Vandy to play in Preseason NIT?  That’s the rumor.  Each year, the preseason NIT tournament selects 4 teams from power conferences to host a regional of 4 teams (1 mid-major and 2 cupcakes).  The winner of each regional will earn a Thanksgiving Day visit to Madison Square Garden.   Scheduling is an issue, but it seems the South host will represent the SEC and likely be Florida or Vandy (first invite since 1996).  The East host is rumored to be Virginia Tech and includes George Mason as the mid-major.  The North region host is rumored to be Syracuse.  Let’s hope Lance and Rodom get a homecoming.

Season, Postseason, AJ and Moats after the jump.

Season: Brad Nessler and Jimmy Dykes were a curse to Vandy last year.  When Brad Nessler calls the game, Vandy was 1-5 and 0-4 with Jimmy Dykes!  We must reverse the W/L this year. 

End of Season Tournaments:  Vandy’s struggles in late-season tournaments are well documented (but we made the second round last year).  Are the stars aligning for the greatest post-season run in Vanderbilt history?  First, the SEC Tournament is hosted by New Orleans.  Not exactly home court advantage, but that is also where the 2011-2012 NCAA champion will be decided.  With Nashville and Atlanta hosting opening round and sweet sixteen games, there is a chance that Vanderbilt could go all the way without leaving the familiarity of SEC territory. 

Thank you AJ Ogilvy.  Your contributions to Vandy basketball were tremendous and exceeded your incoming expectations.  While some fans may feel unfulfilled with how your career ended, I believe your contributions are still relevant today. 

• Thank you for having a stellar Freshman campaign which helped influence the arrival of the renowned recruiting class of 08.
• Thank you for leaving for the draft early so that Festus could get enough reps in 10-11 to develop into a nationally recognized impact player for the 2011-2012 season. 
• Thank you for not making an NBA roster which provided an example for the current players to stay in school. 

Good luck in the playoffs (13 ppg, 60% fg% for Besiktas) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xidDLAEV80

Congratulations Shelby Moats! First, thank you so much for becoming a Commodore.  Your contributions to the 2011-2012 team will be greeted with open arms.  However, the team is just too deep this year so your growth as a player will be limited to the eyes of the coaching staff.  It worked wonders for Fes and I am certain you will benefit from a redshirt year as well.  Here is the upside, as the only redshirt on a helluva team, you will complete your Vanderbilt eligibility as the player with the most wins in postseason play.  As for the other Freshmen, you too will need to be patient.  All of you have the chance to learn from professionals so take in everything you can because your time to lead will be here before you know it.