Vandy, SEC Contender

Is Vandy a legitimate conference contender?

Dan Blank, The Sporting News

Friday, Jan. 29, 2010 - 1:26 p.m. ET

The popular thought coming into the season was that the SEC was going to be two-team race with Kentucky as the favorite yet it was hard to count out a veteran Tennessee team led by Tyler Smith with Bruce Pearl poised to continue his role as John Calipari's foil.

But one team that was lingering in "others receiving votes" territory in the preseason is emerging as a threat to the top teams in the SEC.

Vanderbilt has already knocked off one of the presumptive favorites, and gets a chance to take down the conference top dog Saturday.

The Commodores defeated Tennessee in Knoxville on Wednesday; for an encore they'll try to take down No. 1 in-name-only Kentucky in Lexington. Can the Commodores find a way to bring down the nation's top team? More important, can Vandy actually transform their strong starts into strong finishes and contend for its respective conference crown?

How they got here.

The Commodores' offense has been humming during their 10-game winning streak as they've topped 80 points eight times. They've done it with balance as well, with their top three scorers separated by less than half-a-point in their season average, though Jermaine Beal stole the spotlight with his 25-point outburst against Tennessee.

Their preseason was nothing special – solid wins against Missouri and at Saint Mary's are overshadowed to losses against Illinois and Western Kentucky – but Vandy has turned it on in SEC play. The 'Dores have already handled East rivals Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee, but the surprise has been where they've done most of their damage. Memorial Gym is a notoriously tough place to play, but Vandy's already won three league road games, including at Columbia (just ask Kentucky if that's an easy place to win) and Knoxville.

How they can keep it going.

This might sound too simple, but Vandy just needs to keep playing the fundamental, consistent, team-oriented ball it's been playing for the last month-plus. The SEC is better than last year, but it's still not very strong, especially at the bottom. After Saturday, the Commodores will have already played the two toughest games on the schedule, and aside from trips to Oxford and Ginseville, all the difficult tests will come at home. Even when Vanderbilt has been mediocre, it's been able to defend its home court – as long as that trend continues, the Commodores will remain in contention.

How they can win Saturday.

Vanderbilt faces the unenviable task of having to walk into Lexington to face an angry Kentucky team coming off its first loss. But this can work into the Commodores' favor if they can get off to a quick start. Most of the Wildcats' lineup hasn't experienced losing, and if Vandy can hit them in the mouth early it'll take the crowd of the game and keep the young Kentucky team off balance. If the Cats can get the Rupp crowd into the game from the start, Vanderbilt doesn't have the talent to keep up. Even with a loss, Vanderbilt would still be tied with Kentucky atop the East standings. A win, though, and the 'Dores would be two games clear of the field with the aforementioned schedule awaiting them.