Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball (20-10, 8-9 SEC) is looking to end its season on a high with a victory over Georgia (19-11, 7-10) after a disappointing home loss to Arkansas on March 4.
Vanderbilt has already locked in its ticket to the Big Dance thanks to last weekend’s win over Missouri, but Georgia’s postseason hopes rely on besting the Commodores at home before the SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs certainly have more stake in this game — they’re currently projected as one of the last four byes of the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN’s Bracketology. They also have the potential to move from a 12-seed in the SEC Tournament to a 10-seed with a win and some help. Still, every game counts in this historic season for the ‘Dores.
That being said, here are three areas for the Black and Gold to focus as they look to notch their 21st win of the regular season.
Good old-fashioned defense
A lot went poorly for the Commodores against Arkansas, but one issue was glaring: their inability to make stops. Arkansas was 50.8% from the field, and the spectators in Memorial Gymnasium were constantly forced to watch power forwards in Zvonimir Ivisic or Trevon Brazile dunk over the tallest Commodore in the paint. More than half of the Razorbacks’ points (48) were scored in the paint, compared to Vanderbilt’s 26.
We’ve also seen issues with Vanderbilt giving up runs before, and Arkansas was no different. Vanderbilt ended the half by allowing a 13-3 run from Arkansas while shooting 1-for-16 from the field. Additionally, the Razorbacks had 17 fast-break points — meaning that when they got the ball off a turnover, they made something out of it.
Silas Demary Jr. has been standout in points for the Bulldogs as of late; the sophomore was named SEC Player of the Week and a national player of the week after subsequent 20-plus point performances against Texas (26) and Florida (21), shooting a combined 57.7% from the field and 58.3% from 3-point range. Those were also his second and third 20-plus outings of the season. Asa Newell will be a problem too, as the 6’11 first-year — and projected NBA lottery pick — is averaging 15.1 points and 6.6 rebounds on the season and will be the tallest starter in this game. That, coupled with his ability to knock down shots from the perimeter, makes him a huge threat in this game.
Demary exemplifies Georgia’s efficiency on the court. To prevent another similar-looking loss, The Commodores are going to have to make sure they stop opening up lanes through the paint — they don’t want to be dunked on all over again.
Grab those boards
Once again, the Commodores were plagued by differences in size in their contest against Arkansas; 6’8 Jaylen Carey and 6’7 Devin McGlockton were protecting the paint from guys like Ivscic (7’2) and Jonas Aidoo (6’11), and though the duo has stepped up and shown out in the past, that size difference didn’t play in their favor on Tuesday.
Luckily, Georgia won’t pose as much as of a size issue, as Newell, its biggest starter, is only 6’11 compared to Ivscic’s 7’2. However, Vanderbilt really struggled on the boards, getting outrebounded 42-31. This was one of their larger differentials this season, and although they can be in a deficit and still win, the Commodores need to focus on grabbing the boards.
Georgia is coming off a win against South Carolina in which it outrebounded the Gamecocks 37-23. Demary led with eight rebounds, followed closely by fellow sophomore guard Blue Cain with seven — Cain has even reached double-digit rebounds before with 10 against LSU back on Feb. 5. The Bulldogs are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to getting rebounds, and after its struggles earlier this week Vanderbilt, will need to make its rebounding differential smaller on Saturday.
Where art thou, Edwards?
On Tuesday, one key had an off night: Jason Edwards. The junior went 0-for-12 and had only two points on the night from made free throws.
Tyler Nickel helped pick up that slack, going 5-for-8 from beyond the arc and finishing the day with 16 points. AJ Hoggard had his second double-digit game out of the last six, going for 14 points, and McGlockton also had 12 on the day. But, the fact remains: if Edwards isn’t making plays, Vanderbilt will be hard-pressed to find a win. Edwards has been held under 10 only twice this season — also vs. Mississippi State— and both were double-digit losses.
Besides Demary and Newell, the Bulldogs have reliable points scoring in Cain (9.5 points per game) and Dakota Leffew (9.7). Cain has come in clutch for Georgia recently, having hit a 3-pointer in its upset versus Florida with 47 seconds left to bring the Bulldogs back in the lead. Newell, on the other hand, is not only an offensive powerhouse, shooting 54.2% from the field, but also leads the team with his 6.6 rebounds and is second in blocks (1.0) and tied for third in steals (1.1).
The conclusion? Vanderbilt needs its leading scorer. If Edwards can lock in and fire it up for Vanderbilt’s last regular-season game, the Black and Gold will have a much better chance at snagging that ever-elusive road victory.
Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball will go on the road to Athens, Georgia, to take on the Georgia Bulldogs with tipoff scheduled for March 8 at 11 a.m. CST.
