Round 2 of Bulldog week here at Anchor of Gold. Ken Pomeroy gives Vanderbilt a 68% likelihood of victory (77-72, with a tempo of 68). Vegas considers Vandy a four and a half point favorite.

On paper, this is a clear mismatch. Vanderbilt has an extremely balanced offensive attack, and is above average on defense. Georgia has an above average offense, but is among the worst in the SEC in defense. With Tennessee coming to Nashville on Tuesday for a nationally televised matchup, this matchup is a classic trap game.

Commodores vs Bulldogs coverage

Schedule Breakdown

*** Through Games Played 02.05.2010 - kenpom.com ***

Georgia and Vanderbilt have both had perhaps the toughest opening stretches of conference play among SEC teams, and that's certainly reflected in their respective schedule strength. Vanderbilt will be the toughest offense and twelfth toughest defense that Georgia will have faced. Georgia will be the fifth toughest offense and the sixteenth toughest defense Vanderbilt will have faced.

Statistical Breakdown

Vanderbilt has a pretty good edge overall among the "key players." Vandy also has a healthy edge among role players. Travis Leslie vs. Jeffery Taylor is a matchup of two phenomenal athletes recently featured on SECSports.com's "Who is the best dunker in the SEC?" fan poll.

Four Factors: Vanderbilt has leads in effective field goal percentage (eFG%), turnover percentage (TO%), and free throw rate (FTRate) while Georgia leads in offensive rebound percentage (OReb%). Prediciton: I think Vanderbilt wins all four statistics.

Traditional Statistics - Georgia Bulldogs

With a win against Georgia, Vanderbilt would be 4-1 on the road in the SEC over their first 8 conference games. It is imperative that the team win all the road games they can if they wish to keep pace with Kentucky.

Game Stories

#18/20 MBB takes on Georgia Saturday - VANDERBILT OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Georgia – Vanderbilt Preview | VandyMania.com (Scout - Premium)

VSL Gets You Ready: Vanderbilt Travels to Athens | Vanderbilt Sports Line

Vanderbilt center A.J. Ogilvy scores style points | The Tennessean

"I like the mustache," freshman John Jenkins said. "I didn't have a problem with the mustache. Whatever he wants to do is cool with me. The hair is cool, too. He gets made fun of for it, but he doesn't really care about it."

If you'll recall, I mentioned something about Jenkins feeding off the power of the Rally 'Stache. Of course Jenkins liked it.

Previewing Vanderbilt at Georgia | VandySports.com (Rivals - Premium)

Vanderbilt Needs to Take Care of Business Against Georgia | Dore Posts

Dawg Sports is the Georgia affiliate for SB Nation. I'll link to their pregame post when/if they publish one.

Tipoff is set for 19.00 CT and the game will be televised by FSN (Comcast ch 28 or 183 HD). Join us in the game thread, which will open about an hour before the tip. Don't forget to stop by Stat King to make your selection for the game.