One of the games worth keeping an eye on out of the Southwest Region is the second-round matchup between No. 5 Vanderbilt and No. 12 Richmond. The game is scheduled for Thursday at 4:10 ET at the Pepsi Center in Denver, and will be televised nationally on TBS. For those of you looking for some help with your NCAA Tournament bracket, here is a look at how both teams got into the Big Dance, plus my prediction on who will win the game.

Wondering who the oddsmakers are favoring in this matchup? Our NCAA basketball odds have Vanderbilt favored by just 1.5-points over Richmond.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores like to mix it up offensively with a mix of motion and set plays. While John Jenkins (19.6 ppg) and Jeffrey Taylor (14.5 ppg) do a lot of the scoring, Center Festus Ezeli must play well for Vanderbilt to make it out of the first round.

The Commodores finished the regular season with an overall record of 23-10, but were just 9-7 in SEC play, a conference that sent five teams to the tournament. Vanderbilt went just 3-4 down the stretch, but all four losses came against the three other teams who made it out of the SEC (Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee).

Vanderbilt did a pretty good job in non-conference play, beating North Carolina, Marquette, and St Mary's, while losing two close games against West Virginia and Missouri. Defensive lapses and turnovers have really hurt the Commodores in their losses this season.

Richmond: The Spiders have a dangerous 1-2 punch in Justin Harper and Kevin Anderson. Harper averages 18 ppg, and is a future first-round NBA draft pick, while Anderson brings in 16 ppg. The Spiders also have a bunch of guys who can nail the outside shot, making them a dangerous opponent for any team they face.

The Spiders finished 25-7 overall, and while they finished third in the Atlantic 10 Conference during the regular-season, they were able to win the conference tournament, which included an impressive win over Temple, who beat them in conference play during the regular season. 

The Spiders most notable non-conference win was a good one, as they beat a highly-ranked Purdue team 65-54 early in the year. On the other hand, they also lost to Georgia Tech 54-67, who finished second to the bottom in the ACC. Richmond also has a win over VCU and a loss to Old Dominion, who are both in the tournament.

My Prediction - Richmond Wins: I really like the Spiders to advance in this matchup behind the duo of Harper and Anderson, as I think the Commodores will really struggle to find a way to keep these two in check. If they put to much attention on Harper and Anderson the other guys on this team will make Vanderbilt pay for it from the outside.

I also think the Spiders' 2-3 matchup zone will really make things hard for the Commodores offensively. Richmond's slow down style can make a small lead feel like a blowout to the opposing team.

I hope you enjoyed my NCAA Tournament picks for this game, and good luck with your 2011 NCAA Tournament contests!