Game 2: Texas State Bobcats at Vanderbilt Commodores — Open Game Thread

Vanderbilt basketball is back in action tonight after opening the season with a rather easy 91-72 win over Alabama State, which actually looks closer than it really was: Vanderbilt led 89-60 with about three minutes to go before Alabama State made a late run against, well, the end of the Vanderbilt bench.

Tonight’s game marks a bit of a step up in competition. Texas State enters with a 1-1 record after blasting Incarnate Word on opening night and then actually leading LSU at halftime on Friday night before getting outscored 52-22 in the second half in an 84-59 loss. In other words, this is absolutely a game that Vanderbilt can screw around and lose, though the oddsmakers have Vanderbilt as a seven-point favorite and KenPom predicts a 73-63 final score in the Commodores’ favor.

Vanderbilt will likely be without Rodney Chatman and Liam Robbins tonight, the latter of whom had a setback in his recovery from an offseason foot injury per Jerry Stackhouse.