The Vanderbilt Commodores kept their NCAA tournament chances on solid ground with a 67-56 win over the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville.
With both teams fighting to stay on the bubble, it was Vandy that was able to use tough defense down the stretch to pull out the victory. The Commodores held the Vols to their lowest point total of the season. The previous low came in last week’s 83-58 loss at Kentucky.
It was once again a balanced scoring effort from Bryce Drew’s team. Five players scored between 10 and 15 points, with Jeff Roberson leading the way, and Luke Kornet added another double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The senior also added seven blocks on the night.
Tennessee was led by Robert Hubbs III with 16 points.
Blake’s Analysis:
Defense was a big reason for Vandy finding success in this game. But if you dig a little deeper, there’s another important stat worth mentioning.
The Commodores only committed five turnovers in the game, which is their lowest turnover total of the season and the fewest since committing five in a 74-62 win over Kentucky in late February of last year.
Vandy has had a tendency to beat itself in certain games this season with careless turnovers and mistakes in key situations (blowing at 15-point lead with six minutes left against Arkansas comes to mind).
However, when this team takes care of the ball, it’s good enough to beat anyone. Although the Vols may slip behind them in the race for an at-large bid, this win adds another quality win to Vandy’s tournament resume.
Keep in mind that the Commodores’ resume already includes wins over these teams: Florida, South Carolina, Iowa State, and Arkansas.
Vandy likely still needs to win two of its next three and avoid a bad loss in the SEC tournament, but this win is certainly a step in the right direction.