Spring Break: and we're back

We were gone for a while and I know a lot of you were sad, but not to worry because Memorial Jim is back. It is no surprise that while our blog was on spring break, the Commodores went on a minor slide (optimistically speaking). A lot went down while we were gone, so let's get right down to business and talk basketball.

First off, we lost to South Carolina. I'm not going to spend much time on that because it was so long ago, but I think as Coach Stallings indicated some guys didn't come with any energy. We also lost Tinsley to injury that day, which some people don't realize is a really big deal. (This is a topic that will come back to help us as the NCAA tournament plays out). Either way, Devan Downey lit us up and we fell to an inferior South Carolina team.

Then we went downtown for the SEC tourney, where a lot of people expected us to take advantage of our easy draw and make it to the finals. Playing Georgia, then Miss St., we thought we were avoiding all of the best teams in the conference until the finals. It was all aligned for a rematch of Vandy and Kentucky in the finals. We messed it up, in my opinion as a result of the incredible defense Jarvis Varnardo plays. He essentially took away the whole paint, shutting down Ogilvy, Tcheingang, and Taylor. Those are three players we need to be successful. Something promising that I saw from the Semifinal, was a rebirth of confidence from Brad Tinsley. The truth is, we need Brad if we are going to be as complete of a team as we can be. Having Brad gives us more firepower off the bench, it helps Jermaine Beal be a better player because he can get a few more minutes to rest, and he doesn't have to try to be the only guy at all times. Not to mention, having another good shooter on the floor takes more attention from their defense and allows everybody else more consistent looks, which is something we have not necessarily had in the past few games. I think the two 3's that Tinsley hit against Miss St. were very important towards our success in the NCAAs.

Finally, what everybody has been waiting for.......
VANDERBILT (4) vs. MURRAY STATE (13)

The Murray State Racers went 30-4 this year and won the Ohio Valley Conference. They also have a balanced scoring attack, as 5 of their players averaged double figures throughout the year. Still however, if you break down their schedule, they have beaten NOBODY. They played one major conference team which was Cal in their first game of the season. Granted they have won 30 of 33 games since then, but it's hard to be afraid of them when they really haven't been tested at all. In addition, they're biggest player is 6'9" 200 lbs, while A.J. Ogilvy is 6'11" and weighs 250 lbs. It's easy to look at the way AJ played against Mississippi State and dismiss his effectiveness, but at the same time Jarvis Varnardo is the best defensive player in the country. AJ is extremely effective vs. big guys who he is bigger and stronger than.

Although it is extremely important for Vandy to be super prepared for Thursday's game, I think they are the far better team. If they play the game they have been playing all season long, they should advance to play either Butler (5) or UTEP (12) in the second round.

More NCAA talk to come, all week

South Carolina @ (13) Vanderbilt

Tonight is the night for Jermaine 'Dolla' Beal. Senior night. It's been a long road for Beal, who made it to the sweet 16 as a freshman, and took his team to a 26-7 year as a sophomore, including a notable victory over #1 Tennessee at home. Now, however, he is leading the best team he's ever been a part of. On Saturday, Beal and the Commodores will try to finish up with the best SEC record that Beal has had in his 4 years. South Carolina comes to town fighting to avoid being the 6 seed in the SEC East for the tournament. Their season has been quite up and down after handing Kentucky their first loss back in January, but falling far under .500 in the SEC and losing out on their NCAA tournament chances. Today's game is a game that the Commodores really are expected to win, and it is a must win if Vandy is going to secure a 3 seed on selection Sunday. Beal will play an integral role, and the Dores will need a repeat performance from John Jenkins, who had 6 three pointers on Tuesday in Gainseville. There's not much to say about this one, except that Vandy has to take care of business early and often, establishing the tempo of the game on their home court.

Those who are still on campus, get to Memorial and support Jermaine, make the atmosphere as good as ever in the gym, giving South Carolina no chance to ruin senior night.

Prediction: Vandy 78 South Carolina 64 --- Beal goes out with a bang.

Highlights from Vandy-Florida

Thanks to VUCommodores.com

The Evolution of Brilliance: Jenkins leads Dores to 64-60 Win Over Gators

I had to pause it. It was too awesome of an image.

The number of the night was 6. That's how many three's John Jenkins nailed in Gainseville tonight to propel his team past the Florida Gators. The best part is, he's only a freshman! I loved how young he sounded in his interview with Jennine Edwards on ESPN after the game. It was obvious he had never done a post game interview on ESPN before in his life. But let's be real, how many 18 year olds have?

The Commodores got off to a great start early, which was really important. We didn't sustain the 13 point lead that we built up early, but it was important to keep the crowd out of the game early and avoid one of our sloppy starts. Beal and Jenkins hit 3's early and A.J. gave us a good offensive performance. Even though people give Ogilvy heat, you have to give it to the guy, his 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals are pretty typical for him. After a huge run at the end of the half by Florida, the Commodores went into halftime with a 3 point lead at 38-35. The Dores came out quickly in the beginning of hte second half but entered a drought to allow the Gators to go up as many as 5. The funniest part is that ESPN kept talking about how Florida hadn't lost when they were leading with 5 minutes remaining in the game (19-0). Once the clock ticked 5 minutes, and we were down by 1, I just had a feeling that streak was going to end, and I was right. Down the stretch, our boy Johnny Jenkins knocked down some key 3 pointers to give the Commodores the lead for good. Vandy clinched a bye in the SEC tournament and improved to 23-6 (12-3), adding another impressive road win to their already padded resume. Florida dropped to 9-6 in the SEC and put themselves in even more jeopardy of missing the NCAA Tournament for the 3rd straight year.

Two major points stood out to me: Coach Stallings is a genius for inserting Jenkins into the starting lineup, and Jermaine Beal knocking down those two free throws at the end of the game is hopefully indicative of what we're going to get in the post season. He didn't have his best game, only 13 points, but the dude stepped up with swagger and confidence and just sealed the game. That is leadership right there ladies and gentlemen, and that's what you need to win championships. I said in the Florida pregame that Stallings was hoping to get the most out of his team at this time of the year, and it's obvious that he did so tonight. Jenkins hit 6 three's for god sake!

I often wonder, why we don't get more love from the media?! ESPN talks about NCAA tournament seeding and the bubble, but they almost NEVER discuss Vanderbilt. I feel like this will end up being a good thing, as we'll fly under the radar until the media has no choice but to start talking about us.

A great Vanderbilt Commodore victory tonight, we should all be proud.

(13) Vanderbilt @ Florida

Yea, that's right i'm using the AP poll and not the ESPN/USA Today poll. Fuck the coaches for putting us at 19 and having Tennessee at 13. Whoop-dee-doo they beat Kansas and Kentucky. I don't care if they beat the Celtics, the bottom line is we worked them twice. WORKED. They had no answer for us, we showed the world twice that we are better than them.

Anyway, I digress.

Vandy travels to Gainseville tonight for an SEC East showdown that Florida needs realllyyyyy badly. They sit at 9-5 after a tough loss to UGA on Saturday (can't say i'm surprised), with a chance to win a game that would probably lock them into the NCAA tournament field. For Vandy, we're playing this game for seeding. As I broke down earlier, with a home game vs. South Carolina coming up to end the season, winning this one puts us in great position to earn that much desired 3 seed.

In the last battle between these two teams in Memorial Gym, Vandy won 95-87 in a highly offensive battle. A.J. Ogilvy dropped 24 in the first meeting, and my boy Dolla' Beal killed it with 22.

Fun Fact for the game: Vandy is 5-2 on the road in conference, a stat that is unusually high for Kevin Stallings coached teams. The ability to win on the road is something that Shan Foster's team lacked in 2007-2008 and it came back to bite them in the NCAA tournament in Tampa Bay.

With a win, Vandy clinches a bye in the first round of the SEC tournament.

Prediction: Florida 79 Vanderbilt 75 F/OT ---- we're going to see a much more physical battle, but Florida has to much to gain at home, the swamp is going to be bumpin tonight on ESPN.

Talk about being able to dribble before you can walk...

Not the we at Memorialjim actually support this growing phenomenon of coaches offering scholarships to kids who aren't even allowed to ride a roller coaster, but come on. Jashaun runs a mile faster than it takes you to walk from Bscomb to Sarratt (yes, even if you use the side door). He is draining shots from downtown, and he is self motivated. Not to mention this kid is already a stud. Seriously, what says "future superstar" more than getting to go on Ellen. Also, his dad said, "my goal is just to get him to college so he can be a doctor, lawyer, whatever he wants to do." Sounds like Vandy material to me. Plus with the oxygen he is taking to his brain I am sure he would dominate on the SATs. Can you say Ingram Scholar? Not to mention, with the help of Wikipedia we found out that Komo4 is a news station out in Seattle. With the PAC10 as crappy as it is, this is the moment for us to lock up this peewee all star.
Give this little dude a scholarship...

The polls are in!

New polls out this morning. Vandy slots in all the way up at 13 in the AP Poll, moving up three spots, and at 19 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll, sliding up a mere one spot. I have to say that something is up with the disparity between these two polls. Usually they line up relatively well...





You know what really grinds my gears? When a poll doesn't take account the fact that you have beaten a team twice, have a better record, and a higher standing in your conference. Seriously, ESPN/USA Today people? I get that the Vols beat Kentucky, but come on. We are chilling at 19 and they skyrocket up to 13? Give me a break.

Regardless, the great thing about these polls is that they do not really mean anything. Yup, that is right. As BGB has said so many times: My friends, its all about the RPI. Surprisingly, despite pulling out two wins this week we dropped down a spot to 16 on that chart. Fear not! According to ESPN Guru Joe Lunardi's "nitty gritty report" we stand in great position as the last three seed. I think it goes without saying that we would take that spot in a heartbeat. The only way we can make sure that happens is by taking care of business this week.