Vanderbilt Preview

Vanderbilt enters their home SEC opener against Tennessee coming off a 68-65 loss at Auburn. The Commodores are 2-2 in their last 4 games after winning 7 straight. Vanderbilt is led by junior Shan Foster who is scoring 15.3 points per game, and is second on the team with 5.1 rebounds per game. The Commodores run a version of the Princeton offense, with lots of fake screens and backcuts to the basket. This could be difficult for the Vols freshman as they have not faced anything like this yet. Couple in with the fact that Vanderbilt makes the second most threes in the league, and you can’t sag off your defender to help out in the post. Four of Vandy’s five starters are capable of shooting the ball from behind the arc, which limits their rebounding. The Commodores are last in the SEC in offensive rebounds with less than 10 a game.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

If you are a fan of the 3 point shot, this game is definitely for you. If you like block shots, then don’t watch this one. Both teams are 1-2 in the SEC in 3 pointers made and dead last in blocks per game. Tennessee will have it’s hands full in trying to stop Shan Foster and his 3 point shooting teammates. As I stated above, four of their five starters shoot the three well, all over 35% for the season. Both teams lead the SEC in turnover margin as well, meaning either they don’t turn it over (Vandy) or force a lot of turnovers (Tennessee). This will be the first SEC road game for Tennessee’s four freshman, and I don’t know if there is any place worst to start your SEC road career. Memorial is definitely a different place to play, and couple that with the difficulty you can have guarding Vandy’s offense, it could spell trouble for the Vols. One key for the Vols may be the offensive glass. Tennessee is leading the SEC with 14.8 offensive rebounds per game. If the Vols can crash the boards hard, they may be able to take advantage of a Vanderbilt interior that isn’t that good.

Projected Starting Lineups:

Vanderbilt

PG – 5’11” #3 Alex Gordon
SG – 6’5” #20 Dan Cage
SF – 6’7” #4 Derrick Byars
PF – 6’6” #32 Shan Foster
C – 6’9” #41 Ross Neltner

Tennessee

PG – 6’2” #12 Ramar Smith
SG – 6’2” #5 Chris Lofton
SF – 6’2” #2 JaJuan Smith
PF – 6’4” #23 Dane Bradshaw
C – 6’7” #32 Duke Crews