No, Vanderbilt still does not have even close to a good enough resume to make the NCAA Tournament. Not yet, anyway.
But the way the Commodores ended the season has them optimistic heading into the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Tampa this Thursday.
Vanderbilt never trailed in a 75-58 win over Arkansas for their third victory in a row Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gym. The Commodores (19-11, 8-8) got back to .500 in conference play for the first time since being 1-1 after beating Georgia back on Jan. 14. They defeated the Razorbacks for the first time in six tries and also won their first regular season finale ever under coach Kevin Stallings, who had lost his previous nine.
Freshman forward Jeff Taylor led five players in double figures with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists as the Commodores won seven of their last 10 games to overcome a 1-5 start to SEC play.
"I think it says a lot about our team's character to come back like that," Taylor said of finishing the SEC season at 8-8.
Freshman guard Brad Tinsley had 15 points, while sophomore center A.J. Ogilvy had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Redshirt freshman center Festus Ezeli gave Vanderbilt some quality and emotional minutes, scoring 10 points and blocking three shots, and at one point thumping his chest after drawing a foul during a move to the basket.
Vanderbilt outrebounded Arkansas 49-31, a huge contrast to last year's loss to the Razorbacks in the SEC Tournament where Arkansas dominated the glass.
"Lance (Goulbourne), A.J. and I went hard for offensive boards," Taylor said. "People fly in there, tip balls, and I think we won that battle today."
With the victory, Vanderbilt finished 5-1 against SEC West teams this season, winning five in a row after losing to Mississippi State in January. The Commodores went just 3-7 against East foes.
The conference tournament marks a chance for Vanderbilt to play its way into the Big Dance, but the Commodores have a lot of work to do.
Tinsley feels the team is peaking at the best possible time.
"We are playing our best basketball right now and I think that will be great for us coming into the tournament," he said.
Stallings has noted a toughness in his team that hasn't lessened, not even when Vanderbilt was mired at 1-5 and 5-8 in conference play.
"They feel good about where they're at," Stallings said. "I like where we're at. Our guys have stayed together, fought hard, and played well. There hasn't been an ounce of them that's given up."
The Commodores exhibited that fight in a rough game with a team that had given them fits for nearly four years.
Although the Commodores never fell behind, Arkansas stayed close for much of the game. They trailed by four at the half and were down just 51-47 with 11 minutes to play before Vanderbilt's defense stiffened. The Razorbacks were held scoreless for over six minutes while Vanderbilt surged ahead by 11 points and kept the margin safe from there. Arkansas shot just 29.4 percent from the field for the game and 18.8 percent (6 for 32) in the second half. They also went just 10-14 at the free throw line, compared to Vanderbilt's 22-30 showing.
"We've done a good job of getting to the foul line all season long," Stallings said. "If we do that in Tampa, it will enhance our opportunity to win."
Tampa's St. Pete Times Forum is the site of Vanderbilt's last postseason appearance, a forgettable 83-62 loss to 13th-seeded Siena in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in which the 4th-seeded Commodores never sniffed the lead. Is March Madness on Stallings' mind?
"I don't have an opinion on that," Stallings said. "The best case is that we're way on the outside looking in. I don't have any way of knowing."
The way Vanderbilt's been playing lately, he might know soon enough.
