By Brant Daughtry
Blow the Dores off
Vanderbilt is coached by Jerry Stackhouse, 18-year NBA vet and scariest coach in the SEC. Winning at Vandy is difficult to do at all, yet Stackhouse has managed to make an otherwise insignificant program a tough out. He has yet to make the SEC Tournament, but he’s produced an NIT appearance, as well as a few NBA draft picks. Again, from Vanderbilt, it’s really impressive stuff.
This year’s Vandy team is interesting. They lost last year’s SEC-leading-scorer in Scottie Pippin Jr, so they had to get production from elsewhere. They’ve leaned on a few different guys and don’t have any one dominant scorer. They’ve spread the wealth around to, let’s call it varying success. They’re currently ranked 91st in the NET, which puts them 10th in the SEC. Something to note about this Vanderbilt team though. Following their blowout loss to Alabama a few weeks ago, they’ve rattled off four wins in a row. They are confident and playing well, and they’re the home team for this game. And while two of the teams they’ve beaten have been bottom-feeders, they have also beaten Tennessee, a top 5 team in the country, and won on the road at Florida. They’re certainly a tough out.
Players to Watch For:
Center Liam Robbins, #21- Robbins is a 5th year senior, and the leading scorer for Vandy, notching 14 points a game. He’s a true 7-footer and plays really well down low. He’s played extremely well on this win streak, including a season-high 32 points against Florida. His matchup against Johni Broome will go a long way in deciding this game.
Forward Myles Stute, #10- Stute is the biggest perimeter threat for the Commodores, attempting over 150 threes on the year. He shoots well too, sitting at just under 40%. Last year he led the SEC in 3-point shooting, and looks to push for that title again this year.
When you’re a middling team and, you get blown out towards the middle of a season, there are two ways you can go. You can accept that there’s nowhere to go and lay down, or you can fight and scrap and take the lessons and try to improve. Vandy has done the latter. After getting absolutely hammered by Alabama earlier this season, Vandy has done the unexpected and won four in a row, their longest conference win streak in seven years. Like I said earlier, those wins haven’t come against scrubs either. Credit to Jerry Stackhouse for that. That’s good coaching and fantastic leadership. This is a team that is confident, and is playing well. You also have to face them on their home court, which is a very weird set up. This won’t be easy.
