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Men’s Basketball: 5-seed Vanderbilt takes down 12-seed McNeese, 78-68, in first round of NCAA Tournament
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No.5-seeded Vanderbilt defeated No. 12 McNeese 78-68 on March 19 — the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory in 14 years. While it was not the blowout victory many fans — and Vegas, who had the Commodores as a (-12.5) favorite — expected, head coach Mark Byington’s squad showcased its resilience and adaptability as they came back from being down double-digits early in the game.
Now, Vanderbilt will dance along to the next round of the bracket. But standing between them and a trip to Houston for the South Regional is the formidable No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers, who blew out No. 13 Troy 76-47 in their opening match.
The Huskers, led by former NBA point guard Fred Hoiberg, are riding high on the momentum of the first March Madness win in program history, as well as a 26-5 regular season record. In a style similar to Vanderbilt’s and the late-1990s Pacers teams that Hoiberg played with, Nebraska pushes the pace and thrives on a pass-and-shoot offense. The Big Red also has perhaps the best perimeter defense in the nation, making them a tough matchup for Byington’s spaced-out schemes.
Per KenPom, the Cornhuskers have the seventh-best defense in the country, built on strong rotations, close-outs and overall discipline. Nebraska never leaves a man open, especially along the 3-point arc, as it holds its opponents to just 29.9% shooting from deep. Vanderbilt, which relies on consistent sharpshooting from Tyler Tanner, Tyler Nickel and Duke Miles, will have to re-direct its offensive approach to 2-point distance.
Due to their pressure up top and persistent deny-defense, Nebraska is also very effective at forcing turnovers. Big Ten All-Defensive Team guard Sam Hoiberg picks up opposing ball-handlers and is one of the best in the nation at taking the ball away from them, averaging 2.1 steals a game. This will create an interesting matchup between Hoiberg and the duo of Tanner and Miles, who combine for 5.1 strips a night, as both teams will spend much of the game trying to protect the ball from one another.
The Huskers stole the ball from Troy 10 times and forced 17 turnovers in all. Vanderbilt allowed 16 points off 13 turnovers against McNeese. It will have to be especially careful when passing around the Huskers’ sets.
The good news for Vanderbilt is that rebounding — an area it is not great in — should not be a worry versus Nebraska. The Huskers grab just 34.9 boards a night, with no one player averaging more than five per game. Specifically, Nebraska was the worst offensive rebounding team in the Big Ten this year, which should be a sigh of relief for Vanderbilt, as it allowed 16 offensive rebounds against McNeese. The glass is an area where big men Devin McGlockton and Jalen Washington have the chance to dominate and dictate the possession battle.
The SEC officials were very quick to blow their whistles this year, as SEC games had 18.4 fouls per game on average compared to the Big Ten’s 16.8. As a result, Vanderbilt has high numbers in terms of both getting to the line and sending its opponents there, while Nebraska has seen the opposite. It will be interesting to see if the officials in this power-conference clash force one style of play.
This postseason, Vanderbilt has derived much of its success from efficiency at the free-throw line. The Commodores have knocked down 89% of their foul shots in the last four games and are the fourth-best team in the nation in shooting from the charity stripe. The Huskers, though, have only been taking 15.5 foul shots a game, but are shooting 75% when they get there.
Especially if open long-balls are not an option for the ‘Dores, expect Miles, Washington and AK Okereke, who all have free-throw rates of 44% or higher, to attack downhill and try to draw contact. This would dramatically slow the game down and force the Huskers to play a style of basketball they may be uncomfortable with. On the other hand, Nebraska forwards Rienk Mast and Braden Fager are among the best in the nation at avoiding foul calls, so the matchup between their discipline and Vanderbilt’s crafty foul-baiting will be key to deciding the game’s pace.
The most fun matchup in this one is between two of the best sharpshooters in college basketball. Nickel shot 40% from 3-point range this season and hit a trio of clutch long-balls in the Round of 64. This is nothing new, as the senior’s quick release has stuck daggers in the hearts of Vanderbilt’s opponents all season. Likely guarding him, though, is his mirror image: Pryce Sandfort.
The Waukee, Iowa, native stands 6’7 with a 215-pound frame that makes him perfect for strong screens on pick-and-pop sets. Sandfort is a higher-volume shooter than Nickel — he put up 17.8 points per game on 40.1% 3-point shooting with a true shooting percentage of 63.5%. While he does not have the privilege of creating space for an NBA prospect like Tanner, Sandfort’s “gravity” opens up lanes for his teammates in a similar way that Nickel’s does.
In the win against Troy, Sandfort went seven-for-twelve from long distance, putting the nation on notice of his marksmanship.
Throughout the season, neither of these two has had an opportunity for a duel quite like this one. Expect Nickel and Sandfort to trade shots and motivate one another throughout the contest. Whichever of them comes out on top will give their respective team a huge advantage and be a key component in punching a Sweet Sixteen ticket.
Vanderbilt and Nebraska will square off Saturday, March 21, at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The time of the game is yet to be announced.
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