5. Big Game Bruce
Vanderbilt swept coach Bruce Pearl’s Tennessee Volunteers convincingly during the regular season, winning by nine in Knoxville and 19 at Memorial Gym. But odds are the Commodores would prefer to leave the season series with their in-state rivals right where it is. The Volunteers played their most complete game of the year in their improbable 74-65 victory over No. 2 Kentucky on Saturday and had already notched a win over then-No. 1 Kansas in January. All bets will be off if the Commodores test the voodoo of Pearl’s orange blazer a third time in a tournament setting.
4. Florida’s Backcourt
Freshman Kenny Boynton and sophomore Erving Walker are quick, streaky and too young to be nervous about postseason play. The Gators’ two guards exploded for 50 points in the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 9 in Nashville, when the Commodores were lucky enough to shoot themselves out of several early deficits on the way to a 95-87 win. On Tuesday night in Gainesville, Walker missed a three with less than 10 seconds left that would have given the Gators the lead. If Walker and Boynton come out hot on a neutral court, Vanderbilt could be in trouble.
3. Jarvis Varnado
The Southeastern Conference leader in blocks and rebounds per game, Varnado can lock down the post more completely than any other individual player in the conference when he stays out of foul trouble. In the teams’ sole regular season meeting, the senior came within one block of a triple double in Mississippi State’s 75-72 loss to the Commodores on Feb. 3. Vanderbilt could meet the Bulldogs in a Saturday semifinal, and A.J. Ogilvy, Festus Ezeli and Steve Tchiengang would have to at least limit Varnado’s impact inside.
2. The worst team in the SEC East
Whether it ends up being South Carolina or Georgia, the sixth seed out of the SEC East will pose serious matchup problems for its first-round SEC West opponent, so don’t be surprised if Vanderbilt draws a heavy underdog with a ton of momentum for its first matchup on Friday. After a 14-point loss on the road and a tight overtime victory at home, the Commodores do not need any more reminders from Travis Leslie or Trey Thompkins as to how tough of an out Georgia can be. On Saturday, Kevin Stallings’s coaching staff will get one last regular season look at the Gamecocks and electrifying senior point guard Devan Downey, who averages 22.5 points per game.
1. Big Blue Nation
It is consistently among the loudest and most unified fan bases in the conference, and this year, it doesn’t have a very long drive to the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Commodores have shown they have the athleticism and confidence to play Kentucky close, but the Wildcats’ 85-72 win at Rupp Arena on Jan. 30 showed exactly how far leaders such as Jermaine Beal and A.J. Ogilvy need to come in the way of responding to hostile fans. Vanderbilt can beat Kentucky in a potential Sunday afternoon championship game matchup, but in order to do so, the Commodores cannot let anyone but the five players in blue and white on the court dictate their tempo or decision making. Some positive reinforcement from the black- and gold-clad locals would not hurt, either.
