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Vanderbilt basketball vs Tennessee: Score prediction, scouting report

Vanderbilt basketball has lost 11 straight games to Tennessee and snapping that streak is looking increasingly unlikely this season.

The Commodores (11-12, 4-6 SEC) have struggled of late, losing blowouts to Kentucky and Alabama with close wins over Ole Miss and Georgia. The fifth-ranked Vols (19-4, 8-2) have been somewhat enigmatic. Most days, they look like one of the best teams in the country, but over the past week their offense has disappeared, first in a loss to Florida and then in a 46-43 win over Auburn. So there's at least some intrigue for the matchup Wednesday (6 p.m. CT, SEC Network) at Memorial Gymnasium.

Vanderbilt doesn't seem particularly well-equipped to take advantage, with one of the worst defenses in the conference, but Jerry Stackhouse may be coaching for his job as he's faced increasing heat.

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Who will be available for Vanderbilt?

Wing Jordan Wright, Vanderbilt's top defensive player, missed last Saturday's game against Ole Miss with a concussion. Wright was present but did not dress; Stackhouse said after that game that Wright was doing better.

Lee Dort has been out for the past three weeks with a stress fracture in his foot expected to sideline him 4-6 weeks.

In the previous matchup against Tennessee, a 77-68 loss to the Vols on Jan. 10, Wright was Vanderbilt's second-leading scorer at 13 points, while Dort had six points.

Can Tennessee make shots?

The Vols are a below-average 3-point shooting team and have been streaky this season. Against Auburn, Tennessee went 2-for-21 from beyond the arc and against Florida, it was 5-for-25.

In both games, the opponent made a higher rate of 3-point shots, though not notably so in the case of the Tigers, who were 3-for-27.

How motivated will Vanderbilt be?

The Commodores looked doomed from the start against Alabama as Stackhouse left Tyrin Lawrence out of the game to send a message. After the game, Stackhouse said he met with Lawrence and the two got on the same page.

Whether that will lead to better play, though, is still to be determined. Though the Commodores beat Ole Miss, they didn't play particularly well. Tennessee has clearly been the better team, but perhaps the heat on Stackhouse's seat could bring out a fiery team.

Score prediction

Tennessee 75, Vanderbilt 62: Although the Vols have been in an offensive slump as of late, Vanderbilt lacks the defensive chops to stop them, especially if Wright isn't able to play.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt basketball vs. Tennessee: Score prediction, scouting report