Mark Byington has had an incredible impact on Vanderbilt basketball and he hasn’t yet been in Nashville for two full years. His Commodores got this season off to an incredible start at 16-0 before hitting a wall in the middle of January. Three straight losses stung but then the Commodores got back on the horse, running off three more wins in recent weeks. Have they changed back the trajectory of this season?
It’s hard to answer that question about a team like this based on one game, but Saturday’s effort certainly left you scratching your head. Vanderbilt trailed by as many as 21 points in the second half before a late comeback, inevitably falling 92-91 at home to Oklahoma. A stunning loss featured shortcomings on defense and just not enough offense when it mattered despite a legendary 37-point performance out of Tyler Tanner.
In all four of Vanderbilt’s losses the defense just hasn’t gotten the job done, especially inside the arc. The Commodores have put up a ton of points at times this season, but do they really have the weapons to win these types of games if the defense falters? Losing a game like this really puts it into perspective, and Vanderbilt needs to play much better to topple Auburn and Texas A&M ahead.
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