This post is long overdue, and will probably rehash much of what has already been said. Stanimal's post from earlier today is dead on, Vanderbilt (and it's fans) need to shake off the heartbreaking loss to Kentucky. While one is never happy after a loss, there is much positive to take away from Saturday's game.
If you said Vanderbilt would score 56 points, shoot just 32% from the floor and 10% from three-point land, you'd think we'd get blown away. We didn't, instead the Commodores lost by 2 points to the #2 in the country. Was it at home? Yes? Should we disappointed? Certainly. But there is an argument to be made that this game is just a battle in a larger war. The take-away is that Vanderbilt can play with any team in the country, whatever style game it is. These Commodores are tough-nosed, and hungry. Better still, they appear to be having fun as a team (something I haven't really seen since the 2007 Sweet-Sixteen run). This is a Commodore team that believes in itself, and with good reason. They are not scared of anyone and present match-up problems for a lot of teams that likely to make the NCAA Tournament field.
We've still got a lot a games ahead of us. With 4 regular season games and the SEC Tournament still on the horizon, Vanderbilt still has work left to do. The team is playing for seeding right now, and I think the goal of 3 seed is still very much within reach. From my uninformed vantage point, Vanderbilt needs 3 wins to lock in a 4 seed, while 4 more wins should be enough to secure a 3 seed. 5 wins, which would mean winning another game or two on the road, or making a deep run in the SEC tournament, would certainly lock up a 3 seed. 2 seed? Nothing short of winning the SEC Tournament will make that possible.
Cautious optimism is the spirit here in VSLNation...aren't you glad you waited for this?
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5 wins would do what? (seal a 3 seed, argue for a 2?) Finish the thought, please.
So we are just going to ignore player breakdowns for the Kentucky Game? Jay Bilas certainly didn't. That lack of analysis also seems extremely unfair to AJ Ogilvy who should have heavily redeemed himself by basically playing Demarcus Cousins even for the night, (Yes I know it wasn't exactly even, but I felt like in general they washed each other out, which has to be a shocked given his poor run going into this game) Come on guys, I'm a Vandy die hard and pumped at the thought of getting another shot at a UK team that I officially Loathe and think we can beat and should have beat, but aren't you guys ignoring an elephant in the room with relation to Saturday? I'll give you a hint, if he were an actual elephant he would be both FRESH and CLEAN.
I believe you'll start to see consistent play from Vandy (including Beal) here on out. I'm not saying they'll win 3 out of 4 or get to the finals of the SEC Tournament, just that you won't see a repeat of the GA or LSU games, where the team doesn't show up for the first 15 min. and is carried by 1 or 2 players. The bellweather will be the Arkansas game. A solid victory on the road will put them in a position to finish strong and seal up the 2nd place in the SEC.
Beal and Tinsley didn't have great games. Are you happy?
In a lot of projections that are out now, I would feel very confident that the 'Dores could get to the Sweet 16. Pretty exciting time.
For the record we lost, so I'm not happy, but aside from the rant you all expect me to go on about Jermaine and how his turnovers and Horendous shot selection cought up with him at the worst time, or how "dagger threes" aren;t really daggers if you miss them or if you are shooting from 7 ft beyond the line with 20 seconds on the clock, I actually do have a real point and topic to discuss. Is there a chance that the scouting report is out on Beal? Here me out. Beal for as great as I have continuously actually said he is inside the 3pt line is bad at finishing with his left hand, his runner doesn't fall as well and all his blown layups are with the left basically. During the Ole miss game, which was also not his finest, my roommate and I got furious that he kept going back to the left in transition and on drives and kept losing the ball and blowing shots. Fast forward to the end of the game saturday, Beal turns down AJ's pick which is set for him to go to the right and instead barrels to his left, losses control and puts jenkins in a no chance posiiton. My first impulse was Beal is a retard, run the play that is called, and by no means ever drive to your left with the game on the line, and when Bilas reamed Beal out post game I was in full agreement. But what if his recent attempt to be a lefty is because defenses have decided fine just take it left and we dare you to finish that way? I don't have game film so I can't go back and break this down nor do I have the time, but it's some food for thought and something to look for as teams guard him going forward. Not to seem like I've lost any of my fire now, he still blew the play which should have either been JT driving it hard or Beal going RIGHT and puling up for the win
I think you have a valid point about the scouting report. For one, Wall was not about to let him shoot a transition three cleanly, nor any three at all if you want to get right down to it. Two, I noticed that very same thing about Beal going to his left. He tried to finish a drive to the left side of the basket with his right hand and I believe the ball was deflected. I think you may be right that the scouting report is out on him, however.
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