Last season was a great year for the SEC. It had power at the top, but also depth, to the point where only a couple of teams were not in play for the NCAA Tournament entering the final weeks of the season. Those two teams were Ole Miss, who had a coaching change as Andy Kennedy’s great run there came to a close, and Vanderbilt.
This time around, Vanderbilt might be in play a bit longer, and even if they are not, there is a lot to like about this team. Sunday’s 82-78 win at USC as part of the Pac-12/SEC Showdown is a good starting point for that.
While the Commodores were not in contention late for an NCAA bid last year, they were a thorn in the side of a few teams. They had a quality non-conference win over TCU in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, and in conference beat Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State and Florida. They gave Kentucky fans a real heart attack at Rupp Arena before succumbing in overtime.
This season’s team has a different look, led by an excellent recruiting class from whom much is expected. Bryce Drew and his staff hit the recruiting trail hard and produced, but now it is time for the talented youngsters to produce. Thus far, they are doing so, leading a team whose only senior is forward Joe Toye, a nice reserve who is off to a good start in trying to close his career out on a good note.
Vanderbilt led for most of the game, but the freshmen got a real test when USC went up 69-67 with 3:11 left to play. That’s when they showed some real poise for a young team, going on a 9-2 run to take control of the game once again.
The two most hyped freshmen, Darius Garland and Simisola Shittu, led the way once again for the Commodores. Garland had 19 points after scoring 26 in the opener, while Shittu posted his second straight double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. They withstood a great game from USC’s Nick Rakocevic, who had 19 points and 18 rebounds.
Drew is not babying this team; they are playing a challenging non-conference slate before they have to take on a bunch of tough teams in the SEC. Winthrop, who they beat 92-79 in the opener, is no slouch, and they have contests with NC State, Middle Tennessee, Arizona State and Kansas State still to come. This team should be ready for what conference play will entail.
If the SEC is to repeat their success from last season, this time around Vanderbilt could be a bigger part of it, even if they are not an NCAA Tournament team when it’s all said and done. The freshmen are showing what they are capable of early on, and the holdovers are doing their part as well. A 2-0 start with the wins they have, the second one on the road, is a nice way to get going.
Side Dishes
USC took on Vanderbilt without Bennie Boatwright (knee), Elijah Weaver (ankle) and Charles O’Bannon Jr. due to injury. Boatwright and Weaver are on the mend after off-season surgery, while O’Bannon Jr. fractured his left pinky finger on Friday and will likely need surgery, possibly on Tuesday.
Marshall‘s 76-72 win over Hofstra featured two high-scoring guards. Hofstra’s Justin Wright-Foreman, last season’s CAA Player of the Year, had 34 points in the losing effort, while Marshall was led by 30 points from Jon Elmore, who added eight rebounds and six assists.
Tonight’s Menu
It’s almost time for the in-season tournaments to get going in earnest, but for now, there are still campus games and a few other good matchups tonight.
- North Carolina hosts Stanford in the back end of a two-game swing to the Tar Heel State for the Cardinal (7 p.m.)
- A regional rivalry game is on tap as St. Bonaventure visits Niagara (7 p.m.)
- A few nice matchups tip a bit later at 8 p.m.: improving American at Northwestern, Middle Tennessee at Belmont, and Buffalo at Southern Illinois.
- Also tipping at 8 p.m. is a rare instance of a high-major going on the road to a mid-major as Oklahoma visits UT San Antonio.
- Big West contender UC Davis travels to Arkansas (8 p.m.)
- America East powerhouse Vermont visits Kansas in a good game to check out, and Minnesota hosts Utah at the same time (9 p.m.)
- The best game further west looks to be San Diego visiting Washington (11 p.m.)
