Equal Time

I criticize Vanderbilt pretty much as often as possible. I will not repeat these comments here, but it's safe to say that I don't feel that they're the 17th best team in the country.

However, they are 25-6. They did beat Tennessee, and they are 10th in RPI. So, in the interest of equal time, I thought I'd post the comment that Jarred from The Sports VU left on my most recent Bracketology post. Although not exactly a neutral party, he clearly knows more about this team than I do, and it's always fun to hear from the other side. So:

"Big fan of the blog, but you guys will regret hating on Vandy. They may be an awful road team, but I expect them to excel on a neutral site coming tourney time and here's why:

1) Experience: Remember that these guys were a Jeff Green travel away from advancing to the Elite Eight a year ago. Three starters (Shan Foster, Alex Gordon and Ross Neltner) and three bench players return from that squad so don't expect nerves to be a factor like it is for other teams.

2) Shan Foster: Have you guys seen him play? He is flat-out ridiculous. The SEC Player of the Year dropped 42 on Miss. State and with his size (6'6) and release (ball above his head) and range, he can get his shot off from pretty much any where on the floor.

3) The Thunder from Down Under: Freshman center A.J. Ogilvy gives the Commodores the post presence they've been missing. While not too athletic, he's very skilled, uses his body well and does a great job getting to the foul line. If Vandy doesn't shoot well from outside, it still has a chance to win with Ogilvy.
Note: Disregard this point if Ogilvy plays like a bitch and picks up two stupid fouls in the first 30 seconds.

4) Solid guard play: Good tourney teams usually have strong guards and Vandy has just that. Point guard Jermaine Beal leads the SEC in assist to turnover ratio and Alex Gordon is a solid (albeit streaky) shooter. And I hear that Foster kid is pretty good too.

5) Coaching: Kevin Stallings is one of the most underrated coaches in the country. He's a great motivator and will undoubtedly have his team prepared to play come next Thursday or Friday.
What do you guys think?"

Well, I think it's unlikely that Foster hits nine consecutive 3s again, like he did in their one point overtime win over Mississippi St. And I still want to know how they lost to Alabama. And it continues to be true that they don't have a non-Memorial win over a top 70 team, in RPI or Pomeroy. And...