All I wanted to see in the Western Kentucky game was heart. Suffice it to say, my wishes were not fulfilled. Today the Commodores have a chance to atone for that error.

As many Commodore fans know, Coach Stallings is a firm believer that the quality of the teams practices leading up to a game is a very good barometer for how the team will play in that contest. According to various sources, the last week of practice has been intense. As such, I'd like to see the team take a good step forward on defense. Once the team can consistently bring the quality of defense that Stallings expects from them (and they should expect from themselves), the general theory is that the offense will look a lot less constipated.

If the team plays with solid defense with intensity and high effort, Commodore fans should be thrilled. There is still plenty of time to begin to iron out the rest of the issues before conference play begins.

Finally, I wanted to add the plus/minus numbers from the Western Kentucky game.

Plus/Minus Adjusted Per 40 Minutes

Having attended the game, I didn't really get the feeling that Jermaine Beal, A.J. Ogilvy or Lance Goulbourne had played well enough to lead the team. At the time, I did feel that Lance had played well...but he continues to limit himself with chippy or avoidable fouls. Certainly I didn't realize he had played as well as he had. Jeffery Taylor's numbers are more reflective of the other four players with him on the court than they were of his play. Frankly, it's remarkable that he even had a positive number considering he played virtually the entire game (while recovering from illness).

The Open Game Thread will be live around one hour before tipoff (14:00 cst). Please make sure to register your prediction with Stat-King. Go Dores.

Game Stories:

Vanderbilt meets Tennessee State Saturday - VANDERBILT OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Local duo brings TSU much-needed stability | The Tennessean

Vanderbilt – Tennessee State Preview | VandyMania.com (Scout - Premium)

Previewing Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee State | VandySports.com (Rivals - Premium)