Is it time to hit the panic button?

The Commodores are now 2-3 in the Southeastern Conference, with their two victories coming at home against mediocre teams in South Carolina and LSU and three losses coming on the road against SEC East opponents.

Their two best players - Shan Foster and A.J. Ogilvy - combined for three points in the first half and have looked nothing like SEC Player and Freshman of the Year candidates.

Despite having a week to prepare and knowing full well the importance of
Sunday's game, they came out flat and never recovered. They missed wide-open lay-ups, clanked free throws, turned the ball over, failed to get back on defense and were slow to every loose ball.

The post-game comments say it all.

Coach Kevin Stallings said, "We were not as emotionally ready to play as they were. They were faster to the ball and were the quicker and more aggressive team. That is a sure recipe for defeat on the road. We were outplayed and outcoached."

Foster said, "We didn't fight back. I was like `Wow.' I couldn't believe it. I really couldn't believe it."

Alex Gordon said, "We turned the ball over and missed lay-ups. We didn't fight for that period. We cut it down to 15 but we just didn't fight."

The reason we have grown to love this team over the past two seasons is because of its ability to fight and scratch and claw for every victory, which is why it is so discouraging to read those comments.

Don't be fooled by the 15-0 start. The Commodores are not talented enough to coast in this league and win - plain and simple. They don't defend or rebound particularly well, they are not very deep, Ogilvy has been exposed against older, stronger, more athletic big men and teams have been able to make Foster a non-factor.

That's not to say Vanderbilt isn't a tournament-caliber team that has a chance to make a run deep into March. On paper, it is just as good, if not better, than last season's Sweet 16 squad.

But, that team had something special about it - something that's hard to truly define. This team is still searching for its identity.

The Commodores need to start playing with a sense of urgency, the kind that seniors Derrick Byars, Dan Cage and Ted Skuchas played with every single night. The three of them treated every game like it was their last, and the rest of the team did the same.

They felt like they were the best team in the country and feared no one. They went on the road with a swag, expecting to win, as opposed to playing not to lose.

That's why Stallings said repeatedly last season that the reason for the team's success was that his seniors were playing the best basketball of their careers. The same cannot be said for Foster, Gordon, Alan Metcalfe and Ross Neltner.

So, is it time to hit the panic button?

I'm going to wait one more game. I'd say that the defining moment comes Wednesday night at Ole Miss. How the Commodores fare against the Rebels will say a lot about their character and the direction of the season.

What do you think? Feel free to leave your comments below.