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There are so many quality point guards in this region. Jimmer Fredette, Jacob Pullen/Denis Clemente, Kenny Boynton/Erving Walker, Jermaine Beal, Matt Bouldin, Randy Culpepper, Shelvin Mack. Does anyone else find it ironic the best team in the region doesn't have a player on that list?

3 days ago Vanderbilt_tiny KingJamesIV 1 comment 0 recs

(4) Vanderbilt Commodores vs. (13) Murray State Racers

This is a matchup for the ages. The cutthroat entrepreneurial railroad tycoon against some little jockeys on a horse? I'll alert the glue factory.

3 days ago Vanderbilt_tiny KingJamesIV 0 comments 0 recs

BEST BETS
No. 4 Vanderbilt (34.3 vulnerability rating) vs. No. 13 Murray St. (94.5 Giant Killer rating)
UPSET CHANCE: 32.5 percent

Does Murray State actually exist, or is it simply the fervid invention of some chronicler of giant-slaying hoops legends -- Jim Carroll, perhaps, or Dean Oliver? We believe the Racers are indeed real, but we're rubbing our eyes, as they've posted the highest rating in GK history. Why? Start with the fact that they excel at seizing extra possessions whether they start with the ball (offensive rebounds on 39.5 percent of missed shots, 12th in the NCAA) or their opponents do (sixth in the country in steal percentage, leading to turnovers on 24.6 percent of opponent possessions, 11th). They're efficient shooters, hitting more than 55 percent of 2-point attempts and more than 37 percent of 3s. And while they're not big, they rank sixth in the nation in block percentage, helping limit opponents to just 41 percent shooting on 2-pointers. All told, the gap between Murray State's effective FG percentage and its opponents' is a whopping 11.5 points. Bonus: The Racers don't rely on free throws, either, which, as we've often mentioned, is a common trait among historical Giant Killers. So while the Racers played a weak schedule and don't protect the ball particularly well, they still have a profile unlike any we've seen. And in Vanderbilt, they've drawn an opponent that doesn't generate turnovers (19.3 percent of opponent possessions, 243rd in the NCAA) and allows opponents second chances (offensive rebounds on 34.4 percent of missed shots, 249th). Maybe worst of all, 74 percent of the Commodores' scoring margin comes from the free throw line. That's the highest proportion among Giants, and a sign that Vandy can be dangerously easy for an underdog to neutralize, particularly in a loosely called game. If our model had a nose, it would be smelling history right about now.

3 days ago Hardesty_tiny golfballs03 0 comments 0 recs

The Onion, FTW!

3 days ago Vanderbilt_tiny KingJamesIV 3 comments 0 recs

Dear Commodores Fan,

Send Off Rally for Men's Basketball Team Tuesday Evening
Help see off the Commodores as they head for San Jose and the 1st Round of the NCAA Tournament

Commodore fans are invited to help send off the men's basketball team on Tuesday evening as they leave for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The team bus will be leaving from the Players Entrance of Memorial Gym at 5:40pm. Fans and students are encouraged to join the team at the Players Entrance (located at the north west corner of Memorial Gym by Parmer Fieldhouse) and wish them good luck as they travel to San Jose for their 1st round game vs. Murray State.

3 days ago Vanderbilt_tiny KingJamesIV 0 comments 0 recs

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family this week. Local news says he went to Station Camp HS (the former home of our own John Jenkins).

3 days ago Star_tiny doredarling 0 comments 0 recs

Ok, I said MurraySt "could" upset but they won't. I am taking Vandy to reach the Final 4. Ogilvy, Taylor and Walker will come to play.

3 days ago Hardesty_tiny golfballs03 1 comment 0 recs

Leena Peltonen-Palotie, groundbreaking geneticist and mother of two died March 11, after a two-year battle with cancer. Her legacy will live on in her family and in the research she conducted. Truly a groundbreaking researcher; her work helped us understand the complexities of what makes us human.

7 days ago 250px-lrrr_tiny Train Island 0 comments 0 recs

Vanderbilt checks in at #20. Nine SEC teams get poll votes in all:

1. LSU
8. Florida
16. Arkansas
17. Mississippi
20. Vanderbilt
22. Kentucky
25. Alabama

Also Receiving Votes: South Carolina, Georgia

9 days ago 250px-lrrr_tiny Train Island 0 comments 0 recs

Video: Cousins on the SEC Coaches' Awards. At least he eventually figured out which school Stallings coaches.

9 days ago Vanderbilt_tiny KingJamesIV 1 comment 0 recs


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