It was a long shot to get into the Big Dance, but that doesn't make Thursday night's loss to Alabama any less disappointing for the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Vanderbilt's hopes for a late-season surge into the NCAA Tournament were dashed as the Commodores fell 82-75 to the Crimson Tide in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
The National Invitational Tournament, better known as the NIT, is Vanderbilt's likely postseason destination now.
That the Commodores (19-12, 8-9) were even in the conversation for the Big Dance was a huge turnaround for a team that began conference play 1-5 and were 5-8 as recently as late February after a loss to last-place Georgia.
Three straight wins, including a road win over regular season champion and nationally ranked LSU sandwiched between double-digit home victories over South Carolina and Arkansas, seemed to buoy the Commodores. A tournament title was still probably the only way Vanderbilt could have made the field of 65, although a strong performance with three wins may have done it.
Not that it matters after Vanderbilt was brushed aside by Alabama (18-13, 8-9), with the Tide taking a six-point halftime lead and never letting the Commodores get closer than that in the second half despite a late barrage of Vanderbilt 3-pointers. Quite simply, the Commodores didn't play with the urgency necessary given the circumstances. They needed to win this game but never even held a lead.
Sophomore center A.J. Ogilvy, whose offensive resurgence had mirrored his team's during Vanderbilt's winning streak, was a complete nonfactor on that side of the ball, scoring just eight points.
Vanderbilt also was soundly beaten in the first five minutes of each half; in the first, the Commodores missed their first eight shots and trailed 10-2 early. In the second, they didn't score a field goal until over six minutes had past. By then they trailed double digits and played a futile game of catch-up for the remainder of the contest.
It was porous defense by the Commodores that did them in, as Alabama got consistent dribble penetration and got around and by Vanderbilt players for numerous baskets in the paint. Give the Tide credit for being unflappable down the stretch too; Alabama went 12-12 at the free throw line in the final minute of play to stave off the Commodores' desperation comeback attempt.
On the other hand, freshmen Brad Tinsley and Jeff Taylor both played terrific games, leading the team with 20 and 17 points, respectively. Tinsley knocked down five 3-pointers, while Taylor did an outstanding job of getting to the rim and finishing around the basket, something he had struggled with recently.
There's still a goal for Vanderbilt to accomplish this year: 20 wins. The Commodores still have a chance to attain this after finishing the regular season strongly. And should they get a high-enough seed in the NIT, they could be hosting a game or two in the friendly confines of Memorial Gym.
As for the NCAA Tournament, Vanderbilt will be going through a one-year hiatus. With all the talent on this team, I would expect the Commodores will be dancing again in 2010. Until then, Vanderbilt has a chance to still end the 08-09 campaign on a positive note with a strong postseason run.
