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Murray St. Racers
@
Vanderbilt Commodores
Thursday, Mar 18, 2010, 2:30 PM EDT
NCAA Tournament - West Region - First Round - HP Pavilion - San Jose, CA
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
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| Murray St. Racers | 24 | 24 | |
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Vanderbilt Commodores
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25 | 25 |
Vanderbilt vs. Murray St. - NCAAT - Open GameThread
by KingJamesIV on Mar 18, 2010 11:00 AM EDT
in Basketball
44 comments
|
24-8 (12-4) |
March 18, 2010 |
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Post your pregame, in-game, and post-game comments and thoughts below.
44 comments | 0 recs |
Vanderbilt vs. Murray St. - Game Previews
by KingJamesIV on Mar 18, 2010 10:47 AM EDT
in Basketball
2 comments
I'll be sure to update this post with any additional stories that I come across between now and the start. Until then, know that the game thread will go live around 10.00 CT tomorrow morning. Make sure to swing by Stat-King to weigh in on the Murray St. game.
Game Previews
Commodores and Racers clash at 1:30 p.m. CT - VANDERBILT OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
NCAA West Regional: Vanderbilt - Murray State Preview | Dore Posts
The Audacity of Hoops: Similarity Previews: 1st Round
SEC fans can’t decide whether or not Vandy should be scared of Murray State. These numbers say “not.” Vanderbilt’s offense has performed well against turnover-reliant defenses like Tennessee and Missouri, while Murray State’s offense hasn’t really shown up in most of their games against even halfway decent defenses. My system loves Vandy in this one
At NCAA tourney, ‘Dores seem stuck on Sweet Sixteen | Nashville City Paper
Vanderbilt to face nearby foe at far away place in NCAA's first round | Nashville City Paper
MSU's Kennedy talks about first-round matchup | VandySports.com (Rivals - Premium)
NCAA: We’re taking Murray State seriously, but… | Save the Shield!
Vandy men guard against unlucky 13 seed | The Tennessean
How We Got Here: A Brief Recap of Vanderbilt's Season So Far | Vanderbilt Sports Line
Uncomfortably warm pendant light fixture on: AJ Ogilvy | The Vanderbilt Vendidad
More after the jump...
2 comments | 0 recs |
(Possibly Apocryphal) Scouting Report: A.J. Ogilvy
by Train Island on Mar 17, 2010 2:35 PM EDT
in Basketball
6 comments
Position: C (Center)
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 250
Nickname(s): The Australian Sheik, Zombilvy, Uggs, Stinkmonster, the Sweat-Golem, Crocodile Dunk-ee
Strengths: Chippy-ness; finishing with either hand; mid-range shooting; growing facial hair; hustle; sweating; punking opposing centers; frustrating opposing coaches; frustrating Vandy fans; feeding off your blind xenophobia; handling passes in the paint.
Weaknesses: Finishing said passes in the paint; going hard to the rim in traffic, during fast-breaks, or in front of an audience; getting his yelling:rebounding ratio to even out; playing knifey-spoony; mastering the basic concepts of what hair and clothing choices a young man should make (see below).
Overview: A.J. Ogilvy is a bigger tease than your sophomore year girlfriend. Few other Vanderbilt players have been able to completely dominate games one week and then essentially disappear the next. If he's on, the 'Dores can simply feed him in the post and watch him go to work, as his back-to-the-basket game is one of the best in the NCAA - especially with his size and strength. He's a threat to spring for 20+ points on any given night with a combination of post moves and effectiveness from the free throw line; this makes it even more frustrating when he puts up a 2-8, 3-11, or even 0-4 night shooting from the field.
Fun Fact: Despite being Australian, still does not fully understand the concept of the drinking game "Quarters." Namely, the concept of removing the quarter from the beer once a shot is made. In a game with former roommate Keegan Bell, the big man ended up drinking seven Coors Lights and $3.50 in change before combing down his mustache and heading to The Stage.
Most embarrassing Google search result: Ugg! Our New Basketball Star - from the Sydney Morning Herald:
"They're these huge things, kind of like those boots the girls wear, but for guys. He lugs around in them and they come up to just below his knees.
"They've got cotton inside them with what looks like suede material on the outside. I've never seen anything like them."
That's right, our starting center - the source of toughness on the team - wears (or at least wore) Uggs. No word as to whether he pairs them with a jean skirt or just throws them on over a pair of tights during breezy spring Nashville days.
Bonus points for having an article simply dedicated to the highlights that A.J. has rocked in his hair during the 2010 season.
Best YouTube clip: Ogilvy puts back Jermaine Beal's miss to tie this year's Georgia game at Memorial with 15 seconds left.
6 comments | 1 recs |
Scouting Murray St. - Statistical Breakdown
by KingJamesIV on Mar 17, 2010 11:56 AM EDT
in Basketball
2 comments
At first glance, Murray State's individual stats are quite impressive. Issac Miles sweeps the PG slot in tempo free statistics over Jermaine Beal. Same with Ivan Aska over Andre Walker in the PF slot and Tony Easley over A.J. Ogilvy in the C slot. Jeffery Taylor is the only Commodore to sweep his opponent (Danero Thomas), with John Jenkins taking two of three against his evil doppelgänger B.J. Jenkins. Even the Murray State bench sweeps the Commodores. The doubt starts creeping into the back of your mind...
...then you realize that all the individual statistics are not adjusted for strength of schedule. Murray State's offensive and defensive efficiencies are adjusted (of course that begs the question of how well someone can devise a formula to accurately adjust for the disparity between strength of schedules as vast as the two in this matchup...), but the problem still remains for their tempo-free team statistics.
Trying to divine accurately just how good Murray State could be is like trying to shoot a moving target in a room with no lights and no windows. Next to impossible. Nobody that is making predictions on this game has any clue, including myself. I cannot imagine how statistically powerful the Commodores would look if they had played such a schedule. Would their blocks have skyrocketed? (Yes) Would their scoring margin have skyrocketed? (Yes) Would their...you get the picture. Would they be prepared to play a team that is light-years ahead of any team they had played all season? Probably not.
And that fact remains. Murray State hasn't seen a team this season that looks like Vanderbilt does when they step off the bus. Period. And it's not as if Vanderbilt is without talent. The Commodores are a legit Top 20 team. They've proven themselves. Murray State hasn't proven anything other than how well they can beat up on a weak schedule.
Predictions and traditional stats after the jump...
2 comments | 0 recs |
The NCAA's Worst Losses: Murray State
by Train Island on Mar 16, 2010 2:34 PM EDT
in Basketball
8 comments
With only four losses, Murray State holds one of the best records in the NCAA. Unfortunately for them, since their schedule has been so weak their 30-4 record doesn't even put the team in the Top 50 in most college basketball rankings. Their first-round match-up with Vanderbilt will be just the team's second game of the season against a Top 75 team, and their first game against a NCAA Tournament team since their opening game loss to California in Berkeley back in November. defeating East Tennessee State in December.
Murray State has had trouble on the road, accounting for all four of their losses, but went 4-0 in games held at neutral sites, including two OVC Tournament wins to clinch their spot in the NCAA Tournament. Conversely, Vanderbilt went only 2-3 on neutral courts, but their losses came against much stronger competition - Mississippi State (SEC Tournament), Cincinnati (Maui Invitational), and Western Kentucky. The Commodores also had one fewer road loss despite having a Strength of Schedule rank nearly 250 spots higher than the Racers.
Only four games this year showed that Murray State can be beaten; let's take a look at their biggest misstep and see what we can learn.
Murray State (30-4, AP NR, Coaches' NR)
Worst Loss: at Western Kentucky (RPI #133, KenPom #121), 72-83
Other Losses: at California, at Morehead State, at Louisiana Tech
The Racers (RPI #56, KenPom #57) have at least one thing in common with the Commodores - their worst loss came against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers away from their home court. Familiar foe A.J. Slaughter tore up the Racers to the tune of 20 points, nine assists, and four steals as WKU shot their way past Murray State to deal the visiting team their third loss of the season. After this game, MSU wouldn't lose again until 17 games later versus Morehead State.
8 comments | 1 recs |
2010 Women's NCAA Tournament Bracket
The Vandy women draw a #6 seed and will face Depaul in the first round. Fortunately, the team is as far away from facing Connecticut as possible thanks to their manageable draw.
2 days ago
Train Island
1 comment
0 recs
A Weekend Affair: #16 'Dores Chew Up the Bobcats
by Train Island on Mar 15, 2010 6:29 PM EDT
in Baseball
0 comments
Vanderbilt's winning streak pressed on to 10 games with four victories this week, including a three game sweep over the outclassed Ohio Bobcats at Hawkins Field. The wins pushed the Commodores to #19 in Baseball America's Top 25 poll and to #16 in the USA Today rankings. To date, the team's only loss has come against #10 UCLA - though the team still lacks a marquee victory for the season.
The team kicked off the week with a 9-1 win over Tennessee-Martin that featured freshman Will Clinard's first NCAA victory. They followed that up with a weekend performance in which they trailed for only four of the series' 27 innings. Vandy's dominant pitching continued to be on full display, as the team only allowed an average of two runs per game for the week, dropping their team ERA to 2.15 on the season. Though that will likely pick up once conference play begins, it's an impressive start for a rotation that was thought to have major question marks behind Sonny Gray. Through solid pitching and effective batting, the 'Dores powered through their last tune-up weekend before SEC play and secured their place as a top-tier team in the country's toughest college baseball conference.
Game 0 - Vanderbilt 9, Tennessee-Martin 1: Joe Loftus and Andrew Giobbi homered to pick up the offensive load left behind by the injured Curt Casali, while Jason Esposito added three RBI of his own. Clinard earned the victory with four strong innings, while veterans Drew Hayes and Russell Brewer combined to allow just two baserunners in five innings of relief.
Game 1 - Vanderbilt 14, Ohio 3: Vanderbilt trailed 3-0 after the top of the second inning before immediately reclaiming the lead and pouring on 14 unanswered runs in the opening game with the Bobcats. Sonny Gray allowed just two hits in six innings after Ohio took the lead, striking out five and walking one in that span. It was a big day for the top of the batting order, as 1-2-3 hitters Brian Harris, Bryan Johns, and Aaron Westlake went a combined 8-11 with nine RBI, six runs, two triples, and a home run.
Game 2 - Vanderbilt 7, Ohio 4: The 'Dores needed a come-from-behind effort to save the day against a scrappy Ohio team. The Bobcats took the lead in the seventh inning only to watch Vanderbilt score four runs in the eighth to seal the victory. Connor Harrell, who had a standout game last week against Tennessee Tech, played the hero with a base clearing three-run double to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead. Westlake, Esposito, and Loftus added solo home runs to fuel the Commodores.
Game 3 - Vanderbilt 5, Ohio 1: The game was the 12th of the season in which Vanderbilt's pitchers allowed just three runs or less as Jack Armstrong got back on track with 6.2 solid innings of work. Armstrong, Chase Reid, and Corey Williams limited Ohio to just five hits in the game. This time, the middle of the lineup supplied the offense, as Riley Reynolds, Andrew Giobbi, Joe Loftus, and Connor Harrell supplied all the team's RBI in the 5-6-7-8 slots. The win capped off the sweep against the 2-11 Bobcats.
AoG's prestigious pitching and batting awards, coming up after the jump...
0 comments | 0 recs |
Bulletin Board Thread
Come across an article or post where the writer picks Vandy as "blatantly overseeded" or as an "upset lock"? Post it in the comments.
2 days ago
KingJamesIV
24 comments
0 recs
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Commodores Basketball Schedule
Next 5 Games
| Murray St. | Thu 03/18 | 2:30 PM EDT |
| Murray St. | Thu 03/18 | 2:30 PM EDT |
Last 5 Games
|
@
Mississippi St.
|
Sat 03/13 | L 52 - 62 |
|
@
Mississippi St.
|
Sat 03/13 | L 52 - 62 |
|
Georgia
|
Fri 03/12 | W 78 - 66 |
|
Georgia
|
Fri 03/12 | W 78 - 66 |
|
South Carolina
|
Sat 03/06 | L 73 - 77 |
Southeastern Conference Standings
(updated 3.17.2010 at 11:49 PM EDT)
| East | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
|
Kentucky Wildcats
|
14 | 2 | 32 | 2 |
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Vanderbilt Commodores
|
12 | 4 | 24 | 8 |
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Tennessee Volunteers
|
11 | 5 | 25 | 8 |
|
Florida Gators
|
9 | 7 | 21 | 12 |
|
South Carolina Gamecocks
|
6 | 10 | 15 | 16 |
|
Georgia Bulldogs
|
5 | 11 | 14 | 17 |
| West | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
|
Mississippi St. Bulldogs
|
9 | 7 | 24 | 11 |
|
Mississippi Rebels
|
9 | 7 | 21 | 10 |
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Arkansas Razorbacks
|
7 | 9 | 14 | 18 |
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Alabama Crimson Tide
|
6 | 10 | 17 | 15 |
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Auburn Tigers
|
6 | 10 | 15 | 17 |
|
LSU Tigers
|
2 | 14 | 11 | 20 |
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