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Basketball season is on its way, and as I’ve said before, I’m thrilled that Vanderbilt isn’t considered Top 25 material in the preseason, because I much prefer "surprising", to "meeting expectations", or, perhaps, "disappointing."

For Vanderbilt fans, high hopes are a catch-22: As expectations rise, so too does a deep-seeded cynicism. I, for one, have gotten uncomfortable hyping individual players on my blog , which, for the record, serves no purpose but that of hyping players.

But that taste, the sickly sweetness of high expectations, may just be the nasty molasses that is Vanderbilt football. I had high hopes for that team this year, and my heart has been dashed, again and again, against the cold linoleum floor of the SEC basement.

But Commodore basketball is not necessarily plagued by the same demons. To consider Vanderbilt basketball history, my hopes have never been higher than they were Matt Frieje’s senior year, and he most certainly did not disappoint, nor did anticipated seniors Derrick Byars and Shan Foster. But I digress.

If you’re looking for reasons to get interested in Vanderbilt basketball, let me give you a few story lines to follow.

1. A.J. Ogilvy: He’s good. Is he good?

Ogilvy is a preseason first-team all-SEC player, according to the coaches' poll . As a freshman, the Man Down Under made quite a racket in the preseason, before calming down a bit against SEC foes. Ogilvy nonetheless finished strong, averaging 17 points and seven rebounds a game, and gaining a smidgen of NCAA tournament experience.

In his sophomore season, despite averaging 15 points and seven rebounds per game, Ogilvy proved to have a weakness[es]. To the untrained eye, Ogilvy was wildly inconsistent, blowing up against LSU (10 rebounds, 33 points), Alabama (12 rebounds, 20 points), and South Carolina (five rebounds, 28 points) while getting completely shut down against Tennessee (seven points), Florida (four points), and, um, South Carolina (three points). 

As it turns out, his inconsistency was due to Vanderbilt’s two-dimensional offense, which lacked the perimeter threat to give Ogilvy room to work.

Ogilvy was double-teamed in the aforementioned games against the Vols, Gators, and Gamecocks, and left with only one defender in his big games. With the whole offense improved, and the addition of John Jenkins, he could have plenty of room this year. Will he be a beast of consistency?

2. John Jenkins: Can he live up to the hype?

Vanderbilt’s freshman class is arguably the most hotly anticipated class in Vanderbilt history, and it only has one person. As a high school senior, John Jenkins led the nation in scoring with 42.3 points a game, never scoring below 30. If he’s half as good as we all think he is, he’ll turn heads, win games, and be a real threat to Kevin Stallings’ formidable powers of retention.

3. Jeffery Taylor: Can he live up to the oxymoronic “‘underrated’ hype”?

I have made much of Jeffery Taylor’s remarkable athleticism. His weakness, though, is in his intensity. Taylor may provide the five most memorable moments of a game, but he stays very quiet between those moments. His highlight reels are unbelievable, his statistics rarely top “quite good." 

Be this an issue of attitude or conditioning, he can certainly be more productive. Vanderbilt fans and NBA scouts alike drool over Taylor’s potential.

4. Jermaine “Dolla” Beal: Senior leadership?

Jermaine Beal is beloved especially amongst old-school Vandy fans for his steady hand. He’ll show occasional flash and intensity, but more importantly, he never falls apart and ruins a game. The guy is a pitch-perfect role player, the very pinnacle of a backcourt anchor.

It’s his senior year now, and Beal must want the spotlight , but this team needs a Russell Lakey, not a Mario Moore. Can Beal step up and play the rock-steady basketball that’s become his hallmark?

5. Who’s going to get loud?

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