You would have been called crazy if you predicted a Sweet 16 match-up between Vanderbilt and Georgetown back in November when the then-No. 8 Hoyas demolished the Commodores 86-70 at Memorial Gymnasium. Yet, these two teams will meet again on Friday at 6:27 p.m. CDT in the East Regional semi-final.
The fact Georgetown (28-6) finds itself in East Rutherford, N.J., as a No. 2 seed is hardly surprising considering that it came into the season with high expectations. After an unexpected appearance in last year's Sweet 16 and with its two stars - 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert and Big East Player of the Year Jeff Green - returning, there was reason to be optimistic.
The Hoyas have lived up to the hype, winning 16 of their last 17 games, including the Big East Tournament. Hibbert shoots 67 percent from the floor while averaging nearly 13 points and seven rebounds per game, while the versatile Green has emerged as the Big East's best player.
"They're still very big, very powerful, very athletic and very sound defensively and a very difficult match up for any team in the tournament," said coach Kevin Stallings. "Their size is really overwhelming."
Vanderbilt, on the other hand, is a drastically different team than the one that lost to the Hoyas by 16 points at home in the season opener.
"We've gotten better in probably every facet. We're a smaller team, we're a more skilled team, and we're a better defensive team," Stallings said. "We're entirely different than we were the first time. We had not yet figured out a way to become good."
The Commodores became good once they went to a four-guard offense. Senior Dan Cage replaced injured Alan Metcalfe at power forward, and, though undersized for the position, he has more than held his own on the interior and has the ability to stretch defenses.
Alex Gordon also replaced freshman Jermaine Beal as the primary point guard in order to facilitate a higher-octane offense. A corollary to this switch has been that Beal has become a defensive sparkplug off the bench.
Perhaps the biggest reason that Vanderbilt is a much-improved team is Derrick Byars' emergence of as one of the nation's finest players. While some players flourish in individual aspects of the game, Byars is so multi-dimensional that it wouldn't be a stretch to say he is the reason Vanderbilt is in the Sweet 16, let alone in the tournament.
Still, Georgetown is expected to prevail in the second round on Friday. Stallings isn't buying it.
"Generally speaking, I think that the psychological advantage goes to the team that lost the first game," he said. "Any time you play a team a second time, when you win, you tend to come with the same game plan. When you lose, you tend to try to make some modifications to figure out what you can do better the second time around."
Prospects looked bleak for this team in November. But by believing in themselves and focusing on getting better each day, the Commodores turned their season around.
"If we're going to be successful, our sum has to be greater than the parts," Stallings said. "If you take our team individually, we've got some nice pieces, some nice parts. When you throw them all together you get something much greater. We're a team."
To compare Friday's Sweet 16 match-up to the game in November would reveal few similarities beyond just the namesakes.
