SB Nation - Jeffery Taylor

Postgame: Vanderbilt 84, Tennessee State 71

KingJamesIV — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:30:04 -0000

Always glad to get the win.

Festus Ezeli and Darshawn McClellan got the start over A.J. Ogilvy (missed practice time due to plantar fasciitis) and Andre Walker (missed practice time due to illness).

Earlier in the week, Stallings had mentioned that Festus often dominates in practice but had yet to bring that form to live competition. I'm not sure if this game really counts for Festus, considering he had about 8 inches over TSU's tallest player, but he played with fire (particularly in the opening minutes of each half, which in my eyes really set the tone for the team). He was the Commodore Radio Player of the Game, with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block in 19 minutes. What doesn't show up on the stat sheet is that the early block he had in the first two minutes and a half minutes of the game was so intimidating that his presence inside really deterred the Tigers guards from taking the ball into the lane when they were able to break down their Commodore defender. Hopefully this is a sign that the light bulb is beginning to go off for Festus. There are few players in college who can match him physically.

Similarly, there are few players in college who can match Jeffery Taylor. Another solid game for him, with 20 points on 10 for 11 shooting to go along with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. 9 of Jeff's 10 made baskets were around the rim. He had a nice step-back 18 footer (such a smooth jumper). I hate to beat a dead horse, but Jeff's shooting percentage needs to drop quite a bit (due to taking more jump shots whenever the defense gives him a cushion). Once he realizes how great a shooter he truly is, he will be devastating and a lottery pick.

A.J. clearly had missed some practice time, but I thought he played well offensively early when the team was really looking for him. Lance Goulbourne played with great effort today and despite missing some practice time this week due to a slight concussion sustained against WKU his minutes remained above his season average of about 10mpg.

It was nice to see John Jenkins come out firing in the first half. His only missed three in the first half was in the closing seconds where he initially caught the ball with room to shoot but hesitated, pumped, then shot off-balance (fortunately A.J. was there to tip the ball in before the buzzer).

Jermaine Beal returned to form. He had 7 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers and despite not shooting that well today from outside, he wasn't forcing bad 3 pointers early in the shot clock. This is exactly what we need from Jermaine.

Brad Tinsley had a very up and down game today. He had 5 assists to go along with 6 turnovers. While Jeff had 5 turnovers as well, Jeff's don't stick with you quite as much as Brad's do. For some reason, he's making some risky decisions that haven't been paying off for the team. Brad is too good of a passer and too important a component for this team not to get this corrected soon.

Relevant Links: Game Page /// TSN Recap /// Box Score /// Official Vanderbilt Recap

During the postgame, Stallings spoke about how he was very happy with the way the team played in the first half. They hustled, played within themselves, and consequently built close to a 20 point lead heading into the half. They started the second half in the same way, but quickly devolved into the turnover machine offensively and the MataDores (pun) defensively that has cost them some winnable games. Stallings description of the second half? "Disgusting." I'd have to agree.

There's a short turnaround for the team, as they have today to prepare for the Mercer game tomorrow.

Plus/Minus

Plus/Minus Adjusted Per 40

Game Stories

Vanderbilt breezes by TSU, 84-71 | VandySports.com (Rivals - Premium)

Bobby's TSU Thoughts | Vanderbilt Sports Line

Recap: Vanderbilt Commodores 84, Tennessee State Tigers 71 | Dore Posts

Vanderbilt has shooter's touch against TSU | The Tennessean

Column: Vanderbilt needs floor leader | The Tennessean

David Climer: Vanderbilt has plenty of talent, but so far lacks someone to step up and take charge of the team.

Taylor's precision powers Vanderbilt past Tennessee State | Nashville City Paper

Commodores run past TSU, 84-71 | VANDERBILT OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

I highly recommend listening to Joe Fisher's post game interview with Coach Stallings at the link above.

Don't forget, the Commodore Call-In Show with Coach Stallings begins tonight at 1830 CST. Join us in an open thread starting 15 minutes before the show starts.

Periscope: Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee State

KingJamesIV — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 09:11:56 -0000

I'm going to skip past the normal gameday preview formalities. Barring some epic failure on Vandy's part, or some divine miracle on TSU's behalf, the Commodores definitely control their own destiny in this one.

All I wanted to see in the Western Kentucky game was heart. Suffice it to say, my wishes were not fulfilled. Today the Commodores have a chance to atone for that error.

As many Commodore fans know, Coach Stallings is a firm believer that the quality of the teams practices leading up to a game is a very good barometer for how the team will play in that contest. According to various sources, the last week of practice has been intense. As such, I'd like to see the team take a good step forward on defense. Once the team can consistently bring the quality of defense that Stallings expects from them (and they should expect from themselves), the general theory is that the offense will look a lot less constipated.

If the team plays with solid defense with intensity and high effort, Commodore fans should be thrilled. There is still plenty of time to begin to iron out the rest of the issues before conference play begins.

Finally, I wanted to add the plus/minus numbers from the Western Kentucky game.

Plus/Minus Adjusted Per 40 Minutes

Having attended the game, I didn't really get the feeling that Jermaine Beal, A.J. Ogilvy or Lance Goulbourne had played well enough to lead the team. At the time, I did feel that Lance had played well...but he continues to limit himself with chippy or avoidable fouls. Certainly I didn't realize he had played as well as he had. Jeffery Taylor's numbers are more reflective of the other four players with him on the court than they were of his play. Frankly, it's remarkable that he even had a positive number considering he played virtually the entire game (while recovering from illness).

The Open Game Thread will be live around one hour before tipoff (14:00 cst). Please make sure to register your prediction with Stat-King. Go Dores.

Game Stories:

Vanderbilt meets Tennessee State Saturday - VANDERBILT OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Local duo brings TSU much-needed stability | The Tennessean

Vanderbilt – Tennessee State Preview | VandyMania.com (Scout - Premium)

Previewing Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee State | VandySports.com (Rivals - Premium)

Poll

Which will we see?

Commodores (With Defensive Intensity)

1 votes

Impos-dores (Lazy, Porous Defense)

1 votes

2 votes | Poll has closed

Postgame: Illinois 79, #24 Vanderbilt 68

KingJamesIV — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:21:33 -0000

More photos » by Darrell Hoemann - AP

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Firstly, I'd like to congratulate the Fighting Illini. They played hard and with passion. Must be nice.

Feeling a little shellshocked at the moment that Vandy would drop another egg like that after earning their way back into the rankings. It felt like everyone just decided they were going to take the night off tonight.

Steve Tchiengang had the lone block for the Dores. That's a pretty good example of the lack of defensive intensity from the team tonight. On the season, Vandy was averaging close to 6 per game.

Andre Walker was the glue guy again with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.

Illinois really shot the ball well. Of course, It sure is easy to do that when the defense is leaving you with a comfortable look at the basket. Even when Vandy would try to go on a run, there'd be a defensive breakdown which would lead to an open look from outside. Illinois had to make them, and they did, with relative ease.

As I said in the preview, Vandy just can't spot teams early points with turnovers and poor shot selection. It's a recipe for disaster, especially while we aren't shooting well from outside. When you couple that with poor defensive intensity, you lose ball games. It just doesn't seem like the team is focused on playing basketball at all.

What Vandy needs right now is a players-only meeting.

Relevant links:

Game Page /// TSN Recap /// Box Score /// Official Vanderbilt Recap

Stallings just now on the post game radio show: "We got less than we needed from Jeff on the road. We got less than we needed from John on the road. We got less than we needed from A.J. Ogilvy on the road. We got less than we needed from Jermaine Beal on the road. I don't think there was a player on our team who played better than just their average. You can't win on the road in a place like Illinois without people playing above themselves."

As I mentioned in the game thread, Jeffery Taylor apparently had been running a fever throughout the day. Also, John Jenkins may have a sprained MCL and was playing with a brace (that conveniently broke during a fast break).

Plus/Minus Updated Through the Illinois game:

Plus/Minus PER 40

In my preview I said that Vanderbilt is the better team statistically and that they should win. This is exactly why games are played. Tonight, Illinois deserved to win.

Periscope: Vanderbilt @ Illinois

KingJamesIV — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:12:20 -0000

More photos » by John Dixon - AP

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Let me paint a picture for you. Thursday, November 20th, 2008. Illinois enters Memorial Gym. Vanderbilt leads by 5 with 10 minutes to play. Demetri McCamey and Trent Meachem combine for 9 threes. Illinois hands Vanderbilt it's first loss of the season.

The Illinois game serves as a pretty good nutshell of the Commodores 2009 season. In a year when Vandy had 5 freshmen average significant minutes (2 being starters), they couldn't handle adversity and often withered down the stretch.

What a difference a year makes. The 2010 Vanderbilt team seems to thrive when facing adversity. Though they still haven't put together a complete game offensively, they are winning in the trenches.

The Illini 2010 stats are fairly impressive, until you really start to look at their schedule. The toughest team they've played so far has been Clemson, a game they won in which Clemson shamefully gave away its 23 point lead. Clemson and Vandy are pretty similar in terms of offensive and defensive efficiencies. According to Ken Pomeroy, Clemson's offensive efficiency is 110.9. Vanderbilt's is 111.9. Clemson's defensive efficiency is 87.3. Vanderbilt's is 88.9. Clemson is the only team Illinois has faced thus far with an offensive efficiency above 110. Vandy has already faced St. Mary's (OffEff 117.1 - @ McKeon Pavilion no less) and Missouri (OffEff 114.6). The Illini's offensive efficiency is 110.9. In fact, excluding Chaminade (game doesn't count in these numbers) Vandy has yet to face a team with an offensive efficiency below 100. Illinois has faced three below 90.

Despite the weak offensive opponents, the Illini defensive efficiency is a mediocre 97.1. On the other hand, Vanderbilt's defensive efficiency is a stout 88.9, especially when you take into consideration the solid offensive teams Vanderbilt has faced.

Looking at the defenses each team has faced, half of Illinois' opponents have defensive efficiencies above 100 (not good - this is a measure of points scored per 100 possessions). Vanderbilt has only faced 1 team with a defensive efficiency over 100. Considering the stringent defenses, Vanderbilt's offense efficiency is all the more impressive.

Here is the breakdown of all these numbers (all taken from Ken Pomeroy):

TSN Preview

Strong defense has been key to Illinois' success thus far, as the team has been able to limit opponents to 65.6 ppg on 40.6 percent shooting from the field. The Illini are also outrebounding foes by nearly seven boards per contest, and they are racking up 79.2 ppg. Mike Davis is one of five double- digit scorers for Illinois, as he is generating 13.6 ppg and 10.1 rpg. Demetri McCamey provides 12.6 ppg, and Brandon Paul checks in with 12.3 ppg. Mike Tisdale (10.9 ppg) and D.J. Richardson (10.6 ppg) round out the balanced Illinois attack. In Saturday's triumph over Boise State, all five starters reached double figures in scoring, paced by McCamey's 23-point outburst. The Illini shot 59.3 percent from the floor in the second half to hold off the Broncos.

In what figures to be a close game from start to finish, give a narrow edge to the home team. The balance of the Illini at the offensive end will be the difference.

Statistical Breakdown:

Commodore Keys

Come to Play - Two weeks ago after Vandy was first ranked in the polls, they laid an egg against Cincinnati. For whatever reason, they didn't bring the effort and intensity that you need to win when you have a target on your back. As the team hopefully learned, you have to take advantage of the extra coverage and media attention that a Top 25 ranking affords.
Limit Turnovers - The team is clearly very good at scoring the ball when they don't turn it over. Although they may not be scoring "pretty", opposing teams are having lots of trouble stopping Vandy from putting the ball through the hoop. You don't win on the road in a hostile environment without taking care of the ball. It stands to reason that Coach Weber has probably been focusing on team defense in practices lately. The last thing the Commodores want is to help build the Illini's defensive confidence by giving up a bunch of early, careless turnovers.
Rebound Like You Want It - When this team puts forth a full effort on the boards, they've been absolutely dominating. They were a good rebounding team last season, so I'm hopeful that the poor numbers early in the season were a reflection of A.J. Ogilvy still working his way back from the concussion and from lack of focus. Limiting second chance points from offensive boards is particularly important. I want to see this team continue to win the offensive rebounding margin.

Jermaine Beal really had a poor game against DePaul on Saturday. Considering they Illini are relying pretty heavily on some freshman guards, it will be imperative for Jermaine to play his game. Foul trouble was the biggest problem for him on Saturday, so I don't see why he won't return to form against Illinois.

One other thing I would like to see tonight would be Jeffery Taylor sniping some lazy freshman passes between those guards, giving Vandy some easy transition dunks. He's going to draw the assignment on one of them, most likely Brandon Paul. Showcase yourself, Jeff.

John Jenkins Update:

Apparently John practiced yesterday prior to the team leaving for Illinois. Hopefully he will be able to play without much trouble from any lingering pain.

Gameday Links:

Vanderbilt's top scorer also talks good game | The Tennessean

"I grew up bilingual," Taylor said. "And usually if you live in Europe you learn the neighboring languages, so I know Danish and Norwegian. They're kind of similar. "Then I know a little Bosnian, Yugoslavian, Serbian … and bits and pieces of other languages I picked up along the way. I have a lot of Bosnian friends in Sweden that were refugees from the war down there." Taylor was even able to surprise Lipscomb junior Adnan Hodzic, a Bosnian native, with a conversion in his native language before their Nov. 16 game at Memorial Gym.

Ogilvy earns SEC weekly award with eye-opening performances | Nashville City Paper

Ogilvy had team-highs of 13 points and seven rebounds last season against Illinois, a game the Commodores lost 69-63. "They’re good, and they’re extremely well-coached," Stallings said of Illinois. "… They’ve got good players, and they have three guys we played a lot against last year with a couple freshmen who are outstanding players. "… We’ll have to be real solid and real tight if we want to get done there what we want to get done."

Coach Bruce Weber emphasizes Illinois needs to play better defense | chicagotribune.com

A man out of position here, a misguided steal attempt there and a team that still is trying to jell after losing its defensive leader from a year ago. Put it all together and you get a defensive output like the one Illinois had in its closer-than-it-should-have-been 84-77 victory Saturday night over Boise State.

VSL Gets You Ready: Vanderbilt Travels to Champaign | Vanderbilt Sports Line

Preview: Vanderbilt - Illinois | Dore Posts

Previewing Vanderbilt at Illinois | VandySports.com (Rivals - Premium)

Scouting Report: Illinois | VandyMania.com (Scout - Premium)

Check out Hail to the Orange for their take on this important Big Ten/SEC Matchup.

As always, post your predictions below and make sure to head over to Stat-King to vote on who you think will be the best performing Commodore against the Fighting Illini. Also, stop by our open game thread which opens an hour before tipoff.

Poll

Vanderbilt Commodores (+4) @ Illinois Fighting Illini -- Who wins?

Vanderbilt by 5 or more

4 votes

Vanderbilt by 4 or less

5 votes

Illinois by 4 or less

3 votes

Illinois by 5 or more

3 votes

15 votes | Poll has closed

Postgame: Vanderbilt 67, DePaul 54

KingJamesIV — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:11:24 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

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Ugly win. DePaul held Vandy to around 62 possessions, which is around 5 or so higher than was their season average entering the game. The 67 points allowed by DePaul was easily the most they've allowed in a non-overtime game this season.

What still remains so interesting about Vandy thus far is that despite the perception that the offense has not been clicking, the team is quite efficient. Points per possession have been above 1.00 in all games but St. Mary's and obviously Cincinnati. Anything above 1.00 is generally considered to be very good. Against DePaul, Vandy was 1.08. DePaul was 0.86.

And that's really what is so encouraging about the team. 3FG% was 23.1%. FT% was only 66.7%. ATO Ratio was 0.83. Vanderbilt teams in the past probably wouldn't have been able to overcome those numbers. This team has done so consistently so far, and they aren't close to clicking on all cylinders.

Elmer's Glue Guy Of The Game

Andre Walker (6 pts, 7 rebs, 1 asts, 2 stls, 0 tovs)

Relevant Links:

Game Page /// TSN Recap /// Box Score /// Official Vanderbilt Recap

Game Stories:

Vanderbilt's John Jenkins hurt in win over DePaul | The Tennessean

Said Coach Kevin Stallings: "I don’t think it’s very serious according to what our trainers said. His foot got stepped on. I think it kind of got twisted. I know he was in some pain, and that’s why they gave him some crutches. But after it happened, he went back into the game twice and played."

Ogilvy goes to the line to get Vanderbilt past DePaul | Nashville City Paper

The Commodores attempted to push the pace early but did not shoot the ball well enough, particularly 3-pointers (3-for-13) to maintain any real offensive momentum. Thus, the contest eventually settled into a half-court matchup of man-to-man defenses and one-on-one battles.

VUcommodores.com Blog: Post-DePaul news and notes

DePaul head coach Jerry Wainwright went out of the way to praise Vanderbilt forward Jeffery Taylor. Wainwright talked in length about how he enjoyed watching Taylor on film prior to the game, and thought the super sophomore was the difference in the game. "We haven’t really seen a forward like him," said Wainwright, whose team also faced Tennessee this year. "He’s really skilled and has great flow. Jeff has the kind of movement that he can guard Will Walker. So I thought he was really key."

Vanderbilt Commodores 67-Depaul Blue Demons 54 | Bleacher Report

Video Highlights

What was Impressive

A.J. Ogilvy's Free Throw Shooting - Through the first five games, AJ was making about 55% of his free throws. Stallings made a very minor adjustment to his shot process. Since then, AJ is 24-27 for 88.9%. What a luxury to have a center that draws fouls and makes them.
Jeffery Taylor - He makes it look so easy. What a smooth cat. Why doesn't he have a badass nickname yet? One-handed tomahawk? Yes, please.
Rebounding - Another solid positive rebounding margin. OffReb% was 40%, which is a good number.
Turnovers - Turnover Percentage was 19.3%, which was the second lowest of the season. Still too high for this team, but much better than the 29.4% versus Missouri.

Areas of Concern

Poor Shot Selection - Stallings mentioned in his postgame radio interview that he thought maybe a few guys were "looking to get theirs" in the first half. 3 for 13 from three is beneath the shooters on this team. Better shot selection will yield better 3FG%.
John Jenkins Injury - Nobody in the gym knew about it until after the game. Early in the second half John's foot was stepped on, bothering his knee and foot. Of course, he didn't let the coaches know about it until after he came out. He ended up playing through the pain, going back in the game twice. He left the game on crutches with ice on both his knee and his ankle. His condition is day to day at this point. Here's to hoping nothing is serious and that he will be close to 100% when the Dores take on Illinois at Assembly Hall.

Plus/Minus Through the DePaul Game:

Plus/Minus PER 40

Post your thoughts below.

Postgame: Vanderbilt 89, Missouri 83

KingJamesIV — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:03:29 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

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I must say that despite how uncomfortable Missouri made the final five minutes of this game for the Commodores, I never truly felt that Vandy was going to let them steal this one. Give Missouri and Coach Anderson credit. Despite being in a hostile atmosphere down 14 points with 5:29 left to play, they never stopped giving their full effort or believing in themselves and nearly came away with a hard-fought road victory as a result.

Elmer's Glue Guy Of The Game

Andre Walker (6 pts, 12 rebs, 4 asts, 3 blks, 2 stls)

Relevant Links:

Game Page /// TSN Recap /// Box Score /// Official Vanderbilt Recap

Game Stories:

Commodores shake off road woes, fend off Missouri rally | Nashville City Paper

Missouri managed just three offensive rebounds in the first half and one in the first 14-plus minutes of the second. The one-and-done approach had a lot to do with the fact that Vanderbilt stretched a six-point halftime lead to 78-64 after an Ogilvy put-back.

Vanderbilt manages to beat Missouri | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

"I didn't think if we turned the ball over 24 times against them we would win," Vanderbilt Coach Kevin Stallings said. "We didn't play great, but that's because of them. They force you to play in a way that you're not accustomed to playing."

What was Impressive

Vanderbilt Free Throw Shooting - Prior to last night's game, Vanderbilt's FT% was 65.3% on the season. That is uncharacteristic for a Vanderbilt team and certainly not representative of the capabilities of the players. Against Missouri, Vandy FT% was 83.9%, and their FTRate was 53.4% (they converted 53.4% of their field goal attempts into free throw opportunities). John Jenkins was clutch down the stretch, nailing perhaps the biggest free throws of his basketball career.
Jeffery Taylor - His plus/minus below says it all. He is emerging as our best player. He really minimized one of his weaknesses thus far, turnovers, by having only 1 against one of the best teams in the nation at forcing them. His defense is outstanding. So long as he steps on the court in a Vanderbilt uniform, he will almost always be the most athletic player on the court. As soon as he realizes that, and begins to trust in his silky-smooth jumpshot, he will be impossible to defend. Trust in yourself, Jeff! Just watch the dunk in the highlights. Trust me.
Rebounding - Considering Vandy had been out-rebounded by 4.8 rebounds per game over the first five games, it was nice to see a +21 rebounding margin. Vandy even had 15 offensive rebounds to Missouri's 17 defensive rebounds! Quite the improvement. As Andre Walker said after the game, "I think as long as you make a conscientious effort all the time to hit somebody, you can get rebounds."
Mike Anderson - This was my first occasion to observe Missouri's head coach from the stands. I must say that I came away quite impressed with him. Missouri made an outstanding hire and I hope they do everything they can to hang on to him. Coach Anderson never seemed anything but confident and cool. Clearly this filters down to his players. I was very impressed.

Areas of Concern

Turnovers - 24 of them to be precise. The season average was 15.6 (still too high). Jermaine Beal had 4 and Brad Tinsley had 6. Not good. Sure, Missouri forces more turnovers per game than most teams, but the players can't exactly say the coaches didn't address this leading up to the game.
Half-Court Offense - The team really appears to be stagnant when forced to run their half-court offense. There doesn't seem to be very much movement away from the ball. I would very much like to see this improve over the next few games. I've got a feeling some half-court flow would do wonders for our current 3-point FG%, as the players individually are much better outside shooters than 34%.

Plus/Minus through the Missouri game:

Post your game reaction below.

Periscope: Vanderbilt vs. Missouri

KingJamesIV — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:29:25 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

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The perceived controversy between Vanderbilt and its last opponent, Arizona, is simply a blip on the radar compared to the potential for bad-blood between Missouri and Vandy.

Back when Shan Foster was a player, Vandy had another stud wing/power forward named DeMarre Carroll from the same recruiting class. As fans of both teams know, DeMarre transferred from Vanderbilt due to some extremely complex circumstances. He ended up at Missouri where his uncle, Mike Anderson, was and still is head coach. Despite what could be perceived as some shady dealings, both teams and head coaches are happy with the course of history. DeMarre sat out for his NCAA-required season and became quite the leader as a 5th-year senior for Coach Anderson as Missouri made it to the Elite 8 last season. Vanderbilt was a missed-traveling-call-away from a Sweet 16 victory over Georgetown and an Elite 8 appearance in the season after Carroll's departure. All's well that ends well.

Here is a link to the TSN Preview of the game:

Tigers vs Commodores preview

In what figures to be a close game from start to finish, give an edge to Vanderbilt. The Commodores have the obvious advantage of playing at home, and Ogilvy is due for a big game.

The Anchor of Gold's Patented Statistical Breakdown:

I made a few minor changes from the version I used (hastily I might add) for the Vandy-Arizona preview from last week. The two right-most columns are tempo free stats (thus the "Tempo Free" label above them). PPWS is Points Per Weighted Shot. It's a less-intense version of personal efficiency. The higher the number, the more efficient the scorer. To the right is effective Field Goal percentage.

Also, along the bottom I've completely adjusted the Team statistics I was using. All of these team stats are now tempo free. PPP is points per possession. Off Eff is Offensive Efficiency which is a measure of points scored per 100 possessions. Def Eff is Defensive Efficiency which is a measure of points allowed per 100 defensive possession . Pace is the average number of possessions per game. TO% is Turnover Percentage which is a measure of the number of possessions that result in a turnover. FTRate is Free Throw Rate, which is a measure of how efficient a team is at generating free throw opportunities off their shots.

Kim English is currently coming off the bench for Missouri. It will be interesting to see if Mike Anderson maintains that strategy tonight. This is the reason for the disparity between the benches. Further, Missouri hasn't played nearly the schedule that Vanderbilt has. So it's hard to effectively compare the numbers between teams. As it stands, Missouri has quite a few statistical edges on Vanderbilt. We will see how that plays out tonight. I suspect that the statistics don't quite reflect reality.

One thing I'd like to point out is that thus far, the Tigers are only averaging just over half an extra possession per game over the Commodores.

Gameday Links:

Vanderbilt needs Ogilvy to get physical | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

"I felt like I was really contributing," Ogilvy said. "I'm starting to feel better and get back into game shape. I think I played better in the last game, but I was trying to be aggressive the whole tournament. My role was a little more prominent in the last game. I think that's the only thing it was." Coach Kevin Stallings pointed out that Ogilvy's performance in the Arizona game was part of a strategy to go after Wildcats freshman Derrick Williams, who took 21 foul shots and scored 25 points against Wisconsin two days earlier. Williams attempted just two foul shots and fouled out after 14 minutes against the Commodores' big men. "We just kept going in there and A.J. just kept doing good things with it," Stallings said. "A.J. is in the process of getting back to 100 percent. We need him back to 100 percent if we are going to be who we want to be."

Vanderbilt's John Jenkins feels at ease | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

Polar opposites up next for VU hoops squad | Nashville City Paper

For Vanderbilt (4-1), the latter is particularly true this week. The Commodores face Missouri on Wednesday (8:30 p.m., ESPNU) and DePaul on Saturday (3 p.m.) in games that figure to have little in common other than that they’ll both be played at Memorial Gymnasium. Missouri (4-1) comes to town with a fast-paced, pressing approach. The Tigers average 22.4 forced turnovers and 14.2 steals per game in what they like to call "The Fastest 40 minutes in basketball." "In terms of Missouri’s fast-paced, frenetic style of play …and then DePaul, which is use the clock, slow you down and very, very patient and deliberate, it couldn’t be any more contrasting than the two styles we’ll see this week," Stallings said.

MU wants to pick up the pace against Vanderbilt | KansasCity.com

Bowers contends Missouri needs to average four possessions to every one possession of the opposition to keep the Tigers’ running game at an optimum level. That means pressure defense, creating turnovers, and up-tempo offense, finishing off fast breaks with points.

Good luck quadrupling Vandy's possessions tonight.

Mizzou to face more than just Vanderbilt | STLtoday.com

Some great quotes from coaches who have been rattled by the "arrangement" at Memorial.

Missouri men's basketball team prepares for unique gym | Columbia Missourian

A second article makes it seem like the aura of Memorial is definitely in their heads.

Previewing the Tigers: Missouri Comes to Memorial to Face the Commodores | Vanderbilt Sports Line

Before you dog Missouri too bad for losing to the Spiders, it's noteworthy that prior to playing Mizzou, Richmond knocked-off Mississippi State 63-62. I know they lost to Bill and Mary, but that was game 1 of the year, and clearly the Spiders are a team that might make some noise in the A-10. This is all a long way of saying that Mizzou's loss to seemingly lesser opponent should not lull Commodore fans to sleep on this team.

Tournament Bracketology: Week Three | Collegehoops.net

Interesting. CollegeHoopsNet.com has Vandy as the SEC Tournament winner and an 8 seed in their week three bracketology.

Ten sophomores who are poised for a breakout season in hoops | SI.com

Vandy forward Jeffery Taylor has gone from a great defender to another scoring option.

Check out the picture.

Cave Spring's Josh Henderson has a growing game | Roanoke.com

Nice article on one of the three basketball recruits that signed with Vanderbilt last month.

What to expect from elite freshmen in basketball's Age-Limit era | SI.com

There have been some impressive sleepers at wing forward with rankings of 61 and above: Purdue's Robbie Hummel had a 126.7 rating as the 62nd-ranked freshman in '07-08, Vanderbilt's Jeffery Taylor had a 106.6 rating as the 97th-rated freshman in '08-09, and West Virginia's Da'Sean Butler had a 107.1 rating as the 99th-ranked freshman in '06-07. All three of those players are All-America candidates this season.

Looking for more of a Missouri perspective? Head on over to Rock M Nation for their analysis.

Post your pregame predictions below. Also, make sure to head over to Stat-King to vote on who you think will be the best-performing Commodore this evening.

Poll

What will be the outcome of tonight's matchup with Missouri?

Vanderbilt by more than 7

7 votes

Vanderbilt by 7 or less

7 votes

Missouri by 7 of less

13 votes

Missouri by more than 7

8 votes

35 votes | Poll has closed

Know Your (Temporary) Rival: Vanderbilt Commodores

Bill C. — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:00:15 -0000

By most accounts, Vanderbilt is probably a better overall team than anybody Mizzou has faced this season, including Richmond. Does that mean a loss is in store for the Tigers, or do they match up pretty well with the Commodores? Let's find out.

Vanderbilt: 4-1

	VU	Opp
Points Per Minute	1.89	1.62
Points Per Possession (PPP)	1.06	0.91
Points Per Shot (PPS)	1.30	1.03
2-PT FG%	51.8%	39.8%
3-PT FG%	34.8%	33.7%
FT%	65.3%	61.6%
True Shooting %	55.3%	45.8%

	VU	Opp
Assists/Gm	11.2	11.0
Steals/Gm	7.4	6.6
Turnovers/Gm	15.6	16.8
Ball Control Index (Assists + Steals) / TO	1.19	1.05

	VU	Opp
Expected Offensive Rebounds	62	75
Offensive Rebounds	58	86
Difference	-4	+1

VU's season thus far:

@Vandy 95, Lipscomb 73
Vandy 72, @St. Mary's 70
Cincinnati 67, Vandy 58 (in Maui)
Vandy 68, Chaminade 41 (in Maui)
Vandy 84, Arizona 72 (in Maui)

Where the Commodores are solid

They are efficient shooters--none of their overall percentages are that great, but anything at 1.30 points per shot or better is solid, and that probably means they get to the line quite a bit. Playing on the road, against a team good at drawing fouls (even if they're not great FT shooters), usually isn't a good combination for Mizzou.

They also play good defense, especially around the basket. Holding opponents to under 40% on 2-point shots is a difficult accomplishment, but the 'Dores have pulled it off so far this season (I'm sure the game against Chaminade didn't hurt their percentages, but still). That also doesn't bode well for Mizzou, considering how poorly they shot 2-pointers (and 3-pointers) in South Padre.

Where the Commodores are less than solid

Vandy plays at a faster-than-average pace, which gives them a few more opportunities for turnovers, but 15.6 is still too many. Mizzou thrives on the BCI concept, and Vandy is only average at best at that game. Since the Commodores are prone to moving relatively quickly, Mizzou might have a shot in this game by speeding them up faster than they're comfortable going, forcing turnovers, and creating easy scoring opportunities. This probably isn't a game Mizzou can win in the halfcourt.

For a team with decent size (they have seven guys of 6'7 or taller in the rotation), they sure don't rebound very well. It's not a huge weakness, but they are basically -1.0 rebound per game in terms of expected rebounds. Mizzou has held its own on the boards so far, and putbacks (hello, Laurence Bowers) could be another opportunity for easy points.

In the end, this game presents some very interesting matchups -- it appears both that Vandy is capable of taking advantage of Mizzou's weaknesses, and Mizzou is capable of taking advantage of Vandy's.

Player Stats

NCAA Basketball Stats

Player	*AdjGS/Gm**	GmSc/Min	Line
Jermaine Beal (6'3, 205, Sr.)	17.2	0.54	31.8 MPG, 15.4 PPG, 2.8 APG, 1.8 RPG, 1.6 SPG
Jeffery Taylor (6'7, 210, So.)	15.9	0.58	27.2 MPG, 14.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.2 SPG, 1.2 APG, 3.0 TOPG
A.J. Ogilvy (6'11, 250, Jr.)	12.2	0.53	22.8 MPG, 10.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 1.8 TOPG
Andre Walker (6'7, 220, So.)	9.0	0.38	24.0 MPG, 7.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.8 TOPG
John Jenkins (6'4, 215, Fr.)	7.3	0.36	20.4 MPG, 9.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Brad Tinsley (6'3, 210, So.)	3.8	0.15	25.6 MPG, 5.4 PPG, 3.4 APG, 1.4 RPG, 2.8 TOPG
Lance Goulbourne (6'8, 225, So.)	3.3	0.33	10.0 MPG, 3.6 PPG, 1.4 RPG
Darshawn McClellan (6'7, 240, Jr.)	2.5	0.20	12.4 MPG, 3.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG
Steve Tchiengang (6'9, 240, So.)	1.5	0.18	8.4 MPG, 3.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG
Festus Ezeli (6'11, 255, So.)	1.3	0.12	11.2 MPG, 2.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.6 BPG
Jordan Smart (6'6, 180, Fr.)	0.9	0.45	2.0 MPG
Chris Meriwether (6'0, 180, Sr.)	0.0	0.00	2.0 MPG
Aaron Noll (6'7, 220, So.)	-0.1	-0.03	2.0 MPG
Charles Hinkle (6'6, 195, So.)	-0.5	-0.13	3.8 MPG, 0.8 PPG
Joe Duffy (6'8, 225, Jr.)	-0.5	-0.24	2.0 MPG

* AdjGS = a take-off of the Game Score metric (definition here) accepted by a lot of basketball stat nerds. It redistributes a team's points based not only on points scored, but also by giving credit for assists, rebounds (offensive & defensive), steals, blocks, turnovers and fouls. It is a stat intended to determine who had the biggest overall impact on the game itself, instead of just how many balls a player put through a basket.

Vandy's top five players are from Texas, Sweden, Australia, Illinois and Tennessee. Throw in a Nigerian (Ezeli), a Kentuckian (Noll), a Brooklynite (Goulbourne), a couple of Californians (McClellan and Hinkle), and a Cameroon...ian (Tchiengang), and you wonder what they must talk about during downtime. (Then again, this is Vandy, so they're probably talking about how hard their classes are, huh?)
For the most part, this team is based around three rock solid players -- Beal, Taylor, Ogilvy -- and a deep cast of role players. They've got a couple of shot blockers (Ogilvy, Ezeli), a couple of fearless long-distance shooters (Beal, Jenkins...notice I didn't necessarily say "great" long-distance shooters), a couple of well-rounded scorers (Beal, Taylor), a good passer (Tinsley), and in the end, everything you need to have to be successful.
Ogilvy in particular presents Mizzou with another interesting test. Thus far, they have fared pretty well against bigger players, but Ogilvy is a particularly rugged player who puts numbers in the box score despite the lack of what you would consider a true big man's numbers (he shoots under 50% from the field, grabs an only decent 0.25 rebounds per minute, has only five offensive rebounds in five games, etc.). Taylor is the more active (and better) big man, and he is more to the size of Keith Ramsey, Bowers, etc., but Ogilvy is a unique matchup.

Keys to the Game

Fouls. As is often the case when Mizzou is playing on the road, how the game is called will go a long way in determining how good a chance Mizzou has. They probably can't beat Vandy playing a halfcourt game right now, so they'll need easy buckets ... which means they need to trap and bump and get in the passing lanes, and if the refs allow for physical play, they'll have a very good shot to win. If they're calling ticky-tack fouls, Mizzou will lose by 15-20 (with Vandy probably pulling away late with free throws).
Pace. Unlike Richmond or Old Dominion, the Commodores probably will not try to take the air out of the ball, take 9.5 seconds to get across halfcourt every trip, etc. They are content to play relatively fast, and that could be a good thing for Mizzou. If they are not consciously trying to slow things down, Mizzou might be able to bait them into picking up the pace faster and faster. If this game is 70 possessions or lower, Vandy probably wins; but if Mizzou can up that to the 73-80 range, they will have a very good chance of escaping Nashville at 5-1.
Rebounds. For their size, Vandy is not a great rebounding team; if Mizzou wins the battle of the boards and gets more second chances than the Commodores, they will give themselves a much better shot at the upset, especially considering how poorly they shot first-chance shots last week.

Prediction

There is a clear path to victory for Mizzou here, and it rests on their ability to push the tempo, avoid fouls and grab rebounds. Still, it wouldn't be tremendously smart to put a lot of money on Mizzou right now. Even though I'm not too worried about this team long-term (yet), this isn't a game Mizzou should be expected to win. Vanderbilt 71, Missouri 66.

Full Maui Invitational Field Overview

Ben Broman — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:28:06 -0000

We're just hours (okay, days) away from tipoff in Hawaii, and Maryland actually have a legitimate shot at winning the entire thing. Here's a quick overview of their competition; we'll go more in-depth as each game goes along (minus Chaminade). The bottom half of the bracket seems unusually loaded this year - it'll be a tough championship for whoever escapes the upper half.

First Round

Chaminade Silverswords

Maryland's first round game as the de facto #1 seed in the tourney pits them against hosts and traditional upsetters, Chaminade. Everyone remembers that one time they faced a team from the ACC in this tourney, but they shouldn't prevent much of a problem. They might be the worst team Maryland plays this year.

So Far: No games played

Watch Out For: Joel Smith, last year's leading scorer and disco extraordinaire. His straight-outta-the-70s fro may distract Eric Hayes.

Second Round

Vanderbilt Commodores

The favorite to play Maryland, Vandy could present a big-time problem for the Terps with their established size (skilled big man A.J. Ogilvy) and sweet-shooting freshman guard John Jenkins. This one will be tight, and would give Maryland a chance to test their young bigs against an established center.

So Far: An easy win over Libscomb and a 2-point nailbiter over St. Mary's to get to 2-0

Watch Out For: Jeffery Taylor, an athletic Swede with a penchant for big dunks and grabbing rebounds. Ogilvy and Jenkins have been disappointing in the first two games, and the onus has fallen on Taylor to get the points, which he's done - he leads the Commies (that's what I'm going to call them) with 19.5 points a game.

Cincinnati Bearcats

Two words: Lance. Stephenson. That's what this matchup will be about, even though Cincy has enough surrounding players to cause Maryland some trouble. Hopefully, Stephenson will be so concerned with beating Maryland that he takes the Bearcats out of the game with forced shots. Otherwise, they have the talent to make this interesting.

So Far: A close win over Prairie View A&M and a blowout of Toledo; they're 2-0

Watch Out For: Deonta Vaughn and Yancy Gates. Stephenson will get the talk, but senior PG Vaughn is the team leader, and super-talented Gates, a face-up four, can hurt opponents when he's focused in.

Third Round

Colorado Buffaloes

Well, Colorado did return four starters from last year, including stud SG Cory Higgins. Unfortunately for them, they're four starters from a team that had 9 wins. Still, more experienced usually means better, though probably not good enough to get all the way to the championship game. The lack of a dominating rebounding presence may hurt them, as it takes away from their ability to exploit Maryland's young bigs.

So Far: Three wins on the year, all showcasing an ability to score a lot of points against lesser opponents

Watch Out For: Dwight Thorne. Higgins is the star of the team and will score the points, but Thorne is the lone senior and a steady presence. He's very good from outside; whoever's manning him up will need to extend their defense.

Gonzaga Bulldogs

If you didn't notice, Gonzaga took Michigan State to the wire a few days ago. These guys are plenty talented, and will probably be Maryland's opponent in the final. That's not a great sign, if you look at recent history: Maryland's played Gonzaga three times since 2000 and lost all three, including two blowouts - one of which came last year. The Zags lose star PG Jeremy Pargo, but return SG Matt Bouldin and consistent inside presence Robert Sacre. Without a doubt, this will be Maryland's toughest matchup.

So Far: Two blowout wins a close loss to the #2 team in the country; 2-1

Watch Out For: Steven Gray and Demetri Goodson. Gray is the #2 man for Gonzaga and another solid outside shooter. Goodson is replacing Pargo, and has been a little turnover prone so far this year. Vasquez should be able to outclass him at point.

Arizona Wildcats

Ah, a game against Sean Miller. Personally, I'd love to lay down the law on Miller for messing with our recruit (Terrell Stoglin), and I'm sure it'll be an interesting game for Stoglin, too. Senior PG Nic Wise is the leader of this team, and one of the few holdovers after the ugly Sean Miller transition. Big man Jamelle Horne is also back, and he's capable of putting up numbers close to double-doubles. Arizona has talent, but I wouldn't bet against Maryland if this is the championship game.

So Far: Two easy wins that might not've been as easy as they should've been

Watch Out For: Solomon Hill. The freshman SF moved over to a area of relative stability (no, really) from his originaly USC commitment late last year. A cerebral wing with everything but a jumper, he's second for the Wildcats in scoring.

Wisconsin Badgers

It's supposed to be a building year for Wisconsin, but they aren't buying it. And really, there's no reason they should: these guys are the BC of college basketball. They simply find ways to always have a solid year and get an NCAA berth, no matter how bad they may seem. This year they have to deal with their star forward and a major starter leaving. They still have two guards back, Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon, who will be expected to shoulder a lot of the load. They're a big question mark right now, so I don't feel too comfortable taking a big stance on them one way or the other at the moment.

So Far: Two easy wins - though neither over 20 points - over bad but not terrible opponents.

Watch Out For: Jon Leuer. Bohannon and Hughes are the ones I mentioned, but it's Leuer - a long, lanky PF who would draw Maryland's big men out with his shooting ability - who's led the Baders in scoring and surprised everyone with his development.

Early Round Ball Season Round Up

Year2 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:25:53 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Tennessee's Scotty Hopson.

Browse more photos »

LAST NIGHT

As we mentioned in Sprints this morning, points were raining down in Knoxville as No. 11 Tennessee set a school scoring record in its 124-49 pummeling of UNC-Asheville. Scotty Hopson led the Vols with 25 points. Rocky Top Talk has a wrap up of the romp.

Meanwhile in Baton Rouge, a Tiger set a career high as Bo Spencer's 28 points led LSU to a 71-60 win over Western Kentucky. Storm Warren also had a great night with 20 points and 11 rebounds, his third straight double-double. And the Valley Shook has game coverage and a look ahead at LSU's upcoming games in Madison Square Garden.

Staying in the SEC West, Alabama picked up the first win of the Anthony Grant era with an 86-69 laugher over Jackson State. Four Tide ballers went into double figures, with freshman Tony Mitchell setting the standard with 23 and Mikhail Torrance distributing eight assists with his 13 points.

It was not as nice a night in Athens for new coach Mark Fox as Georgia fell to 1-1 on the season with a 60-57 loss to Wofford. Trey Thompkins registered a double-double for the Bulldogs with 14 points and a manly 16 rebounds, while Travis Leslie led the team with 17 points.

It was an even rougher night in Papa John City for John Pelphrey's Arkansas squad as they were overmatched and overpowered by No. 22 Louisville, 96-66. Marshawn Powell got a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards, and Rotnei Clarke paced the Hogs with 16 points. Arkansas Expats says it was about what they expected, but the goal of finding a way into the NIT is still on the table.

MONDAY

The No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats needed a last-second jumper from freshman John Wall to pull out a 72-70 squeaker over Miami University. Wall had 19 points on the game, and both Patrick Patterson (17 and 10) and DeMarcus Cousins (10 and 10) put up double-doubles for the Cats. A Sea of Blue of course has an excellent wrap up of the night's action.

Ole Miss had no such trouble in putting away Alabama State to the tune of 90-53. Four Rebels broke into double digits in scoring. Terrico White had the most points with 19, but Eniel Polynice had the best line of the night with 17 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Polynice was one of three Ole Miss players with eight or more boards. Red Cup Rebellion had some quick thoughts about the game.

Also hitting the 90 point mark was South Carolina, as the Gamecocks blew out Georgia Southern 90-66. Dominque Archie was the man of the night for Carolina, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while stud Devan Downey chipped in 14 points and a team-high six assists. The Gamecocks put the game away by scoring the final five points of the first half and opening the second half with a 16-0 run, a combined 21 unanswered points.

Not to be outdone, the Vanderbilt Commodores went for 95 while holding Lipscomb to just 73 in their season opener. Star center A.J. Ogilvy came off the bench for the 'Dores thanks to a concussion sustained in practice last month, but that didn't stop him from scoring 13 points and leading the team with nine boards and three blocks. Jeffery Taylor led the way with 20 points.

On the other end of the spectrum, LSU eeked out a 55-45 win over Indiana State in the first round of the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Tipoff. Despite the low scoring output, three Tigers went into double digits. And the Valley Shook was impressed by the defense, but was decidedly underwhelmed by LSU's shooting.

Still in the West, Auburn ended up with a disappointing 73-62 loss to the MVC's Missouri State. You can't blame the Tigers' Lucas Hargrove, who put up 24 points and tied for the team lead with six rebounds. Unfortunately the effort was in vain as his only teammate to break into double digits was DeWayne Reed with 12. Auburn got a paltry five points off the bench in the game.

SUNDAY

The Florida Gators got off to a rousing start with a 74-46 start over in-state foe Stetson. The 46 that the Hatters scored is the lowest point total any opponent has scored in the Billy Donovan era. The Gators nearly snapped a streak though, waiting until the final minute of the game to make a three point shot to extend the school's record of 579 games with at least one trey made. Chandler Parsons, author of the one made three, led the team with 14 points, Alex Tyus put in 12 while snaring 13 rebounds, and hyped freshman Kenny Boynton scored 12 though only on 5-11 shooting. Alligator Army hopes for a return to toughness out of the team.