Anchor Of Gold

Vanderbilt (E2) Last week the Commodores popped up on my list of most fortunate teams, as Kevin...

2010-03-10T16:09:13Z

Vanderbilt (E2)
Last week the Commodores popped up on my list of most fortunate teams, as Kevin Stallings' group went 12-4 while playing at a per-possession level that would more often yield a 10-6 record. That's all well and good, but if anything Vandy's luck has actually improved this week. The tournament's being played in their front yard and the brackets have given the 'Dores an excellent opportunity to make it all the way to the title game. Vanderbilt's most formidable competition, Kentucky and Tennessee, is safely sequestered on the other side of the bracket. So we'll get to see what happens when tournament kismet hits the SEC's best offense, one that scored 1.10 points per trip in-conference. Watch how many free throws A.J. Ogilvy and Jeffery Taylor shoot. This group gets to the line like a Big 12 team.

Basketball Prospectus | Articles | All Eyes on UK

Video - Jeff Taylor dunks all over St. Mary's. #2 is particularly satisfying.

2010-03-10T15:50:09Z

Video - Jeff Taylor dunks all over St. Mary's. #2 is particularly satisfying.

Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith said he would help the family of slain high school football star...

2010-03-10T03:45:31Z

Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith said he would help the family of slain high school football star Rajaan Bennett with their living expenses for the next six months.

Hat tip: Peachtree Hoops

Vanderbilt is Getting PAID

2010-03-09T22:35:56Z

Vanderbilt is Getting PAID

"For one thing, taking home 100 percent of their bowl payout hasn't actually been that lucrative lately for the Irish: Over the past three postseasons, Notre Dame has earned a grand total of $750,000 (from a single Hawaii Bowl appearance in 2008). By comparison, even lowly Vanderbilt, as a member of the SEC -- which routinely lands two teams in the megabuck BCS bowls -- has been entitled to a share of nearly $150 million over that same period."

- From Yahoo!'s Dr. Saturday blog.

Thanks to the awesomely named Gumbercules for the tip. Gumbercules? I love that guy!

Seth Davis's 2010 All-Glue Team

2010-03-09T20:03:36Z

Seth Davis's 2010 All-Glue Team

No Vanderbilt players on the list, but I'd like to nominate our own: Andre Walker. Not a superstar, but does everything well and keeps his team in the game. Any other suggestions? Let us know in the comments!

Ginyard said that was apparent from the moment it walked onto a court together. "That was...

2010-03-09T17:49:44Z

Ginyard said that was apparent from the moment it walked onto a court together.

"That was terrible," he said of the Vanderbilt scrimmage. "That was like the whole season right there. That's exactly the way this whole year's gone down."

Vanderbilt won the scrimmage by more than 30 points, and Ginyard said the Tar Heels didn't seem ready to play, didn't even seem all that concerned.

"At the time, you think there's no way we're not even ready to play and got beat by Vanderbilt by 30 points," he said. "It was the very first time we were all playing. It was like, how are we not super-pumped to be playing? As soon as we got back we had a meeting in the locker room. We were like, 'This isn't how it's supposed to go down. We've got to play better than this. We've got to play more together than this, blah, blah, blah.' But again, even more indicative of the year, nothing really changed after that."

Hardin: UNC's fall from grace : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis

SEC All-Conference Announcements Open Thread

2010-03-09T16:13:56Z

SEC All-Conference Announcements Open Thread

John Jenkins: All-Freshman Team, Sixth Man of the Year Award
Jeffery Taylor: All-Defensive Team, All-SEC Second Team
A.J. Ogilvy: All-SEC Second Team
Jermaine Beal: All-SEC First Team
Kevin Stallings: SEC Coach of the Year

A Weekend Affair: 'Dores Rip up the Midwest with Music City Classic Sweep

2010-03-09T15:09:19Z

The 1891 Vanderbilt University men's baseball team. So hardcore - half these guys had polio.

View full size photo »

Three of the midwest's top college baseball teams, including two 2009 NCAA Tournament teams, traveled to Nashville last weekend to take part in the Music City Classic - Vanderbilt's invitational spring baseball series. Indiana, Kent State, and Illinois State all made the short trips down to the warmer weather of Tennessee to test themselves in out-of-conference play. While the Commodores looked like they would breeze through their competition, they ended up getting a stiff test from an Indiana Hoosier team whose season they ended in the 2009 Regional.

The team started off the week with a convincing 10-1 win over Tennessee Tech. Though the Wednesday game left little rest for the weekend series, the Commodores showed no ill effects. The team breezed through the first two games of the Classic, beating Kent State and Illinois State 7-1 and 9-2 respectively. However, Indiana came in to Sunday's match-up with an equal 2-0 record and intentions on revenge after last year's NCAA Tournament. The two teams battled through 11 innings before the 'Dores pushed through to close out the Hoosiers, 6-5.

Game 0 - Vanderbilt 10, Tennessee Tech 1: The Commodores powered through the first two innings and then coasted to the finish in blowing out the Eagles at home. Bryan Harris's lead-off home run set the tone, and Curt Casali closed the scoring with a final dinger to make it an even 10 runs for the 'Dores. Chase Reid looked solid in 4.2 innings, striking out four and allowing just one unearned run. Freshmen Will Clinard and Sam Selman closed up the game, allowing just two hits between them.

Game 1 - Vanderbilt 7, Kent State 1: Vandy's offense built on the momentum from Wednesday's game, but they barely needed any. Sonny Gray was masterful on the mound, striking out 10 in seven innings of work and allowing just one run against a 2009 NCAA Tournament team. Aaron Westlake and Bryan Johns led the charge at the plate, accounting for five of the team's six RBI between them. Westlake was just a triple away from hitting for the cycle against the Golden Flashes.

Game 2 - Vanderbilt 9, Illinois State 2: The Commodores cut down the Redbirds in their third big win of the week on Saturday, using a solid outing from Taylor Hill and a sick day at the plate from Curt Casali to secure the win. Illinois State could never catch up to a Vandy team that scored in four of the game's opening five innings; ISU trailed 8-0 before getting on the board in the eighth inning. Casali contributed four hits, three runs, two RBI, and a home run, while Hill spun seven scoreless innings before the Redbirds caught up with him with two runs in the eighth.

Game 3 - Vanderbilt 6, Indiana 5 (11 innings): The Hoosiers took Vandy to the limit in the final game of the Music City Classic, jumping on starter Jack Armstrong and forcing the 'Dores to play catchup for much of the game. Indiana put up three runs in the first on a three run homer by Alex Dickerson, but Vanderbilt was able to knot the game at 3-3 after the second inning thanks to some crafty baserunning and solid hitting. Indiana was able to take a 5-3 lead in the sixth, only to see Vandy climb back to tie in the seventh inning. Finally, freshman Anthony Gomez singled in fellow first-year Connor Harrell to seal the win and a 3-0 record for the Classic.

AoG's prestigious pitching and batting awards, coming up after the jump...

The Henry Rowengartner Hot-Ice Excellence in Pitching Award Goes to...

Sonny Gray. 10 strikeouts in seven innings is an excellent way to get our attention, Sonny. Though your rotation-mates Chase Reid and Taylor Hill had nice outings, none were as nice as yours. Only eight baserunners and a K:BB ratio of 3.33:1 was enough to seal Gray's second HR Award in just three weeks. Gray is the team's clear number one starter and a solid bet for a first-team All American selection in June.

The Clu Haywood "How's your wife and my kids?" Destroyer of Pitchers Award Goes to...

Curt Casali and Anthony Gomez. Yes, two winners this week, which may be a cop-out, but it's tough to discredit either player. Gomez, the freshman, got fewer at-bats and didn't have the overall impact Casali did (he didn't even play against Kent State), but without his clutch hitting the team might not have had a perfect record this week. Plus, his overall line (6-11, one double, four RBI, one strikeout) was pretty solid.

Not as solid, though, as Casali, who provided the backbone of the Vanderbilt offense with his power. Casali finished with two home runs, six runs, five RBI, and a stolen base to claim co-honors. He currently leads the team in batting average (.486), hits (18), home runs (3), and total bases (30). He'll miss the next two weeks with a hamstring injury, but hopefully will be back in plenty of time to mash through the SEC.

So, there's your recap. Award winners can pick up their custom-made plaques at the AoG main offices located in the back room of the Beer Sellar bar/restaurant off 2nd Avenue (below the Hooters, but above the river!). This weekend was a showcase of Vanderbilt's abilities, despite playing against less-than-elite levels of competition at home. The one concern the series raised is if Jack Armstrong can get his head together before the SEC season starts. He proved over the summer that he has the ability to dominate NCAA hitters in the Cape Cod League, but so far he's just 1-0 with an ERA of 4.97 on the year while pitching against teams that aren't as talented as the ones he'll face in April and May. If he's going to live up to his preseason All-American status, he needs to right the ship and lower what is currently a .346 batting average for batters facing him.

Next up:

vs. Tennessee-Martin, March 10, 4:00 PM

Weekend Series:

vs. Ohio

There are now two sources, one a member of the national media, who indicate there is a race to...

2010-03-09T03:47:26Z

There are now two sources, one a member of the national media, who indicate there is a race to reveal some NCAA transgressions by UK frosh stars, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.

I am told, though I have no personal knowledge nor evidence myself whatsoever, that the investigations concern cash money and, perhaps, real estate.

Wall, Cousins Under The Microscope??? - Score

SEC COY V2.0

2010-03-08T20:35:19Z

I think it is safe to say that the SEC Coach of the Year race is likely down to essentially one candidate with a second in tow for consideration. Sure, Calipari won the conference with 14 total wins, but name one respected media analyst that picked Kentucky to finish worse than first during the preseason media days? Anyone? Even Vegas thought Kentucky was a slam dunk – here was the prospect bet on November 12 for the SEC East champion:

Kentucky	1-8
Tennessee	5-1
Florida	8-1
South Carolina	10-1
Vanderbilt	15-1
Georgia	30-1

By default, the coach of the conference champion is normally the coach of the year winner. But because Kentucky was a clear frontrunner from the beginning, I would encourage the voters to take a closer look. (hold your “but he can recruit” BS)

Kentucky	Class	Rivals Rank
Wall	2009	1
Bledsoe	2009	23
Miller	2008	42
Patterson	2007	17
Cousins	2009	2
Vanderbilt
Beal	2006	87
Tinsley	2008	94
Taylor	2008	52
Walker	2007	150
Ogilvy	2007	41

Going back to the original COY analysis, you will find that the starting five for Kentucky includes four 5-star recruits while Vanderbilt starts four 4-star recruits. The predictive player effectiveness calculations based on actual results shows that Kevin Stallings (+3.19) got more production out of his players than John Calipari (+.76)

Do you want to talk recruiting now? Ok. How many of Vanderbilt’s starting five would get accepted to UK? All five. How about UK’s starting five getting accepted to Vanderbilt? And I am talking with true standardized test scores, not some phony GPA boosted by taking beginners math as a Senior in high school. I don’t know this answer because ACT’s aren’t published for recruits that don’t achieve high marks. So if you truly want to compare apples to apples in recruiting, Stallings did a great job getting students who play ball while Calipari did an excellent job getting ballers into school. Don’t believe me, flop admission standards for Stallings and Calipari to see what recruits land where. Recruiting is not everything, just ask Gillespie. Here is a look at Gillespie’s recruits:

Last	Class	Rivals Rank
Jasper	2006	38
Meeks	2006	39
Stevenson	2006	63
Patterson	2007	17
Liggins	2007	28
Miller	2008	42
Legion	2008	44
Orton	2009	22
Hood	2009	40

Each of his recruiting classes were better than Stallings’ but Gillespie was run from town. Calipari brought in two recruits that far outpace anyone on this list. However, most of these players are still on the team making the bench talent that much better and Calipari didn’t even recruit them. Hey UK fan, if you take the recruiting argument as to why Cal should win COY, then explain why you lost a single game in conference when this talent (Gillespie’s and Calipari’s) far exceeds any other team in the league.

Sadly, most voters will go with the default choice of league champion and select Calipari as COY when he got outcoached by others with less talent.

What about…

Bruce Pearl: He motivated through his depth issues during conference play. But, UT still started two 5-star athletes all year to achieve 10 conference victories – admirable work Bruce (+1.35).

Billy Donovan: Donovan’s 9 wins starting two 5- and 4-star recruits underperformed the likes of UT and Vandy. (-1.97) Donovan is a great coach but his numbers haven’t shown it. Are the recruits more interested in the scenery of Gainesville?

Trent Johnson: Tasmin Mitchell’s production (and 20th rank in the 2005 class) wasn’t enough for LSU. (-5.11)

SEC Coach of the Year – Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt First-Team All-League F – Jeffery Taylor, 6-7, S...

2010-03-08T20:18:54Z

SEC
Coach of the Year – Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt
First-Team All-League
F – Jeffery Taylor, 6-7, Soph., Vanderbilt

Goodman All-Conference teams and awards - CBK News - FOX Sports on MSN

H/T to David Kitchen by way of Henry IX. Clearly Vandy fans love roman numerals...

2010-03-06T03:08:49Z

H/T to David Kitchen by way of Henry IX. Clearly Vandy fans love roman numerals...

Weekly Bracketology: 03.05.10 | Rush The Court

2010-03-05T14:07:55Z

Weekly Bracketology: 03.05.10 | Rush The Court

RTC has the Commodores as a 3 seed, BEATING SYRACUSE, and heading to their first Final Four ever. Good on ya, RTC! AOG salutes you.

13 - Vanderbilt The Dores have lost just once in their past seven games, and that was a two-point...

2010-03-04T23:07:07Z

13 - Vanderbilt
The Dores have lost just once in their past seven games, and that was a two-point setback against Kentucky. They'll look to make it four straight wins when they host South Carolina to wrap up the SEC regular season Saturday (ESPN2, 2 ET).

Voters
Jay Bilas - 14th
Pat Forde - 14th
Fran Fraschilla - 24th (??)
Doug Gottlieb - 9th
Andy Katz - 11th
Joe Lunardi - 12th
Dana O'Neil - 14th
Mark Schlabach - 13th
Dick Vitale - 16th
Jay Williams - 12th

NCAA College Basketball Power Rankings - NCAA Basketball - ESPN

Pedro Alvarez Ranked #8 MLB Prospect by Sports Illustrated

2010-03-04T07:30:01Z

Pedro Alvarez Ranked #8 MLB Prospect by Sports Illustrated

Excellent. So now the Pirates can trade him away for garbage in 2012 rather than 2013.

One post simply had a photo of a package of sliced bologna to share the mood.

2010-03-02T15:20:51Z

One post simply had a photo of a package of sliced bologna to share the mood.

VU jumps in one poll; stalls behind Vols in another | Nashville City Paper: Nashville's Online Source for Daily News

Vanderbilt in the Polls: AP - 13th ESPN - 19th

2010-03-01T17:50:03Z

Vanderbilt in the Polls:
AP - 13th
ESPN - 19th

Pollspeak - College Sports

Vanderbilt’s John Jenkins was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 13.5 points, 1.5 r...

2010-03-01T17:42:46Z

Vanderbilt’s John Jenkins was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 13.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in wins over Georgia and at Arkansas.

SEC Sports News

Jason Esposito hits a bomb that still hasn't landed in a 10-1 win against USC Saturday.

2010-02-28T21:55:16Z

Jason Esposito hits a bomb that still hasn't landed in a 10-1 win against USC Saturday.

SEC Dance Tracker

2010-02-27T04:14:05Z

This is just for fun ... based on the other data I'm tracking, I made a composite ranking (1/2 RPI, 1/6 Pomeroy, 1/6 Sagarin, 1/6 BBState) and graphed it over the past month and a half. I'm putting the NCAA bubble line at 50. Mississippi State is the closest to crashing the party, with Florida the most tenuous of the teams on the inside.

Let me know what you think!

Poll

Anchor Of Gold

Vanderbilt (E2) Last week the Commodores popped up on my list of most fortunate teams, as Kevin...

Video - Jeff Taylor dunks all over St. Mary's. #2 is particularly satisfying.

Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith said he would help the family of slain high school football star...

Vanderbilt is Getting PAID

Vanderbilt is Getting PAID

Seth Davis's 2010 All-Glue Team

Seth Davis's 2010 All-Glue Team

Ginyard said that was apparent from the moment it walked onto a court together. "That was...

SEC All-Conference Announcements Open Thread

SEC All-Conference Announcements Open Thread

A Weekend Affair: 'Dores Rip up the Midwest with Music City Classic Sweep

There are now two sources, one a member of the national media, who indicate there is a race to...

SEC COY V2.0

SEC Coach of the Year – Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt First-Team All-League F – Jeffery Taylor, 6-7, S...

H/T to David Kitchen by way of Henry IX. Clearly Vandy fans love roman numerals...

Weekly Bracketology: 03.05.10 | Rush The Court

Weekly Bracketology: 03.05.10 | Rush The Court

13 - Vanderbilt The Dores have lost just once in their past seven games, and that was a two-point...

Pedro Alvarez Ranked #8 MLB Prospect by Sports Illustrated

Pedro Alvarez Ranked #8 MLB Prospect by Sports Illustrated

One post simply had a photo of a package of sliced bologna to share the mood.

Vanderbilt in the Polls: AP - 13th ESPN - 19th

Vanderbilt’s John Jenkins was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 13.5 points, 1.5 r...

Jason Esposito hits a bomb that still hasn't landed in a 10-1 win against USC Saturday.

SEC Dance Tracker

How many teams will the SEC get into the NCAA Tournament?