Feb. 20, 2017
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
On campus in Nashville – Vanderbilt is arguably playing its best basketball right now – so good, in fact, that the Commodores remain a potential NCAA tournament team.
Following its 71-62 win over No. 21 South Carolina on Saturday, Vanderbilt now boasts four top-50 wins and nine top-100 victories. All four top-50 victories – at Arkansas, at Florida, vs. Iowa State and vs. South Carolina – have come in the last month. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt has suffered just one loss to a team outside the top 100: its 72-52 setback at Missouri on Feb. 11.
Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew said his program’s credentials speak for themselves.
[Our résumé] is really good,” Drew said following Saturday’s win over the Gamecocks. “We still have a lot of really good teams [to play] the rest of the year. We have opportunities still ahead of us to get a streak and win.”
Along with its SEC schedule, Vanderbilt nonconference slate is likely to feature up to eight NCAA tournament teams. Marquette, Belmont, Butler, Minnesota and Dayton are among the quality opponents who make up the Commodores’ non-SEC schedule, which ranks No. 1 nationally.
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt’s overall strength of schedule ranks third in college basketball alongside an RPI of 49. The ‘Dores’ average opponent RPI (84) is tops among SEC teams.
“We know we have a really good strength of schedule,” guard Riley LaChance said. “We know we needed to get this one [South Carolina] to at least have a little bit of a chance. So, we’re clawing our way back into the conversation.”
A strong finish would surely boost the Commodores’ tournament credentials. The ‘Dores venture to Tennessee (RPI rank 50) on Wednesday before hosting Mississippi State (126), traveling to No. 11 Kentucky (9) and closing the regular season against No. 13 Florida (10) at Memorial Gym. Vanderbilt would then have a chance to pad its résumé at the SEC Tournament in Nashville.
“We know obviously it’s an uphill challenge,” Drew said. “But we’re improving as a team, we’re playing better as a team. Hopefully we can continue that through this final stretch.”
Vanderbilt’s road matchup with Tennessee tips off on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.