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No. 19 Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball played in-state rival Tennessee on Saturday, Feb. 21, looking to get back in the win column after a disappointing loss to Missouri in the midweek game. The Commodores were unable to earn a signature win over Rick Barnes and Co., though, falling 69-65 to the Volunteers in front of a sold-out crowd in Memorial Gymnasium.
Vanderbilt mounted an early lead in the first half, up by four points at halftime, but couldn’t secure shots late in the game to pull out a win. A game-tying 3-point attempt by star guard Tyler Tanner rimmed out, leaving the strong contingent of Vanderbilt fans in the building disappointed. As the postseason draws nearer, Vanderbilt needs to earn a few more wins in the SEC to lock up its position as a top four seed in the NCAA Tournament. Following two losses this week, it only puts more pressure in the future to secure some key victories.
Let’s dive into some takeaways from Vanderbilt’s loss to Tennessee.
Nickel struggles
Tyler Nickel has been electric from the moment he took the floor this season. He’s become arguably one of the best shooters in the entire country, coming in at No. 4 in the SEC in the 3-point shooting percentage. He failed to bring his best performance on Saturday, though, shooting 1-for-8 from the field and 1-for-6 from beyond the arc.
It was a season-low 3 points for the senior, who struggled to find a rhythm all game and was heavily guarded on the perimeter. Barnes clearly made it a point of emphasis to lock down Nickel’s scoring ability. His lack of production meant Vanderbilt had to try to solve its problems through other players, but no guys off the bench contributed too meaningfully, outside of Miles. For a guy that usually pours it in from deep, it was extremely surprising to see him struggle to find the net.
Every player has an off night or two. Don’t expect Nickel to put up these low shooting statistics on a regular basis, but his performance on Saturday certainly didn’t help the Commodores take down a top rival.
Down low
Rebounding has been a consistent area of struggle for Mark Byington’s squad this season, as Vanderbilt sometimes lacks the physicality and size to face some of the SEC’s best frontcourts. The Commodores tried their best to hold their own, but eventually lost the rebounding battle 39-30 and had just 8 offensive boards compared to Tennessee’s 14.
Granted, Tennessee has one of the strongest frontcourts in the country (that ranks No. 1 in the country in offensive rebounding efficiency), led by guys like Felix Okpara, Jaylen Carey and Nate Ament — the third of which is expected to be a top 15 pick in the NBA Draft this year. Those three players accounted for 20 total rebounds, nine of which were offensive. Throughout the game, the Volunteers were simply getting extra chances and possessions to score. It’s not all that surprising with the quality of players they have down low.
Vanderbilt’s lack of physicality down low manifested into problems scoring as well. It only scored 22 points in the paint, compared to Tennessee’s 40. The Commodores will always rely upon production from the perimeter, but getting outscored by nearly double in the paint is somewhat surprising. Devin McGlockton, AK Okereke and Jalen Washington struggled to compete with the star power of Tennessee’s frontcourt, and this hurt the Commodores’ chances of finding high-percentage buckets on the inside. Vanderbilt did fine to only lose the rebounding battle by nine, but there are still concerns about Byington’s frontcourt against the best teams in the country — teams which they’ll face in March Madness.
Tennessee was the more physical team on Saturday afternoon, from both a rebounding and points in the paint perspective.
The road gets tougher
Vanderbilt’s schedule moving forward isn’t very kind, to say the least. The Commodores have just one more home game remaining against the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday, before hitting the road for three straight games against Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
The importance of these final four games cannot be overstated. Vanderbilt was included in the Top 16 reveal this morning by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, coming at No. 15 to earn a 4-seed (if the Tournament were to begin today). It seems the Commodores’ loss to Missouri a few days ago didn’t hurt them as much as originally thought.
Now with the loss to Tennessee, though, it seems like Vanderbilt is slowly slipping towards that 5- or 6-seed line. However, a few last chances in SEC play will determine if this team can be a top seed in March Madness, or if they’ll slip down a few seed lines.
Similarly, the three road games to end the season will be great tests to see how Vanderbilt reacts to extremely hostile environments. The Commodores have gone 3-3 in road games in the SEC this season, so they’ve shown some inconsistency when playing in new environments. Finding ways to grind out road wins is a trait every top National Championship contender, so these final games will be very telling.
The Commodores will return to action against the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday, Feb. 25 — their final home game of the season.
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