Game 32: Vanderbilt Commodores vs. Georgia Bulldogs — Open Game Thread

The Vanderbilt Commodores (12-19, 6-12 SEC) open the SEC Tournament tonight at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis against the Georgia Bulldogs (16-14, 7-11 SEC). Tonight’s game will be televised on the SEC Network and the WatchESPN app with Tom Hart, Jimmy Dykes, and Molly McGrath on the TV call. Joe Fisher’s call can be found on the Vanderbilt IMG Sports Network.

Vanderbilt snapped a three-game losing streak its last time out with an 82-69 win over Ole Miss, which aside from being the Commodores’ first win away from Memorial Gym this season, also meant that the Commodores avoided last place in the SEC. But still, we’ve been mentally prepared for weeks that this season, and the Vanderbilt careers of Riley LaChance and Jeff Roberson, might well be ending tonight in the first game of the SEC Tournament.

Since an 11-3 start to the season, Georgia has gone 5-11 and lost three of its last four to end the regular season. The Bulldogs do have the AP SEC Player of the Year in Yante Maten, but the fact that they’re the 12 seed in the tournament in spite of Maten should tell you quite a bit about the talent around him. There’s also a real possibility that if the Commodores win, Mark Fox will be patrolling the sidelines for the last time at Georgia. Vanderbilt handled the Bulldogs pretty easily at Memorial Gym back on February 7 in the teams’ only meeting of the regular season, an 81-66 win in which Vanderbilt led from start to finish.

So, can we maybe extend this season by one more day, guys?