Vanderbilt Commodores Basketball - Articles - Zimbio

South Carolina Gamecocks-Vanderbilt Commodores Pointers

Wed, 4 Sep 2008 13:07:00 GMT

posted by marltonnj

The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Vanderbilt Commodores will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at Vanderbilt Stadium. Oddsmakers currently have the Gamecocks listed as 10-point favorites versus the Commodores, while the game's total is sitting at 41. Team records:
South Carolina: 1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS
Vanderbilt: 1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS South Carolina most recently:
When playing in September are 7-3
When playing on grass are 4-6
After outgaining opponent are 5-5
When playing within the conference are 3-7

Vanderbilt most recently:
When playing in September are 6-4
When playing on grass are 4-6
After outgaining opponent are 2-8
When playing within the conference are 2-8 A few trends to consider:
South Carolina is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Vanderbilt
South Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Vanderbilt
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of South Carolina's last 5 games on the road
South Carolina is 9-2-1 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Vanderbilt's last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Vanderbilt's last 12 games
Vanderbilt is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Vanderbilt is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games at home Next up:
South Carolina home to Georgia, Saturday, September 13
Vanderbilt home to Rice, Saturday, September 13

OffshoreInsiders.com

Commodores in the NFL Draft and a Little Baseball

Sat, 27 Apr 2008 20:15:00 GMT

posted by ryands1

Wow.

I really am pretty shocked and I'm not sure why, it's just weird that three former Vanderbilt Commodores were selected in this year's NFL Draft. It really wasn't surprising to see Chris Williams go to the Bears at 14, but I'm pretty impressed Earl went in the 3rd round (70th overall) to the Bears as well, and the biggest shocker Jonathon Goff was taken in the 5th round (165th overall) by the World Champion NY Giants. I mean, when has that ever happened? Apparently the Bears organization has been impressed enough with former Vandy LB Hunter Hillenmeyer that they spent two of their first three picks on former Commodores. Awesome. As Vandy football fans we're always talking about "turning that corner" and getting the program up into the ranks of respectable SEC teams, but personally, I really see this as a clear indicator that the talent level in the program increasing. I see this as cause for celebration and excitement about next fall!

In other news, The baseball team is hosting the Kentucky Wildkitties for a three game series this weekend. The 'Dores took Friday's game 3-2 in dramatic fashion as Pedro's RBI double in the bottom of the eigth drove in Alex Feinberg, scoring the game winning run in front of a season high 2542 fans at Hawkins Field.

The Wildkitties evened the series yesterday winning 6-2, roughing up starter Caleb Cotham.

Today's game recently resumed after a two-hour rain delay. More on that later.

As Always,

Go 'Dores!

So it's been a while...

Mon, 8 Apr 2008 22:07:00 GMT

posted by ryands1

I apologize for the lack of posting over the last 5 days or so. I was swamped at the end of last week and I was out of pocket for the weekend. Let's get down to it.

Yes folks, it might be time to get concerned about the Commodore pitching staff after last weekend's nightmare in Oxford. In case you missed it, the 'Dores dropped all three games, two of which in blowout fashion, against Ole Miss this past weekend. While many anticipated the story of the weekend series would be the return of Vanderbilt's All-American third baseman Pedro Alvarez, it was the abysmal Commodore pitching that stole the headlines. Rain pushed Friday's scheduled start, setting up a double header on Saturday. The first game pitted Vanderbilt's Mike Minor (3-2) against Lance Lynn (4-0) in what turned out to be rocky starts for both pitchers. Vanderbilt batters blasted Lynn for 6 runs on 8 hits in 4 innings. Minor absorbed the loss after giving up 7 runs (6 earned) on 9 hits in 6.2 innings of work. Rebels' reliever Scott Bittle proved to be the difference maker after replacing Lynn. Bittle pitched 5 innings of shutout ball, striking out 9 and allowing only 3 walks and 1 hit. With the 'Dores holding a 6-4 lead in the sixth, the Rebels rallied to score 3 runs in the bottom half of the frame. Neither team would score again as Ole Miss held on to win the game 7-6.

The second game proved to be worse for the Commodores as they lost 8-0. They were blanked by Rebel pitchers Drew Pomeranz (2-1) and Justin Cryer (2-3) who gave up just 6 hits. Commodore starter Caleb Cotham (4-2) gave up 4 earned runs, 5 total, on five hits in 5 innings of work. Cotham also walked 3 and struck out 5. Giving up 8 runs and scoring none sounds like a losing plan to me.

The 'Dores fared no better on Sunday as the Rebels continued their hot hitting en route to an 11-6 shellacking of Vandy. Brett Jacobson (1-3) gave up six runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings with two strikeouts and two walks in the loss. Vanderbilt did manage to break its streak of 16 straight scoreless innings against the Rebels, which dated back to Saturday's first game when Dominic de la Osa hit an RBI double in the 5th to close the gap to 3-1. The 'Dores failed to capitalize further, as Parker Hanks and Shea Robin struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Even with the return of Pedro, who jacked a two-run homer on Sunday, the 'Dores still struggled mightily on offense, as they went 16 consecutive innings without scoring a run. To add insult to injury, the Commodore pitching was even worse, giving up 26 runs in three games.

Suddenly, the Commodores find themselves in last place, and 3.5 games behind front runner Georgia, in a surprisingly competitive Eastern Division. Thus far, the older members of the pitching staff, namely Jacobson and Nick Christiani have not shown an ability to step up and lead this team, as indicated by their ERAs, which are 7.92 and 4.39 respectively. Also, I think it's fantastic that Pedro is back, but the team cannot rely on his offensive production alone to win games. In years past when Vanderbilt has experienced success, it has been a combination of power pitching complemented with offensive firepower. We cannot outscore our opponents night in and night out.

Finally, Senior second baseman Alex Feinberg took a 90-m.p.h. fastball to the face during the first game on Saturday. Feinberg suffered a broken jaw, which required surgery that was performed on Sunday. Feinberg released the following statement on Monday:

"I sincerely want to thank everyone who has supported me since my injury on Saturday. The cards I have received really mean a lot to me, and I just want everyone to know that I am doing well and should be back in action soon."

Fortunately, after all the doom and gloom surrounding this weekend, the 'Dores take on Western Kentucky this afternoon at 6, and then travel to Starkville, MS to take on Mississippi State (14-17, 3-9) this weekend. The 'Dores should be able to get back on track against Western and then take at least 2 of 3 from the Bulldogs this weekend.

Oh, by the way, due congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks for taking home the hardware last night by topping Memphis 78-65 in OT. Rock Chalk?!

As Always,
Go 'Dores

Back in Action

Wed, 6 Mar 2008 23:13:00 GMT

posted by ryands1

In case you were wondering I just spent the last 5ish days in Panama City, FL with two of my good friends and fellow Vandy students. While I had a fantastic time laying around, eating as unhealthily as possible, and fishing, I'm glad to be home. That being said, I won't recount my Spring Break festivities in excruciating detail (as much as I'd like to). I will however, take significant events in Vanderbilt athletics that occurred while I was vacationing in The Redneck Riviera and attempt to recall what I was doing at that point in time:

Saturday
Vanderbilt at Arkansas
We got in to Panama City in the early afternoon and I was able to catch the tail end of the game. I really wasn't surprised to see Vandy lose this game. I didn't get to see a lot of the game, but I get the sense from what I read that there was an "emotional hangover" from Tuesday's game. Also, let's not forget that Arkansas is a team fully capable of knocking off anyone at home. (Bud Walton Arena- 20,000 Fans: 4 Last Names). This win means a lot more to an Arkansas team still trying to stamp their ticket to the Big Dance than it does to Vanderbilt who's more or less waiting for tournament play to start.

Summary: Vandy loses a game they probably should have won. I'm still at the beach and quickly find other activities to occupy my time. Ross Neltner pulls a Chris Webber and calls a phantom timeout. While I don't hold it against Ross, and I don't think it cost us the game, it's things like that can be the difference in March.

Wednesday
Mississippi State at Vanderbilt
Unfortunately, I was unable to watch this game as it was not broadcast locally in Panama City. This is understandable as the Florida panhandle has not historically been a bastion of support for either Miss. State or Vanderbilt. Adding insult to injury, the Raycom game we got was Florida hosting Tennessee. Not only do I miss Shan Foster's last game at Memorial, but I'm stuck watching two teams I wish would both go wander into oncoming traffic: fantastic. So I find myself watching Florida blow a 16 point lead at home (this is because Florida is horrible) and then watching UT trying to throw the game away once they seemingly wrapped it up (this is because UT doesn't know how to play with a lead).
As I'm watching Nick Calathes (the NEW new Matt Walsh, otherwise known as the NEW Joakim Noah) and Jordan Howell (one of UT's alleged point guards) compete for the coveted position of "Whitest Guy in the SEC" I have my brother texting me updates from the Vandy game. They went something like this:
Maff: Shan just got a sick dunk!
Maff: Not playin great, down three with a couple left in the first half
Maff: Shan got an oop from beal to tie it at the half!
Maff: Shan has hit five straight threes, still down two with four minutes left
Maff: Everyone else is ice cold
Maff: Seriously. Shan hit seven straight threes to send it into ot. He has 34.
Maff: They won!
Maff: Shan had 42 friggin points! Unbelieveable!
Maff: Dude seriuosly, hit a three at the buzzer to win it too. At least 8 threes in the second half.

Summary: I think it's safe to say that Shan is going to win the SEC POY and is playing his best basketball at the right time of year. Unfortunately, from my mother's recollection (she was at the game with my brother) everyone else was "terrible" and "I felt bad for Ross (Neltner) he had like 2 free throws and 4 fouls and a bunch of bad passes".

After a much needed break from school I'm back and better than ever. Big game in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. Vandy really needs to get whatever kinks worked out in this game before the SEC tourney. I'll take a look ahead to that game tomorrow.

SPRING BREAK!
Go 'Dores!

Shan and Co. tame the Tigers

Wed, 13 Mar 2008 21:52:00 GMT

posted by ryands1

Shan Foster, Alan Metcalfe, Ross Neltner, and Alex Gordon finally got their first win as a class in Atlanta as Vanderbilt defeated Auburn 93-82 this afternoon in opening round play of the SEC Tournament at The Georgia Dome. This long overdue accomplishment was overshadowed by All-SEC freshman A.J. Ogilvy who scored a career-high 27 points on 12 of 13 shooting from the field. Shan was 6 of 9 from three point land, and notched 26 as the 'Dores went coast to coast on an Auburn team that more times than not looked outmanned and outplayed. Walk-ons Jamie Graham and Joe Duffy both scored, as Graham saw 5 minutes of action. Vanderbilt shot 33-49(67%) from the field, and was a George Drake missed drunk away from setting a new SEC Tournament record for field goal percentage. Kentucky currently holds the record at 68.3%, set against Alabama in 1979, as the kitties won that game 101-100.

Vanderbilt will take on The Arkansas Razorbacks tomorrow at 2:15 CT on Raycom Sports. The 'Dores lost the regular season match up in Fayetteville, 78-73. That loss came on the heels of Vandy knocking off then #1 Tennessee and snapped a 7-game winning steak for the 'Dores. Memorable moments from that March 1st game include Shan passing my childhood hero Matt Freije as Vanderbilt's all-time leading scorer as he scored 22, and Ross Neltner calling a time out as Jermaine Beal's free-throws with 7.3 seconds on the clock pulled the 'Dores to within one. Unfortunately Vanderbilt had already used their full compliment of time outs and the team was assessed a technical foul, allowing Arkansas to hold on for the win. (Oddly enough, Ross had played a solid game before that mental breakdown, recording 14 points, 6 rebounds, and two assists.)

While Auburn's painful lack of a big man allowed A.J to run wild this afternoon, he will face a much tougher Arkansas front line. A.J. played well against Arkansas in his first go round scoring 20 points and grabbing 6 boards. Jermaine Beal and Alex Gordon were virtual no-shows in that game, as Jermaine scored 5 points on 1-9 shooting, and Red put up the big goose egg as he went 0-7 from the field. Both guards did record 7 assists apiece however. Bench play was also an issue as Vandy substitutes accounted for a meager 12 points.

Vandy looked good today, I'm not going to take anything away from them. However, if their level of play does not improve after every game they will get beat. This is a team that thrives on confidence. This win was huge in that respect, as it hopefully shook the team out of whatever funk they were in closing out the regular season. Teams that win tournaments get stronger as the tournament goes on, and that is precisely what must happen if the 'Dores want to cut down the nets in Atlanta on Sunday.

Great win today, and hopefully a better one tomorrow.

Go 'Dores!