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Men’s Basketball: Vanderbilt dominates Kentucky, wins 80-55 in Memorial Gymnasium
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Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball followed up its win over Kentucky with a win against Ole Miss on Saturday, Jan. 31. The game was originally supposed to be in Oxford, but was moved to Memorial Gymnasium due to the weather conditions.
The Commodores, without two key players in Duke Miles and Frankie Collins, were beat up and tired after a hard stretch over the past weeks. Nonetheless, they fought with grit and determination to control the game, as they did not trail once in the contest.
While it may have been closer than anticipated, Vanderbilt’s win over Ole Miss was a team effort, and it helped establish confidence in many of the rotation players who have struggled at times this season.
Glue guys
Most basketball teams have well-established roles 22 games into the season. Vanderbilt has seen star-level play from the likes of Tyler Tanner and Miles, but the team’s utility guys continue to step into different roles, and they were especially impactful against Ole Miss.
AK Okereke played intense off-ball defense and made hustle plays on both sides of the floor. The transfer from Cornell had four offensive boards, leading to the Commodores’ numerous second-chance points. Okereke also made 11 of his 13 free throw attempts, most of which came in the final ten minutes of the game and were important points that contributed to the team’s win.
Jalen Washington saw limited touches of the ball, but was crucial in creating space for Tanner’s 24-point performance. Without his big man setting great screens and drawing defenders to the paint, Tanner would not have had the driving room that he consistently uses to make creative finishes around the rim.
Fan-favorite guard Mike James had his best game since transferring to Vanderbilt from North Carolina State, knocking down three 3-balls and snagging nine rebounds as well. James’ hustle is shown every play, and helps to energize the crowd and his teammates, which showed on the stat sheet as he had a team-best +9 plus/minus.
It was these role players that allowed Vanderbilt to cruise to victory over the Rebels.
Distributing pressure
The Commodores put a lot of pressure on Ole Miss’s offense, playing very high man-to-man coverage around the perimeter. This aggressive scheme paid off for head coach Mark Byington, as his squad racked up seven steals largely due to this pressure, resulting in 16 points off turnovers, including a few highlight slam dunks. The Rebels only attempted 15 3-pointers throughout the entire contest, a testament to the intensity with which the Commodores played.
Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard shifted the offensive focus at the half, though, pushing for more inside looks. This move paid off, as the Rebels won the second half by making mid-range jumpers and getting foul calls in the painted area. While many of these shots were difficult, the Commodores struggled to defend against the iso-ball sets drawn up for Malik Dia and AJ Storr.
Vanderbilt is great at forcing turnovers when games are fast and sloppy, but when the pace slows down and the ball gets pounded, its lack of help defense can be problematic. Still, in the clutch moments of the game, the Commodores were able to force long-distance shots by trapping guards and playing good deny coverage, which especially helped on the final possession when the Rebels missed two potentially game-tying shots.
At the line
Free throws and tight officiating have been staples of SEC basketball so far this season. While the Commodores have faced pressure from the referees in previous games, the calls down the stretch seemed to especially bother them against the Rebels.
Both squads reached the double-bonus in the second half, and 46 total free throws were shot on the night. Vanderbilt shot 71 percent from the charity stripe, which was enough to help maintain its lead for the night.
When the team got tired and shots weren’t falling down the stretch, the Commodores, led by Okereke, relied on the whistle for scoring opportunities. They did a great job drawing reach-in fouls, as well as finishing through after contact, as Tanner had three and-one opportunities from doing so. If the team can remain efficient at the line, it will pay big dividends going forward in SEC play as it did versus Ole Miss.
Vanderbilt will get a week off before taking on Oklahoma at home on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 2:30 p.m. CST.
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