Commodores Prove They Never Should've Been Dancing in the First Place

My oh my, Vanderbilt for the second time in three years can't live up to their respective 4-seed that the committee awarded them.

This time it was to a Murray State team that simply out-hustled them on almost every play. Vandy must have snuck through the backdoor of the dance hall to get into this field of 65.

The entire game the Vanderbilt players acted like they were entitled to something and that the school from the much smaller Ohio Valley Conference would just lay down for them.

Sorry kids, but this is the NCAA Tournament and every team comes to play, hence the name March Madness.

As sick as I am right now as a Vandy fan, I'm sure coach Kevin Stallings is in cardiac arrest right now at a hospital somewhere in San Jose. He wins SEC Coach of the Year only to watch his team put up one of the biggest duds I've ever seen by a favored team.

Murray State deserves all of the credit in the world for putting up a huge effort that ended up rewarding them in the end. You see it so many times in these game when the underdog plays harder than the favored team only to come up short.

Even though it came against my team, I'm happy to see the underdog get rewarded for their hard work.

Earlier in the day we almost saw an even bigger upset as 15-seeded Robert Morris came up just short of defeating 2-seeded Villanova. They led almost the entire game before Villanova sent it into overtime.

The Madness has just begun. We are barely to the halfway point of Day 1 and we've already seen two games go to overtime and a huge upset. This is why there's not a better time of the year in the world of sports!

Examining Vandy's Road to the Final Four

Despite limping into Selection Sunday, Vanderbilt drew one of the 4-seeds for the NCAA Tournament. They will play Thursday against Murray State (30-4) of the OVC.

Some experts are calling an upset alert on this game a lot of that can be thanks to two very disappointing losses to South Carolina and Mississippi State to end the season. I don't see that happening here.

Murray State may stick with Vandy up until halftime, but eventually Vandy's talent will be way too much for Murray State.

The second round game would come against either Butler or UTEP. These two games will be much tougher than Murray State, but they're still very winnable games for Vandy.

If Vandy does manage to make it to their third Sweet Sixteen in the past decade then they will most likely have to play No.1 seeded Syracuse. This is where I got to draw the line and say Vandy would have little to no chance.

There are also a few other teams that are way better than Vandy that are in the West region. In my opinion those teams are Gonzaga, Pittsburgh, and Kansas State.

Just for the sake of dreaming, if Vandy did pull of an upset for the ages against Syracuse then Kansas State would be waiting for them in the Elite Eight.

If the Commodores make it this far then anything will be possible against Kansas State.

After reading all of this you should realize why the NCAA Tournament is the best playoff system in all of sports. No other sport requires a team to do so much work before they can be crowned champions.

Even the top-seeded teams have no cake walk to the Final Four, not even Kansas.

My Final Four selections: Kansas, Syracuse, Duke, and West Virginia
Championship Game: Duke over Kansas

After Sweeping the Gators, Vandy Eyes a No.3 Seed

It was a week of ending winless droughts as Vanderbilt defeated Arkansas on the road for the first time in the Kevin Stallings era and also defeated the Gators for the first time in Gainesville since 2001.

Many had doubts that Vandy would be able to keep up its winning ways on Tuesday night.

Those thoughts quickly changed just shortly after the ball was tipped off tonight.

The Commodores jumped out to a 9-0 lead within the opening minutes to get the crowd out of it early. Even at that point I expected the Gators to make a run, and that they did.

The Gators actually had a three-point lead midway through the second half with all the momentum on their side, but apparently the Commodores took some that Memorial magic on the road with them tonight.

Vandy is just a couple wins away from possibly securing a No.3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, something that probably hasn't been done in a long time, if ever.

Once again Vanderbilt proved that they can beat you from so many different angles. Jeffrey Taylor was virtually a non-factor and Jermaine Beal was just average. But in came freshman John Jenkins who hit six three-pointers to propel Vandy to it's 23rd win of the season.

Jenkins may be the x-factor as to how far this squad can go in the tournament. If he shoots like that, then don't be surprised to see the Commodores in the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in the past decade. He averaged over 40 points a game in high school, so he's definitely capable of taking over basketball games.

Almost every player on this team is contributing to its success right now and that's the key factor to going deep into the NCAA tournament.

Another thing that tells me this team can go deep into the tournament is its impressive conference road record, which is 6-2. It's one thing to be a good team in the comfort of your own home, but when you're going on the road and winning tough conference games then that shows me that you're dangerous on a neutral court as well.

With the 64-60 win in Gainesville, Vanderbilt locked up a first-round bye in the SEC tournament and still has a shot at their first SEC regular season championship since 1992.

Kentucky would have to lose their final two games for that to happen, but anything is possible.

Even though an SEC regular season championship would be very nice, their shouldn't be too much stock put into it. Either way Vandy has already done the work to get themselves into a good spot in the field of 65.

Bracketology: Tennessee Edition

Last season was a great season for basketball programs from the great state of Tennessee. You had Memphis, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Tennessee-Chattanooga, and East Tennessee State all make the NCAA Tournament.

Their most likely won't be that many team representing Tennessee this season, but there's still two teams that could do damage and that's No.19 Vanderbilt and No. 18 Tennessee.

In no way do I agree with Tennessee currently being ranked ahead of Vanderbilt in the rankings. Vandy has beaten them twice this season, including a double-digit win just a week ago.

Joe Lunardi is the expert when it comes to the science of bracketology and currently he has Vanderbilt as a No.4 seed and Tennessee as a No.5 seed.

I believe both seeds are a little generous considering the SEC is very weak once again. Vandy deserves no higher than a No. 5 seed thanks to some questionable losses against Cincinnati, Illinois, and Georgia.

Tennessee on the other hand should be no higher than No.7 seed as of right now. They've faired even worse in the SEC and their only impressive win of the season was against No.1 Kansas. Without that huge upset win then Tennessee would be even farther back for me.

The only other team representing the state right now in Lunardi's bracket is Belmont out of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Belmont always has a respectable program and many of you probably remember when they gave Duke that scare just a few years ago. Sadly enough they'll be another sacrificial lamb to the likes of Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, etc.

You can't ever count Memphis out of the equation. They still have time to build on their resume with their current record sitting at 19-7. After looking over their remaining schedule it's very likely they could win-out the rest of the way and get into the field of 65.

Out of all of these teams Vanderbilt has the best shot at making a run in the tournament. They're balanced and well-coached. A Sweet 16 berth is probably the most you can realistically hope for, but in college basketball the impossible sometimes happens.

Current Resume's

1. Vanderbilt ( #5) Key Wins: Tennessee twice, @St. Mary's, Missouri
2. Tennessee (#7) Key Wins: Kansas, @Memphis
3. Memphis (#13) Key Wins: @Tulsa
   

Get the Brooms Out: Vandy Sweeps Away the Vols

Just when I was ready to say the Commodores didn't have the passion to pull out an SEC East title they go out and embarrass No. 12 Tennessee.

Of course my doubt was well deserved thanks to the thrashing that Vandy received from Georgia just a few days prior. That loss had me worried that this was the same Vandy team that shows a lot of promise, but falls up short.

Past Vandy teams would have probably came out and lost to the higher ranked Tennessee Vols after a disappointing loss, but apparently not this Vandy team.

Once again the Commodores proved that they can beat you from so many different angles. This time it was Jefferey Taylor's turn who went for a season-high 26 points.

The Commodores are third in the SEC in scoring offense and a lot of that can be attributed to their four players (Ogilvy, Beal, Taylor, and Jenkins) who have gone for 20 points in a game at least once this season. Three of those doing it on four different occasions.

This team doesn't have to rely on a single player game after game. Sure, the dominance of Jermaine Beal is gladly welcomed, but it's not a necessity. This team is balanced. As long as Beal continues to effectively run the offense then the scoring will come from a variety of places.

On Tuesday night the Commodores accomplished the first season sweep of the Vols since 2004 when Buzz Peterson was still the UT coach. Now granted the Commodores have still held their own even in the Bruce Pearl era.

All of the sudden the Commodores find themselves in a pretty comfortable place in the standings. If Tennessee goes out and defeats No. 2 Kentucky on Saturday night and Vandy pulls off a huge win against Kentucky at home, then you can say hello to first place once again for Vandy.

Now I'm assuming Vandy takes care of business and puts down the inferior LSU Tigers who have three walk-ons as starters.

This scenario is not crazy to think about. We know Kentucky is full of talented players, but more importantly young players who are capable of critical mistakes. Tennessee is still a solid team led by a solid coach.

And to address the second part of that scenario, we all know how tough Vandy is to beat at home with that Memorial magic working.

There's still a ton of track left in the race to the SEC East title. All Vandy needs is a single break in stride by Kentucky.

Commodores Finally Getting Use To That Top 25 Ranking

It took a while for the Commodores to play like a Top 25 team. They're now number 18 in the Associated Press poll and number 20 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

Vandy had been in the Top 25 twice before breaking back into the Top 25 a couple of weeks ago. Both times they played as a ranked team they lost. One of those losses was to Cincinnati and the other was on the road to Illinois.

Now the Commodores (17-4, 6-1 SEC) finally seem to be playing like they deserve to be ranked. The Commodores have won 11 of their last 12 with the only loss coming at Kentucky.

It's pretty much locked up that the Commodores will make another trip to the Big Dance, which has been pretty normal over the past ten years.

As of right now ESPN's Joe Lunardi has the Commodores projected as a No.4 seed. I'm not sure if I would go that far but they're definitely a team that can make a Sweet Sixteen run in March.

I've said this all year and I'll say it again. The Commodores are extremely balanced and any coach in the country would kill to have as many weapons as Kevin Stallings has to play with.

The key to this team is that there's really no "go-to" guy outside of Jermaine Beal. They all have had their off nights this season, but there's always been one or two other players to pick up the slack.

That's one of the key ingredients to success. Up next for the Commodores is a trip to Athens to take on SEC cellar dweller Georgia.

Top 3 Commodores

1. Jermaine Beal- 14 ppg, 3 apg
2. Jeffery Taylor- 13.9 ppg, 5 rpg
3. A.J. Ogilvy- 13.8 ppg, 6 rpg

Needs Improvement

1. Steve Tchiengang- 3.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg
2. Brad Tinsley- 42% FG, 2.3 turnovers/gm
   

Kentucky The Only Thing In Vandy's Way

Keving Stallings has the Vanderbilt Commodores on cruise control after a 4-0 start in the SEC, something that hasn't been done since the 1965-66 season.

There's still one major obstacle that is obviously in Vandy's way of an SEC East crown and that's the No.1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats.

Vanderbilt has climbed back in the top 25 once again this season as they sit at No.21 in the AP poll.

Some of you UT fans are probably upset that I haven't mentioned No.14 Tennessee as an obstacle. They might be a minor obstacle, but Vandy is the better team and should at least split the season series.

Now back to Kentucky. This team is easily the best team in the country right now and I'm not sure if they can be beaten by anyone, much less Vanderbilt. It hurts me to say that, but you have to be realistic.

I'm definitely not counting out the Commodores however. Stranger things have happened in college basketball before.

The first thing that Stallings has to be telling his team is to not let one loss destroy the rest of the season. Even if the Commodores lose Saturday at Rupp Arena, they're still in great shape.

The SEC just isn't much of a threat this year. In fact, the SEC might be even worse than it was last year. Not to mention the Commodores are way better than last year's 8-8 team in the SEC.

It should also be pointed out that the Commodores can beat anyone in the country when they're playing at Memorial Gym. Over the last four seasons Vanderbilt has five wins over ranked teams, including two wins against No.1 ranked teams (Florida and Tennessee).

Kentucky has a few strides on Vanderbilt right now in the race for the SEC East, but this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Next Three Games

• @ No. 14 Tennessee
• @ No.1 Kentucky
• Miss. State
  

Don't Sleep on the Commodores in the SEC East

Kevin Stallings has always put together solid teams during his ten seasons at Vanderbilt. The team he has this season may be one of the best he's ever put together.

Even though Vandy lacks a dominant scorer like Shan Foster or Matt Freije, they still have one of the most balanced teams in the SEC.

The Commodores can beat you with so many different players that it's almost unfair to the opposing team. There are currently four players averaging in double figures in points per game.

The Commodores have jumped to a 3-0 start in the SEC and 14-3 overall at the midway point of the season. The hardest portion of their schedule is coming up with road trips to Kentucky and Tennessee just ahead. If Vandy can win at least one of those two games then they will be in great shape to make a run for an SEC East title.

It's hard to name just one player that has contributed the most to the first-half success of the season but you have to go with Jermaine Beal. Not only can he provide scoring when needed, but he rarely turns the ball over. He's become a leader on the court and never seems to lose his cool. That's what you need in a point guard.

Other players like Jefferey Taylor, Festus Ezeli, and of course A.J. Ogilvy have also contributed greatly to this hot start.

Vandy should have no trouble at all at making the NCAA tournament this year. The SEC is still a very average conference and outside of Kentucky and Tennessee, Vandy is easily the best team.

You also can't forget that Vandy is extremely tough to beat at home so that will also pad their record and boost that tournament resume in March.

Vanderbilt's Non-Conference Report Card

It seems like the college basketball season just started and yet already the Commodores are heading into conference play for the remainder of the season.

They finish the non-conference slate 11-3, which is a solid start.

Vanderbilt hasn't exactly played the most challenging non-conference schedule, but they definitely played some formidable opponents. Two of the three losses came on a neutral site with the other loss coming on the road to Illinois.

There has really only be one disappointing loss to start the season and that's to Western Kentucky at the Sun Belt Classic. The Hilltoppers have my respect, but Vanderbilt is the better team and should've won that game.

Vanderbilt has notched three very impressive wins in my book. Those wins are against St. Mary's, Missouri, and Arizona. All three of those teams have a pretty good chance at making the NCAA tournament, with Arizona maybe being a long shot.

Don't be surprised to see Vanderbilt leap frog Tennessee for second place this year in the SEC East. Obviously Kentucky is the best team in the SEC and it will be hard for anyone in the country to stop the Wildcats, as we've already witnessed so far this season.

Vanderbilt starts the SEC schedule off against a Florida team that has had a roller coaster of a season so far. The Gators started off hot before dropping three in a row, with two of those being against South Alabama and Richmond.

My early season award for best player is freshman John Jenkins. He's shooting 47% from behind the arc and is fourth on the team in scoring with limited minutes.

On the flip side, my disappointment so far this season is sophomore Brad Tinsley. He's only shooting 32% from the field and has only three games where he has scored in double figures. The Commodores need more production from him if they want to make another trip to the Sweet Sixteen.

The record looks good, but the Commodores have looked sloppy at times. Even in the games they have eventually blown out their less talented opponents they have looked very sloppy. However, the SEC isn't the strongest conference in basketball so there will be plenty of opportunities to make a run towards March Madness.

Big Wins: St. Mary's (road), Missouri (home)
Disappointing Losses: Western Kentucky (neutral)

Final Grade: B-

A Shout Out to my Vanderbilt Commodores!

So all year long as a Vanderbilt fan I haven't had too much hope in their basketball team this season.

The program is under enormous rebuilding this season and yet these guys are still hanging tough and I couldn't be prouder. The fact that they are 16-9 overall is amazing to me.

There are only 2 juniors and no seniors on this year's team. So obviously that means the rest is filled with inexperienced sophomores and freshman.

They took a big win tonight against Kentucky with the great Memorial Gym crowd behind them. I still have hope for this season, but in the next two or three years this team will be Top 25 potential! Mark my word!