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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

VSL Welcomes New Coaches George Barlow and Josh Gattis

These are great hires.  Barlow, who comes to Vandy from New Mexico, will serve as DB coach and recruiting coordinator for the defensive side of the ball.  Gattis leaves a job as WR coach at Western Michigan to serve as receivers coach and recruiting coordinator for the offense.  Barlow has strong recruiting connections in VA and Gattis really knows his way around FL.  Love it.  Welcome to Commodore Nation, gentlemen.

Race and Recruiting

An article by Olin Buchanan over at Rivals shines a spotlight on James Franklin's recruiting success and asks whether black coaches have an edge in attracting high school prospects.  The upshot?  There isn't much of one really, as the article cites anecdotal evidence going both ways.  Even when it comes to the anecdotes, the article is pretty thinly researched for such a seemingly complex topic.  That being said, Buchanan suggests that in the eyes of most prospects, the head coach's race is simply not an issue.  That was certainly the case for our own soon-to-be Commodore Brian Kimbrow, who had this to say about CJF:

"[Race] was no factor. ... Coach Franklin is just a great guy.  You'd want to play for him if he was black or white or whatever.  He's different.  He's never negative." 

Another aspect of the article that I found insightful was the point that football programs are -- and must be -- bigger than any one man, including the head coach.  It's risky for any recruit to choose a school based solely on a coach because turnover is so common.  The result is that, regardless of the head coach's race, "[s]chools with legitimate chances to win championships and prepare their players for the NFL still win out."

So the question is this: Can Vanderbilt prove that it belongs in that category?

Colorado State QB Pete Thomas Considering Transfer to Vanderbilt

Conflicting reports have surfaced in the past 24 hours about CSU quarterback Pete Thomas.  What we know right now is that the Rivals 4-star QB, who set single-season completion percentage and freshman passing yard records in his first season under center at Colorado State, is at least considering Vanderbilt as a transfer destination as former Alabama OC Jim McElwain prepares to take over as head coach in Fort Collins.

The 6'5", 225-lb Thomas would be a great addition of talent and provide some depth at the quarterback spot with Larry Smith graduating and LaFonte Thourogood moving to running back.

Commodores Dominate South Carolina 67-57

The final score is not reflective of how the Commodores controlled this game. The bench allowed USC to end the game on a 14-2 run. Brad Tinsely and Lance Goulbourne played great, while John Jenkins got hot in the second, scoring 12 of his team leading 14 points. Brad added 13, Jeffery had 11, and Stevie Thunder poured in 10.

A good game for Vanderbilt who played an excellent 16 minutes in the second half to take control. Things appear to be coming together for Kevin Stallings and his Commodores.

Live-Blogging Vanderbilt at South Carolina

The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU