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