Vanderbilt Sports Line

Vandy Takes Down LSU 76-61

2012-02-09T07:43:00.002-06:00

I'm wondering if I'm the cursed one. Vandy went into the half tied at 27. They shot 38.7% from the field. I turned the game off and started sulking like a child. I check my phone and twitter, and Vandy pours it on during the second half to put LSU away. Fez had 21 points in the second half, JJ had 20, and JT had 19. Vandy allowed 1.0 ppp to LSU, which is about their average (they are not a good offensive team). This was a game we had to have, and we did what we were supposed to do, which is win the games we should.

Saturday is a big game. Kentucky will come into Memorial as the heavy favorites. For the past two weeks they have been steamrolling opponents, and have been amazing on offense and defense. Looking at the efficiency stats is pretty incredible. Our boys will have to play the game of their lives. But, as they say, that's why you play the games.

VSL Gets You Ready: Previewing LSU at Vanderbilt

2012-02-08T09:17:00.002-06:00

Vanderbilt plays LSU tonight at Memorial Gym. The tip-off time is at 9/8 Central.

This preview is gonna be brief because I'm pretty swamped. I've been hesitant to declare anything a must-win, but this game officially is. Based on the rest of the schedule, Vanderbilt will probably be favored in only four (maybe five) of their last eight games. This means that we are faced with the possibility of having a 9 win season. That will probably be good enough, given Vandy's standing in the RPI (29) to punch a ticket to the NCAAs, but is unlikely to land us much higher than a six-seed. Of course, Vandy's best luck has come when they were a six-seed, as both Sweet 16 squads can attest. While that is certainly disappointing given the pre-season expectations, Vandy fans will likely be watching their team play in the Big Dance. So you're saying there's a chance!

Of course, if they want to protect their status, they can't lose anymore games that they should win. Vegas says that this is definitely a game we should win, and to the tune of at least 10 points. KenPom is about on the same page with a 9 point victory, and Sagarin says about 10. In other words, Vandy has to take care of business at home.

But keep in mind, LSU is not even close to the worst team we've played. They are a very decent squad after being at or near the SEC's doormat for the past couple of seasons. This will not be a cake walk game. However, a loss would be disastrous.

Amazing how the rhetoric changes after an 0-fer week. Sound off your thoughts.

Vandy Falls to Florida 73-65

2012-02-04T15:56:00.003-06:00

At the 15:27 mark in the second half, Vandy had a 43-40 lead, was on a 9-3 run and had the ball. Stallings subbed in Odom, Parker, and Ezeli for Taylor, Goulbourne, and Tchiengang. The next three possessions of the game went turnover Odom, foul Odom with two made free throws, and turnover Parker. As a result, Taylor and Goulbourne got approximately 15 seconds of rest and were forced to sub back in. Taylor did not sub out again until 7:54. He subbed back in one minute later.

I bring this up because it highlights what I perceive to be Vandy's most significant problem: the bench is a complete momentum suck right now. I felt this problem was mitigated by Stallings personnel rotations in the past month, but it has been exposed this week. It is no secret that Vandy gets very little offensive production from its bench. This was not a problem when they didn't turn the ball over. The bench appeared to be getting its feet underneath them for the past month or so. They took better care of the ball, and were used in spot minutes with key contributors to hide their offensive deficiencies. They were even starting to contribute some offensive punch. Then we played Arkansas, who loves to create turnovers, and Vandy's bench had difficulty getting the ball across half court. The same happened today at Florida. Your bench cannot give you merely 2 points and more turnovers than shot attempts. Someone from that crew MUST man up.

Sound off VSLNation.

VSL Gets You Ready: Previewing Vanderbilt at Florida

2012-02-03T08:08:00.004-06:00

Vanderbilt takes its second difficult road trip of the week to Gainesville for a Saturday 1:00 PM matchup against the Florida Gators. The game is televised on CBS.

Make no mistake, the O-Dome is an exceptionally difficult place to play. Florida, like Arkansas, is also undefeated at home this season and Vandy has only won there only once in the past five seasons. For whatever reason, the 'Dores have always had trouble with the Gators, particularly last year when we lost to them three times, and there should be a great deal of warranted concern about this matchup.

That being said, KenPom suggests that this years edition of Florida actually matches up favorably for us. The reason is that, despite having the most efficient offense in the country, they are not a very good defensive team. Last year they were basically our kryptonite because they could snag rebounds, but this year they are nowhere near as potent on the glass, mostly because they run with a much smaller lineup. They don't force a lot of turnovers either, though. Finally, this is about an even tempo game, as Florida does not try to run and gun you much.

This will be a huge test for the defense though, because Florida is simply immaculate on offense. They are number 1 in the country in offensive efficiency, and are exceptional at scoring from 3 and from 2. They have tons of offensive weapons. After very poor defensive performances against MTSU and Arkansas, Commodore fans should be very concerned about this match-up, particularly on the road.

This isn't a must win for the 'Dores, but there's no question that, if we want to be seeded any higher than 6, we probably need to split the UK or Florida series and not trip up in games that should be wins. Our most difficult road games left will be this one, UK, and Ole Miss. I think we can afford drops at those three (with at least a win at home over Florida or UK), and still get to about a five seed. That may be wishful thinking, but I'll stick to it. For a season where the bar was initially set in the top-10 range, maybe its time to start being a bit more realistic. After all, even if this hasn't been the regular season we'd hoped for, it still doesn't mean we can't have a magical March.

If You Only Read One Signing Day Story, Read Andy Staples'

2012-02-01T20:45:00.002-06:00

Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples was embedded with Coach James Franklin and the Vanderbilt Football staff on National Signing Day.

James Franklin's National Signing Day Press Conference

2012-02-01T18:51:00.002-06:00

Vanderbilt Football Tickets On-Sale Today

2012-02-01T12:30:00.002-06:00

Excited about the 2012 Recruiting Class? There isn't a better way to show it than by ordering your tickets for the 2012 Season. If you're overwhelmed with pride, how about throwing some money to the National Commodore Club or the NCC's Gridiron Club, you'll be glad you did.

Sound Off, VSLNation: National Signing Day, Edition

2012-02-01T12:07:00.001-06:00

What say you about Vanderbilt's Recruiting Class of 2012?

National Signing Day 2012: James Franklin, Do Your Thing

2012-02-01T07:49:00.024-06:00

VSLNation will be tracking the committments all day long. You can do the same by staying here, by checking out Signing Day Central on VUCommodores.com, by tracking Vanderbilt Football's Twitter feed, or a whole host of other means. I will be re-tweeting the best posts from around the twitterverse (look to you right) as well.

Buckle up, should be an exciting ride.

8:09 a.m. Editor's note: More faxes are in, but we are updating this list once the National Letters of Intent have been confirmed by Vanderbilt University.

9:53 a.m. Editor's note: This is late, but Josh Dawson was decommitted from Vanderbilt and intends (if he hasn't already) to sign with Georiga.

11:29 a.m. Editor's note: Sorry for the back-log, but I actually had to do some work

11:47 a.m. Editor's note: 20 committments are in with only 1 loss. Jeff Lockridge currently had Vanderbilt ranked 25th nationally according to ESPN, 28th according to Rivals, and 43 in Scout.

12:24 p.m. Editor's note: According to @Vandyfootball, McCoy is expected to cap the class, however the twitterverse still seems to think there might be another recruit or two out there

Committments (will be updated in almost real time):

12:18 p.m.: Kevin McCoy - Offensive Lineman - 6'5, 285 lbs., from Tampa, Florida (Rivals 3-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 3-star)

11:15 a.m: Ja'Karri Thomas - Linebacker - 6'1, 200 lbs., from Tallahassee, Florida (Rivals 3-stat, Scout 2-star, ESPN 3-star)

11:04 a.m.: Ladrius Banks - Defensive Line - 6'2, 275 lbs., from Dallas, Georgia (Rivals 3-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 3-star)

10:57 a.m.: Adam Butler - Offensive Lineman - 6'4, 285 lbs., from Duncanville, Texas (Rival 3-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 3-star)

10:42 a.m.: Torren McGaster - Defensive Back - 6'0, 185 lbs., from Daphne, Alabama (Rivals 3-star, Scout 2-star, ESPN 3-star)

10:35 a.m. Stephen Weatherly - Defensive End/Linebacker - 6'5, 220 lbs., from Snellville, Georgia (Rivals 3-star, Scout 2-star, ESPN 4-star)

10:22 a.m.: Harding Harper - Lineback - 6'2, 215 lbs., from Montgomery, Alabama (Rivals 3-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 3-star)

10:00 a.m.: Corey Batey - Wide Receiver - 6'0, 188 lbs., from Nashville, Tennessee (Rivals 3-star, Scout 3-star, and ESPN 3-star)

9:48 a.m.: Tip McKenzie - Wide Receiver - 5'8, 175 lbs., Natchez, Mississippi (Rivals 3-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 2-star)

9:33 a.m.: Andrew Jelks - Offensive Lineman - 6'6, 270 lbs., from Paris, Tennessee (Rivals 4-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 3-star)

9:24 a.m.: Caleb Azubike - Defensive Lineman - 6'4, 250 lbs., from Nashville, Tennessee (Rivals 4-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 3-star)

9:13 a.m.: Paris Head - Defensive Back - 6'0, 175 lbs., from Lawrenceville, Georgia (Rivals 3-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 3-star)

9:01 a.m.: Brian Kimbrow - Running Back - 5'8, 170 lbs., from Memphis, Tennessee (Rivals 4-Star, Scout 4-Star, ESPN 4-Star)

8:55 a.m.: Torey Agee - Defensive Lineman - 6'3, 250 lbs., from Opelika, Alabama (Rivals 3-star, Scout 2-star, ESPN 3-star)

8:35 a.m.: Darreon Herring - Linebacker, 6'1, 220 lbs., from Stone Mountain, Georgia (Rivals 3-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 4-star)

8:30 a.m.: Barrett Gouger - Offensive Lineman, 6'4, 280 lbs., Soddy Daisy, Tennessee (Rivals 3-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 3-star)

8:24 a.m.: Blake Fromang - Offensive Lineman, 6'7, 285 lbs., from Orlando, Florida (Rivals 3-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 3-star)

8:11 a.m.: Patton Robinette - Quarterback, 6'4, 200 lbs., from Maryville, Tennessee (Rivals 3-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 3-star)

7:51 a.m.: Will Holden - Offensive Lineman, 6'6, 280 lbs., Green Cove Springs, Florida (Rivals 3-star, Scout 2-star, ESPN 3-star)

7:46 a.m.: Brandon Banks - Defensive Back, 5'10, 180 lbs., from Brandywine, Maryland (Rivals 3-star, Scout 3-star, ESPN 3-star)

7:29 a.m.: Jake Sealand - Linebacker, 6'2, 215 lbs. from Tucker, Georgia (Rivals 3-stars, Scout 3-stars, ESPN 4 stars)

Bud Walton Gets the Better of the Commodores

2012-01-31T22:12:00.001-06:00

Arkansas 82 - Vanderbilt 74.

Sound off, VSLNation

Football National Signing Day

2012-01-31T19:37:00.005-06:00

For those of you with a life.......today is College Football's National Signing Day. Vandy expects to sign easily the best class it has had since recruit rankings became mainstream (and probably ever) tomorrow. The Commie's current class is ranked #24 overall by ESPN.com and #23 by Rivals. I'll try and do a wrap-up tonight once all the letters are in but here are some of the stories to keep an eye on.

1) Josh Dawson - 4 Star DE currently "committed" to Vandy but it is basically 50/50 between us and UGA. Seamus had a good breakdown on what getting Dawson means to the overall class. While I really want Dawson, we still have a bunch of other OLB/DE type guys and some very good ones at that.

2) 4 Star recruits. Vandy has only signed a few 4-star recruits in the past 10 years. CJF currently has 7 of them in this class alone. Along with Josh Dawson (4 star Rivals), there is RB Brian Kimbrow (both Rivals and ESPN), DE Caleb Azubike (4 star on Rivals), DE Stephen Weatherly (4 star on ESPN), ILB Darreon Herring (4 star on ESPN), ILB Jacob Sealand (4 star on ESPN) and OT Andrew Jelks (4 star on Rivals).

3) Offensive Lineman - There are currently 6 offensive lineman committed to play for the Black and Gold. All 6 of them are Top 75 guys in their positions. The best of the group are OT's Andrew Jelks and Kevin McCoy. However, it wouldn't surprise to me to lose 1 or 2 of these guys at the last minute because of the numbers game.

4) 2 of our key recruits are already enrolled and participating in team activities. They would be QB Patton Robinette and ILB Darreon Herring.

For up to date news on what players letters are in, check Vanderbilt's website.

Who Ya Got: Vanderbilt Travels to Fayetteville

2012-01-31T12:00:00.000-06:00

Turnovers Can Kill Us: Previewing Vanderbilt at Arkansas

2012-01-31T07:55:00.003-06:00

#25 (AP) Vanderbilt goes back on the road after a three-game home-stand when they travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas to battle the Razorbacks. Tip-off is at 9 EST/8 CST.

First-year Coach Mike Anderson, the former Missouri coach well-known for reinvigorating the "40 Minutes of Hell" style of play, has done a solid job with the Razorbacks, particularly at home. Arkansas is undefeated at home with nice wins over Michigan and Mississippi State.

Looking at the team's blueprint, the name of Arkansas' game is force turnovers and don't give turnovers. Since conference play, Arkansas is #1 in the SEC in defensive turnover percentage (turnovers forced/possessions) and steal percentage (steals/possessions), while they are #5 in the SEC in giving turnovers and steals. The team is also stingy defending the three-point line. All of these factors make this the kind of game that can be a trap for the 'Dores, who are not the greatest at taking care of the ball and whose offense is relatively reliant on the three. While Vandy showed signs of its ability to take care of the ball and dominate the interior offensively against MTSU, one game is too small a sample to officially declare the problems fixed.

In terms of every other category, however, Arkansas lags behind. They aren't very efficient on offense and defense. Additionally, they lack a solid interior presence and allow a lot of offensive rebounds while not getting too many themselves. Finally, they foul a lot, putting people on the line 39.3% of every field goal attempt in SEC play.

Despite that, they are a very talented, and very young, squad led by five-star freshman point guard B.J. Young. This is the kind of team that can really bite you if you don't bring a good defensive game. As a team they don't shoot the three that well, but Young and Mardracus Wade can stroke it. The key will be to try and slow Arkansas down into half-court offensive sets, where they are not nearly as effective. CKS' defensive philosophy of burning a lot of the shot clock should work well in that regard.

From Vandy's perspective, this is another important SEC road game (aren't they all?) that can easily be overlooked with Florida looming on the horizon. The fans have been believing for a while, but this week the press is starting to believe. With such high initial expectations, it would be nice if Vandy won a game like this: a game where they should win but can easily beat themselves. Then we'll see how we do against the conference's elite.

Is Josh Dawson the Difference Between a Good Recruiting Class and a Top-25 Recruiting Class?

2012-01-30T11:14:00.005-06:00

In a word, yes. In case you haven't been keeping up with the endless drama of fickle 18-year-olds basking in the media and message-board spotlight, you can read all about the Dawson situation here, here, and here. The short of it is the four-star DE out of Tucker, GA has been committed to Vandy since last summer, but in the past few weeks UGA has made a big push to flip him. As of Saturday night when the no-contact period set in, Dawson was "50/50" between the Dores and Dawgs. We'll find out Wednesday as decisions are announced and the faxes start rolling in.

Does it matter whether Vanderbilt finishes 25th or 35th in the recruiting rankings? Depends on who you ask. One kid is never going to make or break your program, but it's hard to deny that visibility makes a difference for any school trying to break through to the next level. Consider the fact that despite Vanderbilt's recruiting class currently being rated #24 nationally by Rivals, it still comes in at #9 in the SEC. To the extent these ratings are a good proxy for talent and potential (more on that in a future post), all the more reason to be on the edge of your seat.

Of course, at the risk of stating the obvious, much more important is what the coaches can do with these players once they get into the system. Recall that players like D.J. Moore, Casey Hayward, and Zac Stacy were all 3-stars coming out of high school. Third-round draft pick Myron Lewis? 2-star.

The bottom line is that Vanderbilt is on the verge of bringing in its best crop of recruits in school history, and that's a testament to the outstanding work done by CJF and staff. It hasn't been easy, and the game is far from over. Just in the past week, for example, the Dores got a verbal from 3-star LB Jakarri Thomas, a Florida prospect who had offers from Arkansas, Illinois, Miami and Stanford. But just yesterday, ATH Chris Moody flipped to South Carolina after committing to Vandy the weekend before. Possible late additions include a pair of 3-star prospects out of Florida: WR Charlie Miller (who could help make up for the loss of Andre McDonald to Minnesota) and OL Kevin McCoy (update: McCoy is now reportedly committed).

As the drama unfolds over the next 48 hours, it will be interesting to see if CJF can hold off the attacks and hang onto all his commitments. Brian Kimbrow appears to be safely on board (knock on wood) after being courted by the likes of Urban Meyer in the past few weeks, but other names to look out for as potential flips are Will Holden, Torren McGaster, and Stephen Weatherly. Prepare to abandon all pretense to rational thinking and perspective: Signing Day is almost upon us.

Vanderbilt Beats Pesky MTSU 84-77 in Game That Felt Like March

2012-01-28T17:56:00.002-06:00

It was a hard-fought game between two good teams. The Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State gave the Commodores all they could handle. Vanderbilt won by 7, but trailed by as many as 8 in both the first and second halves.

The Good:

Vanderbilt won, Jenkins has effective at getting to the basket, and Festus was back. John Jenkins led all scorers with 26 points, but only netted 12 of those points from downtown. Jenkins was 4-11 from deep, but 6-7 from inside the arc. Better still, he converted on 2 and-1's in the second half. Festus Ezeli was incredible. He had 21 points on 5-8 shooting and 11-13 from the charity stripe in 30 minutes of the year (his longest outing of the season).

Lance Goulbourne also had a solid showing, scoring 11 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.

Dai-Jon Parker is an tremendous defender and he came up HUGE in the last 90 seconds. Coach Stallings went offense/defense for Brad and Dai-Jon at the 1:30 mark. In that time, he forced Middle to use their last time out, and got Bruce Massey to travel while pressing him on the in-bound. Having a shut-down on the ball defender is a great trick to have in your pocket.

The Bad:

Vanderbilt's defense was weak. In fact, in my mind, one of the worst defensive performances this season. Middle shot 57% from the field and 53% from downtown.

The Ugly:

The bench scored ZERO points. While Kedren came in and gave the Commodores quality minutes in the second half after Tinsely picked up his 4th foul with 15:32 left. Johnson played for almost nine minutes. Vanderbilt was up 2 when Brad left and down 1 when he returned at the 6:42 mark. It wasn't always pretty, but Kedren ate minutes when that's what the team needed.

The Commodores have a big week ahead with trips to Fayetteville on Tuesday and a huge game against the Gators in Gainesville. Realistically, the goal should be a split, but Vanderbilt is an excellent road team (4-1 this year), and is certainly capable to winning bot these contests.

Sound off, what say you, VSLNation.

A March Match-up in January: Vanderbilt vs. MTSU

2012-01-28T09:11:00.003-06:00

Vandy matches up with MTSU at 2:00 PM EST this afternoon in Memorial. This game has all the makings of a classic 5-12/4-13 match-up, and should provide a good barometer for whether this team has what it takes to get over its first-round demons.

Playing a team like MTSU should make all Vanderbilt fans shudder, particularly when you consider just how good this Middle team is. Middle is presently #36 in Ken Pomeroy's efficiency rankings, with losses to only Belmont and UAB. They play a slow brand of basketball and are the third-best team we have faced in terms of defensive efficiency, trailing only Alabama and Louisville in that department. Additionally, they are a team that doesn't turn the ball over much, that likes to force opponents to turn the ball over, and that gets to the foul line a lot without fouling much in their own right. This is an experienced team consisting primarily of juniors and is going to present a difficult test. Fortunately, this team is not a 3-point buzzsaw type team. The key question will be if Vandy can push the pace to its desired tempo. Vandy likes to get up and down the floor a little bit more generally, but has been comfortable playing a slower pace of late. It will be interesting to see if that continues.

Vandy needs this one because they seem to have some sort of mental block when it comes to playing good teams not from one of the Power Six conferences. For whatever reason, they get complacent and think they have the game locked away, and then they get hit in the mouth and can't recover. We saw this against Indiana State earlier this year, as well as Cleveland State, though it happened much earlier in the Cleveland State game. We also saw this against Richmond last year, as well as Murray State the year before that. You've got to play every opponent with the same level of preparation and intensity for a full 40 minutes. You're going to have an off game every now and again, but you must respect every opponent. In my opinion, this game will be a key test to determine if Vandy has finally "learned its lesson". They certainly have had enough opportunities to do so.

Commodores Demolish Tennessee 65-47

2012-01-24T20:07:00.003-06:00

Well we figured out which team would show up tonight.

Vandy controlled this one throughout. Granted Tennessee is even worse offensively than Georgia or Alabama, but the Commodores committed to the defensive game and pretty much shut down Trae Golden. Tennessee is a significantly different team at home than on the road, but regardless, there's nothing sweeter than a good old-fashioned beat down of Puke Orange.

Game ball goes to Jeffery Taylor. 23 pts, 9 boards, 4 steals, 1 turnover. Dominant performance.

DANGEROUS game coming up on Saturday against Middle Tennessee. Something tells me that Stallings would love to take that one back if he could.

Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee: Who Will Show Up?

2012-01-24T12:30:00.006-06:00

Tennessee and Vanderbilt square off in Memorial Gym tonight at 7:00 EST/6:00 CST. Both teams come into the game with questions remaining about their identity, and both are looking to provide evidence that the issues that have plagued them are things of the past.

As with the Vanderbilt-Mississippi State game, both teams appear to have reversed course on their goals to show they are overcoming their prior woes. This time, Vanderbilt is not on the positive end of that conversation. I'm not ready to declare these Commodores as "the same old same old" like some outlets, but I'd also like to not end up with egg on my face as my shameless homerism destroys my objectivity. Losing at home to Mississippi State is not a bad loss, much less a shameful loss, but the manner in which the game was lost was a serious blow to the notion that this team has solved it's consistency issues. While I was willing to chalk the exceptionally poor play at the end of the Alabama game up as getting complacent in garbage time, you simply cannot ignore the glaring fact that this team will have at least 5 minutes a game where they get careless with the ball and then panic and force shots. Vandy had 7 turnovers the entire first half of the MSU game, and obtained 4 in a matter of four minutes in the second. MSU got hot and confident and started to hit threes. Vandy tried to counter with threes rather than attacking the rim, and got killed on the boards, thus allowing MSU to have all the momentum. In a matter of five minutes, Vandy saw its KenPom win probability drop from a little over 90% to just under 50%. Even an AVERAGE performance by the 'Dores over that five minutes means that we likely win the game.

Tennessee, on the other hand, is coming off a great win at home against Connecticut. Tennessee has been very difficult to handle at home, but that has not translated as well on the road, where they have yet to record a single win. I defer to Train Island at Anchor of Gold for a fantastic write-up about how KenPom says we are the better team and should win. The general gist of that is that in terms of adjusted efficiency, Vanderbilt is better than Tennessee in both offensive and defensive categories. More specifically, Vanderbilt is A LOT better on offense (1.10 ppp) than Tennessee is (1.02 ppp), and modestly better on defense (.926 to .947). Thanks to the MSU game, however, Tennessee took over the top spot in the conference for defensive efficiency in conference play, dropping Vandy to #2. The hated Vols have a lot to prove in this game, and will be hoping to show that they are a much better and dangerous team with Jarnell Stokes than without.

As for Vandy, I continue to believe that turnovers are cureable. They are not giving me reason to think that of late, as we are the second worst team in the SEC in terms of turnover %. If Stallings wants to instill the "turnovers are either careless or selfish" mentality in these guys, he really needs to do it like NOW. I'm hopeful that will be the case. But we'll see....

Commodores Fall in Overtime to Mississippi State

2012-01-21T21:19:00.004-06:00

Mississippi State started the second half on a 20-2 run after the Commodores dominated in the 1st half, and was 9-10 from downtown in the second half and overtime. Still, Vanderbilt hung tough and came back giving themselves a shot to win both at the end of regulation and at the end of overtime. Alas, neither shot fell. Watching the reply at home after the game (several times), I thought Festus didn't have time to do any more than he did. Jenkins, on the other hand, had time to set his feet.

This is an incredibly tough loss, but Mississippi State is a good (and dangerous) team. As Kevin Stallings said with The Voice Joe Fisher after the game, at the start of the second half, we allowed them to show just how dangerous they could be.

It is a game we can certainly learn from, and one we don't have time to dwell on, with Tennessee coming in Tuesday night after knocking off UConn in Knoxville.

Sounds off, VSLNation.

Who Ya Got: Vanderbilt Hosts #15 Mississippi State

2012-01-21T11:15:00.000-06:00

Great Job, NOW DO IT AGAIN: Mississippi State at Vanderbilt

2012-01-21T09:33:00.005-06:00

Ah being a fan. Just when your team does something great, you have to be pleased yet again just a couple of days later.

The twitter world, blogosphere, and media are abuzz about the resurgent Commodores after their impressive win at Alabama on Thursday night. There's many a glowing response to the Dores' victory, but Andy Katz sums it up that folks should be buying in.

Frankly, I'm of that opinion as well, but as goes with the territory of being a Vanderbilt fan, there is always the potential for bone-crushing disappointment. If this team really wants to show that it has fixed its issues, it has to take care of business at home, where it is supposed to be easier to win. Enter this game against Mississippi State.

MSU is a very talented team and this contest will not be easy. On paper, they have four guys with NBA level talent in Dee Bost, Rodney Hood, Arnett Moultrie, and Renardo Sidney. Bost particularly has presented problems for the 'Dores in the past as the type of quick, penetrating point guard that we have such difficulty defending. Additionally, it must be stressed how impressive Moultrie has been. The UTEP transfer is averaging a double-double and has an offensive rating of 121.5. Without question he will be the best rebounder on the floor, as he engulfs 14.3% of all possible offense rebounds (OR%) and 23.1% of all possible defensive rebounds (DR%). I expect Lance to draw Moultrie as an assignment, and for him to have his hands full all afternoon. For as good a job as he did on Tony Mitchell, containing Moultrie will be a much tougher challenge.

On the other side, Renardo Sidney has been slightly better than his performance last year in most categories, particularly offensively. Sidney's talent has always been without question, but his effort and mentality brings pause. Most folks covering MSU think that he appears to be more focused this year, and the metrics seem to indicate that's true in terms of his sheer offensive efficiency. It will be interesting to see how Fez, who is still around 70% per Stallings, will do in this matchup.

Interesting to watch in this game will be if Vandy can get to the free throw line as they have the past two games. MSU does not get to the line much, but equally MSU does not foul. Vandy is heavily reliant on three-point shooting and on getting to the foul line, though they are by no means a slouch scoring in the mid-range game. MSU's biggest weakness is defending the mid-range game. It will be interesting to see if Vanderbilt can really take advantage of their opponents' biggest weakness with their third strength.

One other factor that must be noted is that these two teams appear to be going in opposite directions at the moment. Vanderbilt is the hottest team in the SEC since the beginning of conference play, rating #1 in the conference in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Offense has always spoken for itself with Vandy, but the defense has been surprising. Vandy has held opponents to just .895 points per possession (ppp) since the beginning of conference play. That means we are allowing, in a D-1 Average game of 67 possessions, an incredible 59.9 points per game, while we are scoring in the 77.05 ppg for the same number of possessions. While we have certainly played some terrible offensive teams to start, the big road win against Alabama suggests that we are playing the type of defense that is good enough to keep opponents honest. Additionally, this fantastic fanshot over at Anchor of Gold by Jason Fukuda suggests this team has become comfortable with defending down to the last second on the shot clock. When we control the pace and the tempo, we are typically going to win the game, but when teams slow us down and wait to exploit us in the half court, that is generally when we lose. However, Jason's post suggests that we are finally becoming very comfortable in the half-court set and not allowing easy shots and miscues. If this is true, playing Vandy got a heck of a lot tougher.

On the flip side, MSU is playing good offense, but awful defense. Over the course of the season, MSU has allowed .976 points per possession, but since the beginning of conference play, they are allowing 1.07 points per possession. In a D-1 average game that would equate to about 71 ppg, where as they were at 65 outside of conference play. On offense, as a team, they are still playing well, but not as well as Vanderbilt has. They average 70.35 ppg in a D-1 average game. In other words, right now, opponents are scoring more total than they are able to score themselves, not a good trend for MSU, and one they will likely hope to correct today.

Anchor of Gold has yet another fantastic preview here if you need to further get your fix. If the 'Dores win this one, expect them to blast into the top 25 next week and likely remain there for the rest of the season. I'm certainly hoping for it. Go 'Dores!

*Thanks to KenPom for their great statistical information. If you're a basketball junkie, I highly recommend paying for it. I think it's worth it.

Post-Game Thoughts on the Alabama Win

2012-01-20T07:29:00.002-06:00

As Stanimal said, the final score wasn't indicative of how close the game was. I watched the game later on DVR with an idea that things were going to end well, but wihtout knowing exactly how or what that would look like. Perhaps watching it without the benefit of commercials affected the experience, but I didn't feel like we were dominating, and then all of a sudden, we're up 23.

This isn't the say they didn't play great (I think they did), but more to say I thought, overall, it was a steady performance.

Defensively, I thought we played excellent. Alabama isn't the best offense in the world, but as the announcers Davis (Rece and Hubert) kept reiterating, some of that was due to Vanderbilt's stiffling play. The Tide shot just 32.9% from the field, and only made it to the free throw line 10 times in 40 minutes. Vanderbilt also out-rebounded Anthony Grant's team by +13, although surrendered 15 offensive boards.

Without focusing on the negatives, Vanderbilt turned the ball over too much, and looked (at times) very uncomfortable against Alabama's press. Credit where credit is due, Alabama is a stout defensive team. Although these turnover led to another statistic that would be troubling if you didn't also have the benefit of the final score: Vanderbilt attempted 20 fewer shots than the Tide from the floor. You give a team 20 more shots (especially on the road) and you are playing with fire.

Hubert and Rece made a point during the game that I hadn't heard about a Vanderbilt team in quite some time (perhaps not never): they were the more aggressive team. When the Commodores extended their lead in the second half, it was because there were getting to every loose ball, they were knocking down shots, and they were playing great defense. Obviously, that's a recipe for success. To me, there appears to be a confidence and toughness to this team that has been lacking in year's past. This is not to say they don't have their moments of disappointing play, but overall, one has to be happy with this team's development and evolution after a disappointing 6-4 start.

Coming off a loss at Ole Miss, Mississippi State will have a lot to play for as they head to Memorial Gym tomorrow night. This won't be an easy game for the Commodores, but given the way they are playing right now, you've got to feel good about this team.

Vandy Throttles Alabama 69-59

2012-01-19T20:03:00.001-06:00

That score really wasn't indicative of the Commodores dominating performance. Recap coming tomorrow. Post your thoughts on the game here.

Vanderbilt vs. Alabama: A Pivotal Game for Vandy's Tournament Resume

2012-01-19T11:00:00.004-06:00

Vanderbilt travels to Tuscaloosa tonight to take on the Crimson Tide in its first match-up against one of the teams in the top five of the conference. This game is not a must-win at all, but it's a game that Vandy fans should be paying close attention to as it is a barometer of how far we've really come since the beginning of December.

With the exception of throttling Marquette on the road, Vandy is sorely lacking in signature wins. They have a nice win over Davidson on the road, who is presently undefeated in the Southern Conference and is having a good season. That is probably not enough to be called a "signature" win. Aside from that, their next best win is over a decent N.C. State team. Vandy also only has one "bad" loss, that being to the rapidly declining Indiana State Sycamores. Cleveland State should be a serious contender to win the Horizon League, so that loss doesn't look as bad. Losing to Xavier and Louisville are not bad losses, though they were missed opportunities to make a statement about who this team is this year.

In reading the various opinions of the sportwriter punditry (new word, just go with it), there is some indication that those losses can be chalked up to the absence of a healthy Festus Ezeli if Vandy can continue it's present level of play. However, the early season swoon has made it difficult for those paid to be "in the know" to trust the Commodores. Objectively speaking, that's probably fair. While I think Vandy is not getting enough credit for the thrashing of Marquette in their own gym (and conversely, Marquette is getting a little bit too much forgiveness for that thrashing), Vandy really needs to get a win over a quality opponent in order to impress upon the selection committee that this team is any different than last year's squad. For Vandy fans who have suffered the five levels of grief over the early stages of this season, it is a nice change to watch us comfortably thrash bad teams. But satisfying a fanbase who willingly comes back despite the heartbreak its endured and satisfying a group of people seriously evaluating where this team lies in the national landscape are two different things.

Enter this game against Alabama. Alabama is a good team. Ken Pomeroy happens to think they are a great team, as he has them at #14. While I agree that, defensively speaking, they are hard-nosed, they are not a prolific scoring team, averaging 1.031 points per possession ("ppp") Vanderbilt is presently 39th, averaging 1.079 ppp, and offensively is the hottest team in the SEC over its last three games in this category at 1.162 ppp. Alabama, defensively speaking, is a top ten defense without question. They allow only 0.864 ppp. Vandy is up around the 0.95 range, good for 85th, though they have been in the 30-35 range lately at 0.878 ppp allowed.

This is a game of a good offense with the potential to be a great offense against a great defense. The two teams are actually pretty similar in terms of their rebounding profile. Add this all up plus the home advantage and you have Alabama as a five-point favorite, which shouldn't be all that big a surprise (though Alabama's defensive efficiency is worse at home than on the road, and not by an insubstantial margin).

One of the biggest surprises of this year has been Vandy's difficulty getting to the free throw line. The team's last performance at Georgia is hopefully a sign of change in that department. Vandy attempted 44 free throws on their way to sending the game home, and they were particularly effective down the stretch. Vandy needs a comparable effort today against Alabama, as that is going to help the team win games even when they aren't playing their best.

Looking forward to watching it tonight. It's a big one. Go 'Dores!

Commodores Down Dawgs 77-66; Remain Perfect in SEC

2012-01-14T20:10:00.002-06:00

It wasn't always pretty, but the Commodores survived the Georgia Bulldogs this afternoon at Memorial Gym 77-66. Vanderbilt led by just 4 points with 1:19 left after Lance missed a free throw and Jeffery Taylor was whistled for not only a loose ball, but also a technical foul that gave Georgia 2 free throws and a 1 and 1. Mark Fox's team would not get any closer, as the Commodores defense stiffened. The Bulldogs would miss their final 6 shots - all 3's - while the Commodores hit 7 of 8 free throws to ice the game.

When you look at the final score, it would appear Vanderbilt played (slightly) better today at home against Georgia than they did Tuesday against the Gamecocks, going to show you once again that the final score is not always indicative of what actually took place on the court.

Vanderbilt struggled to put Georgia away. Ironically, what ultimately won them the game was one of this things that prevented them from putting the game away sooner: free throws. Although the Commodores attempted a season high 44 free throws and shot 68% from the line, up until the final 1:19, Vanderbilt was just over 50% for the half (12-23).

The Commodores were able to win despite the fact that they didn't get a "great" performance from anyone. John Jenkins led the team in scoring with 18, but was a paltry 3-11 from downtown, and was only saved by a ridiculous 9 of 9 performance from the charity stripe. Jeffery Taylor struggled in the second half, attempting just 2 shots, and connecting on only 5 of his 10 free throw attempts. His frustration boiled over with the technical foul that could have been disastrous, but ultimately ended up not hurting the Commodores in the end. Lance Goulbourne had another excellent game, pouring in 13 points and pulling down 6 rebounds.

Beyond the defense, Commodore fans should be happy with play of the bench, who were able to provide quality minutes without dropping the level of play. The bench (Kendren Johnson, Rod Odom, Stevie Thunder, and Dai-Jon Parker) were 5-8 from the field, 1-3 from downtown, and 4-5 from the line for 15 points. In addition, the bench grabbed 7 rebounds in their 50 (out of 200) minutes of play. Special shout-out to Dai-Jon Parker who was 4-4 from the line, scoring 6 points in total and grabbing 5 rebounds in 14 minutes. After a pitiful performance in the final 3 minutes of the South Carolina game, Coach Stallings had to be pleased with what he saw this afternoon.

Certainly there are things to be disappointed with in the game, but the Commodores are 3-0 in conference and have shown a defensive intensity that I don't remember seeing . . . well . . . ever. More importantly, and I tweeted this during the game, this team appears to be having fun on the court.

This team is entering in the first of 2 critical 3 game stretches this season, with games at Alabama on Thursday, home against Mississippi State Saturday, and hosting the Volunteers at Memorial a week from Tuesday. This will certainly be the Commodores stiffest conference competition this season and will be an excellent barometer as to how far this team has come from it's early season struggles.

What say you, VSLNation?