Vanderbilt basketball vs. Texas A&M: Score prediction, scouting report

Vanderbilt basketball suffered a crushing blowout loss to Kentucky on Tuesday, one coach Jerry Stackhouse called among the most disappointing he's been in.

Now, the Commodores must hit the road in hopes to rebound.

Vanderbilt (10-10, 3-4) heads to College Station to face Texas A&M (14-6, 6-1) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network) which has rebounded after a poor start to the season. The Aggies lost to Murray State and Wofford early in the season but have won eight of their past nine games, the most impressive of those wins coming against Auburn.

Commodores bigs Liam Robbins and Lee Dort are unlikely to play after suffering lower-body injuries expected to keep them out through at least mid-February. Robbins has a bone bruise and Dort a stress fracture in his foot.

Here's what to know about the matchup:

KENTUCKY FALLOUTWhy Vanderbilt's 14th straight loss to Kentucky is Jerry Stackhouse's biggest disappointment

STACK'S SNEAKERSHow a 14-year-old cancer patient designed Jerry Stackhouse's sneakers for Vanderbilt vs. UK

MAILBAGAnswering your early Vanderbilt baseball questions as injuries pile up on Jerry Stackhouse

Vanderbilt offense vs. Texas A&M defense

Texas A&M plays a high-pressure defense that forces lots of turnovers. Missouri and VCU had similar molds and the Commodores struggled with both teams, but the Aggies' defense is better overall, especially at preventing short-range shots. The 3-point defense is a relative weakness, so Vanderbilt will want to get lots of ball-handling and shooting on the court with players like Ezra Manjon, Noah Shelby, Paul Lewis and Myles Stute. This is where the Commodores' intentions to play smaller lineups without Robbins and Dort could come in useful; even in the blowout by Kentucky, Vanderbilt had just four turnovers.

Texas A&M offense vs. Vanderbilt defense

Despite lacking huge size, Texas A&M excels in areas you'd expect from a bigger team: offensive rebounding, getting to the free-throw line and making two-point shots. Its weaknesses come in turnovers and 3-point shooting.

Without Robbins and Dort, Vanderbilt likely will struggle to contain the Aggies on the boards. The Commodores have been outrebounded in all three games so far without Robbins. Three-point defense is a relative strength, so Vanderbilt may utilize some zone or matchup zone looks in hopes of forcing more 3-point attempts.

Intangibles

Vanderbilt has played relatively well on the road this season, but just one of its three SEC wins has come on the road. Texas A&M has lost only once at home this year, albeit in a Quadrant 4 loss to Wofford, a team Vanderbilt beat, in December.

The Commodores have won their past two matchups with the Aggies, one last season in Nashville and one in the 2021 SEC Tournament.

Score prediction

Texas A&M 77, Vanderbilt 75: The Commodores aren't equipped as well to stop the Aggies on defense with their newfound lack of post depth.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt basketball score prediction, scouting report vs. Texas A&M.