Courtstorming is alive and well in Nashville this week. The Vanderbilt Commodores are the reason why. Two gigantic upsets left fans unable to stay in their seats.
The Commodores came into this week looking to stop a one-loss Tennessee team at home. Vanderbilt came to play and led at halftime 41-35. The sixth-ranked Volunteers certainly knew they were in for a fight.
It seemed that Vanderbilt threw the better punches. The Commodores, at one point, led by 16 before Tennessee stormed back and fell short 65-64. Junior guard Jason Edwards led the charge for the Commodores in this one, finishing with a team-high 18 points.
Coming off the high of beating number six Tennessee, Vanderbilt had to regroup and go on the road to face Alabama. The Crimson Tide can score, and they showed that against Vanderbilt by putting up 103 points and winning 103-87. The Commodore faithful knew their team was a contender even after that tough loss.
They showed up in bunches to the home of the Commodores, Memorial Gymnasium, to see Vanderbilt take on Kentucky. The ninth-ranked Wildcats would be another battle they would have to win. They played the first half like they weren’t scared of the Wildcats. Vanderbilt lead at half 41-27. Kentucky had much to think about in the locker room against this giant killer.
Well, Kentucky certainly listened to whatever their coach said at halftime. They started the 2nd half on a 9-0 run and only trailed 41-38. From that point on, it was a back-and-forth battle. The Wildcats would take the lead, and Vanderbilt would steal it right back. Ultimately, it came down to some big shots by guard Tyler Nickel and forward Devin McGlockton for Vanderbilt to pull out the win 74-69. As the buzzer sounded, fans once again flooded the floor.
Vanderbilt had a fantastic week and is having an unbelievable season. They are 15-4 overall with a 4-3 record in conference play. The Commodores have to enjoy what they have done so far but not take it for granted. On February 4th, they will take on the fifth-ranked Florida Gators. That game will be in Gainesville, so that that environment won’t be so kind to them.
Exactly a week to the day after that game, they play number one Auburn, luckily it is at home. That game starts a stretch of five straight games against ranked conference opponents and will be a test of will for the Commodores.
They have surprised a lot of people this year so far. Last season, they finished with a record of 9-23 and went 4-14 in conference play. It is truly a shocking turnaround for the Commodores, but it’s good to see the SEC getting stronger. Vanderbilt would love to pick up a few more ranked wins before this season ends and feel good going into March.
They seem like a team that will be overlooked when March rolls around and the brackets start to come out. There are so many other teams in the SEC that people think of first, like Auburn, Alabama, Florida, and others. Vanderbilt is a team to watch as the season rolls along.
Fans of Vanderbilt certainly don’t doubt their team. The Commodores have shown up to play in big games and won them. They have what it takes to succeed in an incredibly tough conference. We’ll see if the court in Memorial Gymnasium can handle any more storming because the Commodores are bound to do it again even if they get fined.
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