Sign up or login to track your favorite teams

Sign Up for Bleacher Report

As a registered user you can subscribe to your favorite teams, post comments, write your own articles, and much more.

You must register in order for that functionality to work!







Validating sign up form ...

Bleacher Report articles are written by fans like you

Do you want to cover your favorite sports, teams, and leagues?

Processing writing preferences ...

Great, , you're signed up!

i.e. Big 10, LeBron James, USC Football

Selected Tags:

Logging in ...

The Vanderbilt Commodores ruled the world for a night. May we all give propers where propers are due. They deserve a pat on the back, a very complimentary article churned out by a local AP journalist and a good jump in the RPI...

Calm Down, Commodores: Vanderbilt's Upset Isn't Worth the Hype

by Andrew Perkins (Scribe)

15

1,848 reads

Sports

February 27, 2008


The Vanderbilt Commodores ruled the world for a night.  May we all give propers where propers are due.  They deserve a pat on the back, a very complimentary article churned out by a local AP journalist and a good jump in the RPI.

But do they really deserve the "Wow!  They're a force to be reckoned with!" treatment?

With a 17-0 home court record going into the game, was anyone surprised that the Commodores won? 

Not me. 

Here is the problem: Is last night's Vanderbilt team a different team than the one that lost to Florida and Mississippi by an average of 19 points?  Does a seven game winning streak with a cherry-on-top win over Tennessee warrant an uproar?  It's all up for debate.

Let's break it down...

Vandy played true road games twice in non-conference play.  They beat DePaul by six in overtime and Toledo by seven.  Impressed?

They've also played six conference road games.  In those games, they have a record of 2-4.  The four losses have come by an average of 16 points.  The two wins?  An eight-pointer at Georgia and a one-point surviving at South Carolina.  Impressed?

The Commodores' schedule also lacks an away date against Mississippi State and a home date with Arkansas.  Although, judging by the way Vandy plays at home, the Razorbacks probably wouldn't win.  Let's be honest though: They'd give Vandy a tougher game than Memorial Gym victims LSU and Georgia.

But would the Commodores beat the Bulldogs in Starkville?  If you can't answer that question, then you might not want to get too excited about Vandy's win against Tennessee.

When it comes down to games away from Nashville, Vandy hasn't shown they can throw down with good teams.  They may be able to win one or two in the SEC tournament.  They may be able to win one or two in the Big Dance.  They are a good team.  They've got a great 1-2 punch with Shan Foster and A.J. Ogilvy.  But are they ready for and deserving of a spot in the national spotlight? 

My jury is still out until Saturday, when Vandy heads to Fayeteville.  If they capture their first road win against a team with a record on the positive side of .500, then we'll take this conversation from there.

Track this Article on My B/R
Flag This Article
Share This Article

15 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Tim Pollock about 1 year ago

    I have to agree.

    Vandy's extremely strange court set-up is the biggest home-court advantage in the nation, which probably helps explain their home game success.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  2. Ben Allaire about 1 year ago

    I think this coupled with the fact that Tennessee was overrated at #1 (great win at Memphis, certainly, but not the best team in the nation), takes a little bit of the shine off of the win.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  3. John Rozen about 1 year ago

    yeah, you also wrote vandy's win against uk wasn't worth the hype... Either your not objective or you don't give hard workers any credit... Yes they need to win on the road but they do not win at home just because of their court.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  4. Ryan Kolodziejczak about 1 year ago

    this goes to the basic understanding of underestimation
    team goes in to another stadium, ones far superior to the other...other blows the better down
    just ask michigan [app state anyone?]
    they paid the price for underestimating an opponent

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • John Rozen about 1 year ago

      Yeah Ryan... UT is far superior to Vandy, NOT! They're just separated by six spots in the RPI rankings (1 and 7) and by 13 and 17 in polls. Do not compare that to a D-II, D-I upset please.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  5. Safa about 1 year ago

    they were NOT underestimating Vandy. did you hear coach's comments after the game. he was looking ahead to a tough game. credit where it's due. vandy won a good game. are they a championship team? probably not. but they're good.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Ryan Kolodziejczak about 1 year ago

      i guess technically they didnt, but im not sayin vandys good im just sayin ut underestimated or didnt concentrate on them, otherwise it wouldve been a W

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  6. Michael Whittenberg about 1 year ago

    I agree, Vanderbilt was #14 and a good team. I can see if they lost to LSU or Alabama because they're terrible.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  7. Andrew Kneeland about 1 year ago

    I agree with Andrew. This upset is not worth all the hype that it is getting at ESPN, and other places. It just goes to show that this upcoming NCAA Tournament is going to be great because it is so deep. Can't wait!

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  8. Timothy Croley about 1 year ago

    We'll see how good Vandy is as they finish out their last three games and how they make it through the SEC tournament. Right now they are playing better than any SEC team (which may not be saying a lot for the level of competition this year in the SEC). They are not great, but they do keep winning.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  9. Ari Kramer about 1 year ago

    The fact is that Vandy will not be able to get past the sweet 16 if they have to play on the road. Right now they are probably set to be a 3 seed in the tourney, which means they'll have a relatively easy first round game. However, according to the bracketology on ESPN, there are some tough teams near the bottom of the field. As the competition gets better on the road, Vandy gets weaker.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  10. Luke Skywalker about 1 year ago

    Perkins, let me get this straight. The last 4 number 1 teams that have come to Vanderbilt have lost. I'ts got to be the floor. It's so funny how Stallings can coach on this floor but other coaches are prevented from coaching their team in this arrangment. Every coach in the SEC knows they are going to have to come to this gym but they can't figure out how to coach their team from the endline. So they rant and rave and get technical fouls because they are frustrated. What they are doing is using this as an excuse and it becomes easier for them to blame the floor than blame their poor preperation. The Georgia coach went as far as calling this arrangment "illegal". He may want to worry more about his knife toating players that get arrested. Bottom line is that the home team advantage is real in the SEC. It's really to win a road game in the SEC, maybe harder than in any other conference in the country.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  11. Elroy McDaniel about 1 year ago

    Tim, funny how no one ever says anything about Vandy's home court when they stink. It's only when they are good that people complain about it. See the connection?

    Also, most people fail to realize how loud the gym gets and how passionate the fans are about the team.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  12. Anonymous about 1 year ago

    You seem to forget that last year everone saw the Georgtown player travel with 2 seconds on the boardand with the no-call, it kept Vandy out of the final 8! Or beating Washington St on a west coast site. Or maybe when Vandy lost at Rupp, it was double overtime and Tennessee was beaten there too.If you want an answer to your hypotheses, then compare efficiencies between halfs With and going away from the coaching box-there is no difference!

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  13. Andrew Perkins about 1 year ago

    Everybody seems to forget that I'm not talking about last year or years past... All I want to see is a Vandy W on a good team's court. That's all.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

Leave a Comment

  • You must register to post a comment.

    • Want to write for Bleacher Report

    We are a community of fans who write about sports. And we're growing.

    Learn More and Sign Up »

    Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Getty Images.
    Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Getty Images is strictly prohibited.