Basketball: Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Preview -- The Periscope

by KingJamesIV on Jan 13, 2012 10:43 PM EST in Vanderbilt Commodores Basketball

The Vanderbilt Commodores welcome the Georgia Bulldogs to Memorial Gym tomorrow for an afternoon of fun, dunks, and three pointers. The Georgia Bulldogs are in a bit of a rebuilding year, having lost stars Travis Leslie and Trey Thompkins to the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2011 NBA Draft. Vanderbilt has the opportunity to go 3-0 in SEC play, a feat they last accomplished in 2009-2010.

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Click through the jump for a breakdown of the team's opponents thus far and a closer look at their personnel.

Schedule Breakdown

To date, Vanderbilt has played 16 total games, 10 at home, 2 on neutral courts, and 4 on the road against an average KenPom rated opponent of 134.9. Georgia has played 16 total games, 10 at home, 2 on neutral courts, and 4 on the road, against an average rated D-I opponent of 118.3. Based on their performances to date, Kenpom rates Vanderbilt to be the fourth most efficient offensive and defensive team that the Bulldogs will have played. Georgia rates as the tenth most efficient offensive team and the ninth most efficient defensive team that the Commodores will have played. Keep in mind that these numbers do not account for players that have missed games.

Based on previous opponents offensive and defensive efficiencies, Georgia most closely resembles South Carolina. Vanderbilt most closely resembles Xavier or California.

Statistical Breakdown

Looking solely at the tempo free statistics, Vanderbilt has a sweeping edge not only at the starting positions and the bench, but also nearly across the board in the major tempo free statistics. Keep in mind that the individual statistics are not adjusted for the strength of the opponents and the location of games.

Four Factors: Offensively, Vanderbilt is better everywhere but taking care of the ball. Defensively, Vanderbilt is better everywhere but blocking shots (though in reality, Festus' return to play probably makes this a Vanderbilt strength). Prediction: Vanderbilt wins eFG%, FTRate and OReb%. Georgia wins TO%.

Ken Pomeroy predicts a 70-58 Vanderbilt win in a game with a tempo of 63. He rates Vanderbilt's win percentage at 88%.

Traditional Statistics -- Georgia Bulldogs

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	14	30.5	5.1	12.4	41.0	2.1	6.9	30.9	1.8	3.1	58.1	1.9	3.4	5.3	1.1	1.1	1.6	0.4	2.4	14.1
Gerald Robinson	14	26.1	4.6	10.1	46.1	0.6	1.7	37.5	3.9	4.9	78.3	0.6	2.5	3.1	3.3	2.6	0.9	0.0	2.3	13.8
Dustin Ware	14	26.9	2.5	6.1	41.2	2.0	4.9	41.2	1.9	2.1	90.0	0.1	1.9	2.0	2.1	0.9	0.9	0.0	1.1	8.9
Donte` Williams	14	25.6	2.7	6.5	41.8	0.0	0.1	0.0	1.8	3.2	55.6	2.5	2.9	5.4	0.1	1.1	0.4	1.5	3.1	7.2
Nemanja Djurisic	14	16.1	2.4	5.1	46.5	0.6	1.6	36.4	0.6	0.8	72.7	0.9	2.7	3.6	0.6	1.2	0.4	0.3	1.9	5.9
Vincent Williams	14	16.6	1.9	4.0	46.4	0.6	1.9	34.6	0.8	1.0	78.6	0.2	1.3	1.5	2.1	0.6	1.0	0.1	1.4	5.1
Marcus Thornton	12	22.9	1.1	4.4	24.5	0.1	0.8	11.1	0.6	1.2	50.0	1.8	4.0	5.8	1.2	1.1	0.2	0.3	2.7	2.8
Connor Nolte	9	10.1	0.7	1.6	42.9	0.6	1.1	50.0	0.7	0.9	75.0	0.4	1.2	1.7	0.2	0.8	0.1	0.1	1.2	2.6
Sherrard Brantley	14	12.6	0.6	2.4	24.2	0.4	2.1	20.7	0.1	0.1	100.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	0.6	0.5	0.1	0.1	0.6	1.7
John Florveus	14	13.4	0.6	1.8	32.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.5	71.4	0.6	0.9	1.6	0.1	0.6	0.4	0.7	1.7	1.5
John Cannon	6	4.2	0.5	1.2	42.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.5	66.7	0.2	1.0	1.2	0.5	0.0	0.3	0.8	0.5	1.3
Tim Dixon	11	7.1	0.2	0.5	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.5	0.8	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.4	0.4
Matt Bucklin	4	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Elliott Long	3	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Jay Rome	1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Tipoff is scheduled for 1500 CT and the game will be available on the SEC Network (as well as ESPN3). Our open gamethread will go live two hours before tipoff. Also, don't forget to head over to Stat-King to submit your predictions for the game.

Poll

Vanderbilt vs. Georgia -- Margin of Victory

Vanderbilt by 10+

53 votes

Vanderbilt by < 10

9 votes

Georgia by < 10

1 votes

Georgia by 10+

0 votes

63 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Ware

Doesn’t he start and not Williams? They are very similar I suppose, but Ware plays the majority of the minutes along sides Robinson. They have a short backcourt and a thin frontcourt. The key for us will be to contain Robinson, who gave Red Gordon fits back in 2008. I would guess that Jenkins would get the initial assignment and Taylor would be charged with checking their super-frosh. Tinsley will have to make sure that Ware isn’t allowed any open threes, but that’s pretty much all he looks to do.

We should be able to protect our defensive glass while minimizing our own turnovers against a team that doesn’t really create any. We’ll also be very happy to know that Travis Leslie won’t be there to personally torture us, on both ends of the court. They will again likely have much difficulty defending Jenkins, and without Leslie will also struggle with Taylor. We’ve definitely lost to worse UGA teams in the past, but I would really be surprised if it happened tomorrow. UGA simply doesn’t match up well against us, and we present them with a lot of issues that they don’t really have the personnel to deal with. Fox will likely try to slow things way down as his pace has been getting slower each season, but I think we’ve learned how to defend for a full 35 seconds, which has really helped us play at the slow pace that gave us tons of problems last season.

by Jason Fukuda on Jan 14, 2012 12:19 AM EST reply actions

That's what I thought

But the UGA game notes showed Williams in the starting five and not Ware. That’s usually how I go about picking the five “starters”

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by KingJamesIV on Jan 14, 2012 11:12 AM EST up reply actions

There are some tough games in there (Bama, MSU)

But we have a nice setup with our January schedule in not having to face UK or UF. Gotta make some hay by taking care of the UGAs of the world to set us up for what will be a tough February.

I like Tennessee and Vanderbilt. There aren't many like me, and they're probably better off for it.

by VolnVA on Jan 14, 2012 10:52 AM EST reply actions

Stat king technicality?

First time I’ve gotten involved… If I picked Aaron Noll to get 0,0,0… Would I win?

by CorneliusHimself on Jan 14, 2012 1:36 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Player selected has to play ten minute in order to win...

If Aaron Noll has played ten minutes in this game, I feel great about our chances to win, but I also feel like someone else will have probably scored enough/defended enough to win stat king.

by doredarling on Jan 14, 2012 2:22 PM EST up reply actions