG: Tyler Tanner (6)

Reb/G: Sebastian Williams-Adams (9)

Coaches:

Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Steve Forbes (7th season)

Vanderbilt Commodores: Mark Byington (3rd season)