Post your pregame, in-game, and post-game comments and thoughts below. STAT-KING!

Will this loss end up being more of an aberration? Or are we seeing the cracks? I think the former. I think the seniors are going to rally the troops and get the defensive issues that have been largely absent the last twelve games corrected.

I still believe.

Periscope prediction: No Periscope for this game Result: Perfection. Otherwise I would have missed badly on this one...

Relevant Links: Game Page /// Box Score /// Official Vanderbilt Recap /// Arkansas Expats

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Vanderbilt just barely snuck back into the national rankings before absorbing a predictable loss at Arkansas earlier this week. If they want to keep their spot in the top 25, they'll have to win at the O-Dome.

Vandy will face arguably their toughest test of the season on Saturday, facing #12 Florida on the road in a game that will determine who the second-best team in the SEC is. The Commodores are just 2-10 at the O'Connell Center under Kevin Stallings, mirroring the .167 winning percentage that the team brought to Fayetteville earlier in the week. Like the Razorbacks, Florida is also undefeated at home this season. While history fails to smile on the 'Dores in this sense, it's worth noting that the team's last two trips to Gainesville ended with a win and a controversial overtime loss (John Jenkins was FOULED, dammit).

The Gators are in the midst of a hot streak, winning five in a row with quality wins over Mississippi and Mississippi State. Like the Commodores, Florida has two players currently slated to be picked in the first round of the NBA Draft by draftexpress.com. Bradley Beal and Patric Young, a freshman and sophomore, respectively, have led the Gators back to prominence despite losing SEC Player of the Year Chandler Parsons to graduation this season.

Florida has used efficient scoring and a strong three-point attack to score in bunches on their way to a 17-4 record. However, they've shown vulnerability in losses to Rutgers and Tennessee this season. The Gators are a young team who match up well with the Commodores talent-wise, but are overmatched in terms of experience. Whether or not Vandy can exploit that mismatch is a major question.

Florida (17-4, #12 in the AP rankings, #11 in the Pomeroy Rankings)

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Arkansas 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.

Post your pregame, in-game, and post-game comments and thoughts below. STAT-KING!

The Vanderbilt Commodores earned two very important victories last week. As for foul disparity in the Vandy - Middle Tennessee State game, there was a clear strategy by MTSU to foul Festus, and Vanderbilt certainly obliged. That said, I think it would be important for the very small percentage of Blue Raider fans that are whining about the foul differential to take note:

According to Ken Pomeroy: Vanderbilt's adjusted offensive free throw rate (FTA/FGA) is 37.8, which is 143rd in the country. Of course, almost half of Vandy's games have been played without Festus Ezeli, who has an enormous impact on that figure. I'd say that number is trending upwards (it is 41.8 in SEC play only). In all reality it's probably going to approach the 45.2 (27th in the country) that the team averaged last season. Vanderbilt's defense has been allowing opponents an adjusted free throw rate of 28.7, 30th in the country.

Middle Tennessee's adjusted offensive free throw rate is 48.0, 7th in the country. That is an impressive figure. Defensively, Middle Tennessee allows opponents an adjusted free throw rate of 40.9, 259th in the country.

In summation, Vanderbilt gets to the line, but they don't send teams to the line. Middle Tennessee gets to the line, but they also send teams to the line.

In this game, Vanderbilt's free throw rate was 55.6%. That is certainly higher than their average, but, again, Middle Tennessee's gameplan was to attack Festus Ezeli in the paint when he received the ball. So it's not surprising to see the number a bit higher. Middle Tennessee's free throw rate was 46.8%, slightly below their season average.

Take into account what the defensive numbers were: Vanderbilt's 55.6% was 14.7% above MTSU's defensive average. Middle Tennessee's 46.8% was 18.1% above Vanderbilt's defensive average, and was the third highest Vanderbilt had allowed this season.

This was strategy, not "homecooking." MTSU fans have a great team on their hands. The Blue Raiders played the part of the tough, aggressive team that the Commodores have drawn in recent NCAA Tournaments: 1) they play tough defense (90.8 effective average, according to KenPom), 2) they shot it from outside WELL above their season average (53.8% in the game vs. ~28% entering the game on the season), and 3) they turn teams over fairly well. MTSU was ready to play. Vanderbilt showed they are finally ready to take on their demons and proved they can win against this kind of team. They won with rebounding. They won by taking care of the ball, despite the pressure. And they won by taking it to the rim, through contact, and generating trips to the free throw line. This is an important recipe for success for the Commodores, especially when they aren't shooting it that well from outside.

Periscope prediction (UT-only): "Vanderbilt wins all four categories." Result: 3/4. I think looking back at the statistics that you would find that UT was able to largely control the glass once the outcome of the game was absolutely certain.

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Arkansas is just one of those teams Kevin Stallings is never happy to see.

The Razorbacks, regardless of the year, always seem to find a way to give Vanderbilt fits in their annual regular season matchup. Stallings's teams are just 4-10 against Arkansas in his career, and the 'Dores have won in Fayetteville just once in six tries. Things will be even more difficult in 2012; first year coach Mike Anderson has yet to lose a game at the Bud Walton Center.

Tuesday's game will be another matchup that pits the Commodores against an opponent looking for a signature win. Arkansas has a solid 15-6 record on the season so far, but they currently sit on the wrong side of the bubble with a RPI greater than 50. The Razorbacks have a pair of big wins this season, dispatching top 20 schools Mississippi State and Michigan, but losses to weaker teams like Houston and a relatively soft strength-of-schedule have put them on the periphery of the national rankings.

However, these woes seem to disappear when Arkansas is defending their home court. The Razorbacks dropped 98 (!) points on #16 Mississippi State and opened up a 46-33 halftime lead on #20 Michigan in their biggest victories of the season. They are scoring 77.5 points per game in their home wins. In road/neutral games - all losses - the team averages 65.8.

Vanderbilt can expect a high-tempo game, but the 'Dores should be ready for that after Saturday's shootout with Middle Tennessee State. Like the Blue Raiders, Arkansas uses a balanced scoring attack that relies on strong ball movement to create open shots. After seeing Vandy's weaknesses in transition last weekend, expect the Razorbacks to press downcourt with plenty of breaks in Tuesday's game.

While no one has produced a blueprint of how to beat the 'Hogs in Fayetteville, Houston came the closest, holding on for an 87-78 win in Little Rock. So how did the 11-9 Cougars do it? Let's take a closer look.

Arkansas (15-6, unranked, #78 in the Pomeroy Rankings)

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Let's get this out of the way first and foremost - Middle Tennessee State is LEGIT.

The Blue Raiders put together one of the strongest 40 minutes of basketball that Vanderbilt has faced this season, pushing the Commodores to the buzzer in an 84-77 loss Saturday afternoon in Memorial Gym. MTSU had needed a victory to make a major statement for the NCAA Tournament selection committee to review in March, but may have earned some major credibility even in defeat. Middle Tennessee scorched the Vandy defense all afternoon, using crisp passes to create open shots and connecting on 57.4 percent of their shots from the floor.

Vanderbilt responded with a superlative effort from their "big three." John Jenkins, Festus Ezeli, and Jeffery Taylor combined for 64 points and answered each time MTSU opened up a big lead. The Raiders led by as many as eight points in the first half and held a one point lead with under 2:30 left to play. Vanderbilt's seven-point margin of victory was their biggest lead of the night.

Middle Tennessee used fast breaks and strong passing to create open looks throughout the game. Center LaRon Dendy scored from all over the court to spark the Blue Raiders, leading the team with 22 points for the game. Guard Marcos Knight was the only MTSU player to shoot under 50 percent from the field in the contest.

However, Vanderbilt answered with interior baskets from Ezeli and Taylor and long-range shooting from Jenkins. Ezeli regained his stroke at the free throw line, going 11-13 and scoring 21 points in all. Jenkins used a mixture of threes (four of them) and drives (6-7 from inside the arc, including two massive layups late in the game) to lead the team with 26 points. Taylor had 17 to go with six rebounds.

Lance Goulbourne and Brad Tinsley made sure to make people notice that this team isn't just a three-man operation. Goulbourne had a key steal with under a minute to play and the team's nastiest dunk of the season on a monster put-back in the second half. Tinsley, who missed much of the contest due to foul trouble, came back strong, setting up Ezeli and Jenkins for an important layups that helped put this game away.

The 'Dores battled through a back-and-forth affair to record their fourth win of the season over a top 50 team. While casual fans may dismiss a close win over a Sun Belt squad, anyone who watched Saturday's game understands just how good this Middle Tennessee State team can be. The Blue Raiders are a strong-shooting, athletically balanced team that will give some unlucky opponents fits when March rolls around.

The win improved Vandy's record to 16-5. They'll be back in action Tuesday for a trip to Fayetteville against the 15-6 Arkansas Razorbacks. It'll be another stiff test for a team that is still scrapping to regain the confidence that the national media had in them when the season began.