Vanderbilt fans will enter the 2017 SEC tournament with one eye on the present and one eye on the future.
The Commodores are among the teams still fighting for an NCAA tournament berth, and winning games in Nashville this week will go a long way towards earning a bid.
There are many different opinions on Vandy’s current state. Some think it needs to win only one game. Others think it needs to win multiple games, or even make it to the title game.
Then there are those who think a 15th loss will officially end the discussion despite the Commodores’ strong numbers.
And those numbers are indeed strong:
- Non-conference strength of schedule (1)
- Strength of schedule (2)
- RPI (44)
- Top 50 wins (5)
- Top 100 wins (10)
But before any official bids are handed out, Drew’s team must navigate what appears to be a challenging road in the SEC tournament. Vandy will play Texas A&M for a third time when the two meet on Thursday.
The Commodores were able to sweep the Aggies during the regular season, with Vandy winning 68-54 in College Station and 72-67 in Nashville.
However, Drew fully understands the challenges that come along with trying to beat a team three times in a single season.
“In my history as a player and as a coach, in watching sports, it’s very hard to beat a time three times,” he said. “Both games were close.”
“They made a great run at us at their place, and it got really close the last five minutes. At our place, they were in control for a lot of that game.”
Tyler Davis scored 25 points for Texas A&M in that game, but the Commodores had four players in double-figures in scoring the bounce back win after losing by 20 at Missouri several days earlier.
One of the big reasons for Vandy’s success against the Aggies during the season was the play of Luke Kornet. He scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the two games, and right now, he’s playing his best basketball of the season.
Kornet earned SEC Player of the Week honors this week in averaging 22.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in games against No. 9 Kentucky and No. 12 Florida.
And when asked about some of the best defensive players in the league, Drew had no choice but to praise his senior center.
“I think he’s sensational on the defensive end,” Drew said. “He can guard bigs, he can come out on the floor a little bit, he can cover so much ground in contesting and blocking shots.”
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl also weighed in on Kornet’s ability on the defensive end of the floor.
“Luke Kornet doesn’t get enough credit defensively in protecting the rim and rebounding the basketball,” Pearl said. “He’s a real factor in there.”
But back to that Missouri loss for a second.
That could very well be the loss that weighs heavily on the NCAA tournament committee’s mind should Vandy be in a position for an at-large berth come Selection Sunday.
But Drew is hoping to keep his players from looking into the crystal ball, and instead, realize the task ahead this week at Bridgestone Arena.
“They’re all fully aware of it,” Drew said. “Our main focus is trying to control the things that we can control.”
“We know what the challenge is gonna be. For us, this is a one-game season, and right now, our focus is strictly on Texas A&M on Thursday.”