The Hustler Sports 30 on VandyRadio: Men’s basketball drops another heartbreaker to Kentucky, baseball’s season opener
The Hustler Sports 30 returns to debrief another heartbreaking loss for men’s basketball and preview Vanderbilt baseball’s weekend series with Wright State.
Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 21 points in Vanderbilt’s loss to Kentucky on Wednesday. (Hustler Multimedia/Truman McDaniel).
February 18, 2021
On this week’s episode of the Hustler Sports 30, Justin Hershey, Alyssa Muir and Betsy Goodfriend are joined by Bryce Smith to discuss Vanderbilt men’s basketball’s recent loss to Kentucky. The crew dives into yet another heartbreaking loss to the Wildcats, citing first half inefficiencies as the driver of defeat. They also look ahead to the Commodores’ upcoming matchup with eighth-ranked Alabama.
Then, they preview Vanderbilt baseball’s opening series with Wright State this weekend. Although Friday’s game has already been postponed due to inclement weather, the weekend set is still on with Kumar Rocker expected to take the mound on Saturday for Vanderbilt.
2:33 – Vanderbilt was outscored by 12 points in the first half on Wednesday against Kentucky. What dug the Commodores such a big hole in the opening frame?
8:54 – What changed for Vanderbilt in the second half and when did the Commodores begin taking control of the game?
13:52 – With just a handful of games remaining, how do you evaluate this group’s 2020-21 season?
21:00 – Previewing Alabama: keys to hanging with eighth-ranked Alabama?
27:44 – Transitioning to the diamond, considering the inexperience of this year’s team, how important is the non-conference schedule?
32:36 – What to look out for this weekend against Wright State.

Justin Hershey ('22) is the Lead Sports Analyst for the Vanderbilt Hustler. He has been on staff since freshman year, formerly serving as a Staff Writer and Deputy Sports Editor. He is majoring in Human and Organizational Development with minors in Business and Economics. In addition to writing, he serves as a co-host on VU Sports Wired, a Vanderbilt sports talk show, and The Hustler Sports 30, a Vanderbilt sports podcast on VandyRadio.
If he is not watching Commodore sports, you may find Justin...

Bryce Smith ('23) is a Staff Writer for the Vanderbilt Hustler. He joined the staff in the first semester of his freshman year as a sports writer. He is majoring in Human and Organizational Development in Peabody College, with a minor in business. Bryce previously wrote for SBNation before joining the Hustler staff. Hailing from Chicago, Bryce is a die-hard Bears and Cubs fan, who is also hoping that the Bulls and Blackhawks may one day rekindle their dominance. He can be reached at [email protected]
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Alyssa Muir ('21) is a Deputy Sports Editor for the Vanderbilt Hustler. She has been on the staff since her freshman year. Alyssa is majoring in Economics with minors in Business and Sociology. When she has free time, she can usually be found binge-watching Grey's Anatomy or rooting on her hometown teams, the Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Lightning.
For tips and comments, feel free to reach out to:
[email protected]

Betsy Goodfriend ('21) is a deputy sports editor for the Vanderbilt Hustler. She is majoring in Human and Organizational Development with a minor in Business. In her free time, she enjoys online shopping, creating to-do lists, and watching football even if she has no interest in either team playing. She can be reached at [email protected]