Vanderbilt men head to Tuscaloosa—home of NCAA football champion Alabama—to face the Crimson Tide in SEC road opener.
Coming off a weekend in which Vanderbilt (12-3, 1-0) was able to chomp the Florida Gators 95-87 in their SEC opener, the men hope to keep up their momentum as conference play continues at Alabama, where the Crimson Tide (11-4, 1-0) is riding high after a dominant 66-49 win over LSU. Such a test is an embraced challenge for the Commodores, who put together a six-game winning streak over winter break that included their marquee victory over rival UF.
“It raises the confidence level of everyone,” coach Kevin Stallings said after the Florida win. “When your marquee guys start to play big, it gets everyone going. Our big guys were getting loose, and I think [we] were playing with confidence offensively.”
One of those marquee guys stepping up is junior center A.J. Ogilvy, who put together one of his finest performances as a Commodore against the Gators. Ogilvy led the team with 24 points and chipped in with eight rebounds, a good sign for the 6’10” big man who had previously been hampered this season by injuries and consequent inconsistency.
“I went out there with a more aggressive mentality,” Ogilvy said. “My foot is feeling great, and I think we’re a lot more successful, and they were able to get me the ball and putting it inside worked for us.”
Establishing themselves in the paint has been a major key to Vanderbilt’s recent hot stretch, with Ogilvy and company giving sharpshooting guard John Jenkins more room to work on the perimeter. The freshman, who has averaged 15 points per game during the current winning streak, has made the most of his recent chances.
The impact of his rapid development is not lost on his teammates.
“I’m not surprised with John anymore,” said senior guard Jermaine Beal. “He’s proven himself to this team and to our fans.”
In order for the Commodores to continue to prove themselves in the SEC, however, they first will have to deal with Alabama’s ferocious one-two scoring punch. Sophomore forward JaMychal Green and senior guard Mikhail Torrance combine to average just over 30 points per contest, with Green dominating on the block and Torrance lighting it up from outside.
Vanderbilt is all too familiar with this dynamic duo; after all, Torrance poured in 20 points for the Crimson Tide in Alabama’s victory over the Commodores in last season’s SEC tournament.
“Right now we’re a team that is trying to figure ourselves out,” said first-year Alabama head coach Anthony Grant in an interview with Rolltide.com at the start of SEC play. “I think with every game we learn a little bit more about what it takes to be successful.”
Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST tonight, with the radio broadcast on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville.
