Vanderbilt Keeps Tradition Alive, Loses at Arkansas 74-82
by Christian D'Andrea on Jan 31, 2012 11:13 PM EST
in Vanderbilt Commodores Basketball
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PrintArkansas heated up in the second half and the Commodores got out-hustled to bring Kevin Stallings's career record to 1-7 in Fayetteville in a 82-74 Vanderbilt loss Tuesday night.
Arkansas caught fire from long range in the second half to turn a halftime deficit into a double-digit lead that the 'Dores couldn't dig out of. Vanderbilt's once-effective zone defense was shredded by effective shooting and some long rebounds. The Razorbacks made these second chances count, pulling down 12 offensive rebounds and holding a +9 advantage in shots taken.
The Commodores couldn't keep up with Arkansas's explosion with Jeffery Taylor and John Jenkins stuck in shooting slumps. The two went just 11-26 from the field and Jenkins's propensity to take deep threes early in the shot clock actually helped take this team out of the game rather than insert them back into it. Their play negated a strong performance from the team's centers, as Festus Ezeli and Steve Tchiengang proved to be the team's most effective players on offense. Tchiengang's 10 point performance was especially encouraging coming from a player who had been mired in a funk most of the season.
Vanderbilt was beaten to loose balls and frustrated by Arkansas's aggressive play throughout the contest. Once the Razorbacks opened up a big lead, Vandy seemed to lose composure, rushing shots and forcing their offense despite having plenty of time left in the second half. Arkansas, on the other hand, fed off the energy of their home crowd and willed themselves into good situations. It was an impressive showing for a 'Hog team that is working to slide their way to the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Vandy will look to recover in a big showdown in Gainesville on Saturday. They'll face the #11 ranked Florida Gators in a game that will have big seeding implications in both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. They'll also need a big win to hold on to any hope of remaining ranked after sneaking into the Coaches' Poll at 25 this week.
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How are we coping with tonight's outing?
"Well, if that ain't a show, I'll kiss your ass." - Gov. Jim Folsom Sr. (D-AL), 1948-52
This team is seriously testing my "no drinking on weekdays" code.
Especially with a case of Labatt specialty brews in the fridge. I am EXCITED to see how the Canadians screw up a Marzen!
by Christian D'Andrea on Jan 31, 2012 11:31 PM EST up reply actions
That code has BEEN cracked
Once this beer is down, we’re switching to Buffalo Trace Old Fashioneds.
"Well, if that ain't a show, I'll kiss your ass." - Gov. Jim Folsom Sr. (D-AL), 1948-52
by VandyImport on Jan 31, 2012 11:38 PM EST up reply actions
The fact that you have the ingredients and tools to make an old fashioned at your house intrigues me.
by Christian D'Andrea on Jan 31, 2012 11:51 PM EST up reply actions
It's dead simple if you do it right
Whiskey, bitters (Angostura OR Peychauds on offer), and a dollop of simple syrup (because no matter how hard you muddle that sugar cube it’s never going to dissolve completely in cold alcohol), plus either a lemon zest or a drop of lemon juice.
Of course, my cousin and his wife (who live with us at present) are past residents of New Orleans, so this is a drinking house. Then again, representing Vanderbilt, Cal and Georgia Tech, we WOULD be, wouldn’t we…
"Well, if that ain't a show, I'll kiss your ass." - Gov. Jim Folsom Sr. (D-AL), 1948-52
by VandyImport on Jan 31, 2012 11:54 PM EST up reply actions
I'm in Wisconsin, where the brandy OF with an orange slice is the go-to
The idea of fresh produce and the effort of muddling things are both big detractors for me. I tip my hat to you though, sir.
by Christian D'Andrea on Jan 31, 2012 11:59 PM EST up reply actions
The done thing in the Yay Area these days is to skip the fruit salad altogether wherever possible
I know the brandy OF is a form indigenous to tundra country, though, and I confess I am intrigued. Might be time to nip into the wife’s cooking brandy. Though that’s the sort of move that gets one a reputation. Then again the way this season’s going I’ll be drinking in the morning soon enough.
"Well, if that ain't a show, I'll kiss your ass." - Gov. Jim Folsom Sr. (D-AL), 1948-52
Good grief I wish I enjoyed whiskey
Nothing like moving to Louisville when you don’t like Cardinals, Cats or bourbon… At least I like watching the horseys run.
I was planning on Chicken Littling
Then saying I told you so next time we lose, no matter how well we do in the meantime.
Hinted at this in the other thread
But can we put an end to the “live by the three, die by the three” nonsense (not that anybody around here had suggested that)? We racked up points shooting 29% from three tonight.
Go Harder.
well the fact that we’re scoring that many points without shooting well from the three seems to suggest that it’s not hurting our offense too terribly (obviously if some of those three’s were made two’s we’d have more points, but we still scored 74 which should be plenty to win). Seems like we’re playing something closer resembling win by the D die by the D. tonight’s D was terrible; they were so slow.
Stallings needs to go — but he won't
Not midseason, but after it’s over.
We’ve played six good teams and we’re 2 and 4. We still have no idea how to deal with quicker teams. We only play defense about 2/3 of the time, which is actually an improvement over prior years, but still. And we have the talent to be much better than that.
Buck stops with the bald guy wearing the suit, only it won’t. And we’ll never get any better.
On the bright side, as a Giants fan, I can definitively state that it’s not really about being anything like the best team — the Giants might have been the tenth best team in football over the season as a whole — it’s about getting hot at the right time.
Four good games brings this team to the Final Four. It’s not looking all that likely but it’s possible. And then history will remember this sad sack bunch of underperformers, a group that’s not one of the four best Vandy teams in my memory, as the greatest team ever.
Now it’s time for someone to talk about how Jenkins plays D now and how JT has finally stepped up to be the man and how he’s the greatest defender in college ball.
And when the poll for the Florida game comes, 90 percent of you will pick us to win.
by Andrew D. Smith on Jan 31, 2012 11:40 PM EST reply actions
I've come to agree with you on Stallings
Its time. Let him finish out the year. Then let someone else start from scratch with a roster that will be very lucky to make the NIT next year. Stallings’ ceiling has been reached. While he has generally raised the level of play and level of expectation at Vandy during his tenure, it is more and more clear that he needs to be replaced for this team to reach the next level.
The only problem with that is...
that “this team” won’t be around next year to reach the next level. Every year (or so) when players leave and new ones take over starting roles, the team and it’s personality change. The coach is not always as effective in teaching and motivating and strategizing with every team – sometimes the composition of the team is more suitable to a coach’s strengths, other times not as much. Obviously, CKS has taken the Vanderbilt basketball program to a whole new level during his tenure, and it’s quite an achievement. I’m not sure that he cannot take us to the next level, but we have to aware that the next level is pretty rarified air. We’re already getting to the NCAA’s with regularity, finishing in the top 1/3 of our conference with regularity, and recruiting at a high level (though I’m not sure about this year’s class).
The only clear next level that I can see is Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and UNC. I don’t know if there is a coach alive who can put us in that company. Its taken decades and decades for those programs to reach the elite level.
Still, I can’t say at times that I haven’t longed for a CJF equivalent to light a spark…Don’t know if that is what we should want, but I’ve certainly thought that at times, especially earlier this year. I still think this team can go deep into the Tournament, like Andrew said. Postseason has nothing to do with who had the best regular season – though the seed can help a lot.
by Pope Vanderbilt on Feb 1, 2012 9:57 AM EST up reply actions
My thinking at this point...
Barring a miracle comeback from JJ23, we’re going to be six players down from this year’s team. Put it another way: if OGKF transfers (as has been rumored), the next two seasons will see us with a total of ONE scholarship senior (RODOM in 2013-14).
The future was now. Next year is a shredder. If we’re going to make a change, we may as well do it while there’s nothing to lose.
(This is the shorter version of about 1000 words I dashed off last night through the bottom of the Buffalo Trace bottle – still debating whether to pull it out of drafts or not. If I do it’s gonna need spell check like a mug…)
"Well, if that ain't a show, I'll kiss your ass." - Gov. Jim Folsom Sr. (D-AL), 1948-52
JJ23
After how he looked last night, he should take another year in college.
by foreverhopeful on Feb 1, 2012 12:16 PM EST up reply actions
Reality Check...
I really wish I could understand what appears to be the consensus opinion that we have reached a new level or that we are only a step below Duke, UK, KU and UNC… We have finished in the Top 25 in the final poll 3 times in Stallings tenure (twice as #25 – 2004 and 2008, and #19 in 2007)!!!!!!!! There are plenty of teams in a level between us and the superpowers (Pitt, Memphis, Gonzaga, Villanova, Syracuse, Arizona, Texas, OSU, Florida, Wisconsin, Butler – should we make a list?). We are not beating those teams on the court, in recruiting, or in player develoment. Our program has won 0 SEC East division championships, 0 SEC championships, 0 SEC tournament championships, 0 first round draft picks and has not passed the Sweet 16 in the 12 years that Stallings has been at the helm. I realize that 2 Sweet Sixteen appearances can make you feel good, but please remember that 16 teams make the sweet sixteen every year… that means there have been 192 Sweet Sixteen spots in those 12 years. We have 2 in that time period – just like Auburn… Come to think of it, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, LSU and Tennessee have all made Elite Eight games in that period. How we could consider our two trips to the Sweet 16 as being a program a step below the Basketball Kings? We are almost NEVER ranked in the top 16 of the polls at any point in any season!!! Also, please note that in the 12 years prior to Stallings (1987/88-1998/99), we had the exact same number of NCAA tournament appearances (5), the same number of Sweet 16 appearances (2), but we also had one SEC Championship. This year is so frustrating because of the things I listed above. This year could have been a stepping stone to get into second level of recruiting and national perception. A run to the Elite Eight or Final Four could be the bump that this program needs to actually be relevant (note that I do not consider being ranked in the Final top 20 one time in the last decade without a player on an NBA roster relevant). The problem is that the cupboard is bare after this year, and there is no sign that our recruiting without King Rice is going to bail us out.
I may have overstated the level of the program, I will concede. The elite programs are perpetually ranked in the Top 10, and earn 1 or 2 seeds. The next level for this program would be consistent rankings in the 10 – 20 range, with seeds of 2 – 4 in the tournament. Very recently though, we’ve been consistently ranked 20 – 30 with seeds of 4, 5, and 6. Now, we’ve done everything we possibly could hope to do to wreck our national profile by losing in the first round 3 straight times. “Overrated” and “soft” are not adjectives you want associated with your program, but that is kind of where we are.
It may be that a coaching change is what it takes to get us to the next level. The data you site suggests that Stallings has not really taken the program to a new level, though some here would argue that going to 4 out of the last 5 NCAA Tournaments shows that we have become a perennial tournament team (albeit a disappointing one). Next year, we probably won’t be there, but you never know.
I understand your argument and have quite a bit of sympathy for it, but let’s see how this team closes out the season and what kind of legacy it will leave.
by Pope Vanderbilt on Feb 1, 2012 1:15 PM EST up reply actions
Amen
Couldn’t have said it better – maybe throw in the fact that a losing football season without a win against a good team was a success, and that we should extend Stallings’ contract, and I’ll vote for you in 2012…
Why anything higher than a 3 seed is unacceptable
I admit it. I brought into the hype. I thought “this year is different.” They will gell. They will coalesce. They will finish games strong. I was wrong.
It struck me today, when I was at the ESPN Bracketology site. My thought was “if only VU can get between a 3-6 seed, we’ll be in a good position.” I realized, that’s the same thought that I have had for the past 4 years. Nothing’s changed. No progress has been made. There is no reason that this veteran team should be seeded higher than 3. None.
After having slept on it,
I’m still really disappointed in how poorly we reacted last night. Flustered. Rushing shots. Not hustling. The lack of effort for loose balls, rebounds, and defense was what really stood out to me.
completely agree
the lack of hustle was really troubling. Taylor and Jenkins were especially guilty IMO. But what really annoyed me was the patented Stallings timeout about 2 possessions late when Arkansas went on their run in the 2nd half that essentially ended the game. It was obvious the crowd was causing Vandy issues and a close game became an 11 point Ark lead in a matter of seconds. Calling a timeout after a quick 6 point swing as the crowd is getting into it is Coaching 101 on the road, especially at a place like Arkansas.
I Missed "Dance Moms" and "Justified" For This?!?!
Kept screaming at the TV: “Throw it to Fes!” “Hustle you idiot!” “Drive to the basket!” “You don’t need to shoot from there!” “If you’re going to shoot from there, would you make sure someone in black is going to be under the basket to rebound?” “OMGosh! Kyle Fuller!!!”
Typical brain dead swoon that always happens after VU gets ranked. And next time Jimmy Dykes is scheduled to work a Vandy game, would someone PLEASE kidnap him at the airport.
Just Sayin' What We're Thinkin'
And we could blame it on Kenny Frease. If he’s broadcasting the Kentucky game (or any other game), I’m not even going to bother watching.
Start a cheer in the student section: “Jimmy Must Die!”
Lance
I hope his ankle is OK. We certainly don’t need an injury right now.
Ankle
Saw somewhere last night that he sat so much because of an ankle problem. Twitter??
by foreverhopeful on Feb 1, 2012 3:14 PM EST up reply actions
Bud Walton.
Yesterday Ken Pomeroy ranked Bud Walton as the third largest home court advantage in the country over the past 12 seasons.
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