by Paul Jordan
GAME 21 – JANUARY 30, 2010
4PM – RUPP ARENA – LEXINGTON, KY
# 23 VANDERBILT COMMODORES (16-3) (5-0)
TV – ESPN
KENTUCKY LEADS SERIES 131-43
RECENT MEETINGS:
2/17/2009: VANDERBILT 77 KENTUCKY 64
01/10/2009: KENTUCKY 70 VANDERBILT 60
2/12/2008: VANDERBILT 93 KENTUCKY 52
1/12/2008: KENTUCKY 79 VANDERBILT 73
2/25/2007: VANDERBILT 67 KENTUCKY 65
1/20/2007: VANDERBILT 72 KENTUCKY 67
In the span of about a week, the Vanderbilt Commodores seem to have displaced the Wildcats as the darlings of the SEC and have become the trendy pic to win the SEC East. This new designation appeared to be validated by the Commodores knocking off Tennessee in Knoxville 85-76 the other night. The Commodores come into Saturday’s game at Rupp the winners of 10 straight games. Something has to give as UK has not lost at Rupp this season and I would not expect the Cats to be that impressed with Vandy’s perfect SEC record.
THE STARTERS
G – JERMAINE BEAL – SR 6’3 205
13.7 ppg, 2.6 rebs, 3.2 assists
G – BRAD TINSLEY – SO 6’3 210
7.1 ppg, 2.7 reb, 3.1 assists
G/F – JEFFERY TAYLOR – SO 6’7 210
14.1 ppg, 5.3 reb, 1.8 assists
F – ANDRE WALKER – SO 6’7 220
6.3 ppg, 5.5 reb, 2.6 assists
C – A.J OGILVY – JR 6’11 250
13.8 ppg, 6.1 reb, 0.9 assists
Jermaine Beal is not as flashy as fellow SEC point guards John Wall and Devan Downey, nor does he get the attention, but he may be just as good. He sports an impressive 2.14 A/TO ratio and can score as evidenced by his 25 points versus Tennessee. He is pretty accurate from the field at 45% from the field and 35.8 from 3-pointers. He is a terrific defensive player as well. Tinsley averages about as many assists a game as Beal, but has a lower A/TO ratio and shooting percentage. He has just scored in double digits just 5 games this season. Freshman John Jenkins is dangerous off the bench, averaging 10.8 points a game and hitting 48.9% of his 3-pointers. Jenkins was widely considered as the best pure shooter in the 2009 class and about 70% of his shot attempts are treys. Lance Goulbourne is a 6’8 G/F from Brooklyn that only averages about 12 minutes a game but is a good 3-point shooter for his size.
Jeffrey Taylor is a big G/F who is pretty solid defensively and has discovered his emerging offensive game this year. Most of his baskets come from short range and he has almost stopped shooting the 3-pointer all together this season. He is a good offensive rebounder and has a very solid offensive game and is shooting 54.5% from the field. He can present some matchup problems as he has good quickness. Andre Walker has emerged as a pretty solid rebounder and a very effective scorer when he shoots, but most of his shots are putbacks of missed shots. He has the tendency to block shots in bunches as he has games with 4 and 3 blocks. A.J. Ogilvy spent some time in Kevin Stallings doghouse earlier this year but is rounding back into his usual consistenet self. The biggest asset that Ogilvy brings is that he demands attention in the post which opens up the outside shooters. He is already ready to play against UK with averages of around 17 points and 8 boards a game. Backup center Festus Ezeli has one of the ugliest statlines in basketball. He has just one assist versus 19 turnovers. Ezeli is a good shotblocker averaging almost 2 blocks a game in just 13 minutes average.
OUTLOOK
The Commodores present an interesting challenge for UK in that they have the size and players to keep Cousins and Patterson occupied in the post but have the shooters to give UK fits from outside (49.8) FG and 3-pointers (37.2). The Commodores also present a special challenge offensively as they average 6 steals and 6 blocks a game. The Commodores will throw plenty of zones at UK and are the one team that can present problems man to man.
That said, UK still has the upper hand if they can turn this into a running game and even though the Commodores are solid throughout their lineup, UK has more talent overall. I like that the Cats are getting a challenge at Rupp right after their loss, and UK has usually responded with their backs to the wall. Look for Patterson to be especially active and he could be the difference in an 84-78 UK win.
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