Vanderbilt's fifth loss was also its third loss in overtime this season. I think it's fair to say this was truly the first "full strength" loss Vandy has suffered this season, though Festus Ezeli continues to play at less than 100%. Give Mississippi State credit, they controlled the glass, leading to second chance opportunities and making Vanderbilt pay for any bad shots, and were aggressive on offense, leading to free throws.
In all honesty, Vanderbilt's defense was probably due for a letdown at the way they played against Alabama last Thursday. Mississippi State is a very efficient offensive team, and when the Commodores did let up at the start of the second half, they came alive.
| VU | MSt | |
|---|---|---|
| Possessions | 72.3 | 70.0 |
| Points Per Possession | 1.07 | 1.11 |
| FG% | 48.3% | 43.5% |
| 3FG% | 51.9% | 50.0% |
| FT% | 55.6% | 66.7% |
| Assist/Turnovers | 1.23 | 1.20 |
| Assists/Field Goals Made | 55.2% | 44.4% |
| % of Points by 3FG | 54.5% | 38.5% |
| Four Factors | ||
| eFG% | 60.0% | 51.6% |
| OReb% | 16.7% | 30.0% |
| TO% | 18.0% | 13.8% |
| FTRate | 15.0% | 33.9% |
Periscope prediction: "Vanderbilt wins eFG%, FTRate, and OReb%." Result: 1/4. Could have. Should have. Didn't.
Relevant Links: Game Page /// Box Score /// Official Vanderbilt Recap /// For Whom the Cowbell Tolls
*** Each game, AOG's army of statistics monkeys laboriously pore over the box score and play-by-play to calculate the mysterious plus/minus game statistics. These are those statistics. Please share your observations via the comments. Note: these are only the stats from the last five games. Click here to view the entire 2012 season.***
Plus/Minus
Plus/Minus Adjusted Per 40 Minutes
