It hasn’t been an outstanding season so far for the Vanderbilt men’s basketball team.
But if you’re a Commodores fan looking for a reason to be optimistic, Vandy (5-8) prepares for Saturday’s Southeastern Conference home opener against Alabama (8-5). As we move forward, there are some positives to be found.
Vanderbilt has lost four of its last five games, but the team has had two of its better performances this season.
On Dec. 23, the visiting Dores led No. 23 Memphis for much of the game, but fell just short, 77-75, in an upset.
A week later, Vandy dominated an inferior Dartmouth team, defeating the visiting Mean Green 69-53. In that game, the Dores held their Ivy League opponents to 37.7 percent from the field (22.7 percent from 3-point range) and forced 13 turnovers, their fewest points of the season.
“We were just flying around.” [defensively]” Vanderbilt guard Tyrin Lawrence told reporters. “As a season, [has gone] So, we’ve become more connected and our conversations have deepened in that regard.Please consider that it starts with [teammate Ezra Manjon] He’s just flying around and providing energy and I think other players will follow suit. ”
Also, in these last two contests, Mudgeon and Lawrence looked to be shaping up as one of the best returning guard tandems in the conference. Manjon totaled 45 points and nine assists in the game, while Lawrence totaled 34 points and 14 rebounds.
Lawrence, who missed Vanderbilt’s first four games with a foot injury, appears to be getting more comfortable after some up and down play earlier this season.
“I think he’s starting to get to 100 percent right now,” Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse said of Lawrence, who is averaging 13.1 points per game. “He’s engaged and he feels good. It’s a foot injury, dude. It’s hard to say what exactly, but he missed the game. Tyrin’s not the kind of player to miss a game. That forced us out of the loop early on.”
The Commodores have been plagued by injuries in non-conference play, but there could be more health news ahead of the Alabama tournament.
Sophomore forward Ben-Allen Rubin, who played just nine minutes against Memphis and missed the game against Dartmouth with a groin injury, is expected to return Saturday. The 6-8, 230-pound Rubin, a transfer from Notre Dame, would be a strong addition to the frontcourt if available. He is averaging 10.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1 block in seven games.
“Even if he didn’t finish, [Memphis] He was a big part of starting the game,” Stackhouse said. “What he gives this whole group a lot of confidence in is his skill set, what he can do in the post, his ability to space the floor, and as we saw in that game with those two blocks…the little rim. I think it’s because of the protection.
“We don’t have another player like that on our roster. I’m not saying that’s entirely his fault. Being able to get hit and having great verticality to stop penetration. It’s still possible. But it’s good to have a player who can block shots and erase mistakes, and I think he will provide that.”
One player unlikely to be sidelined is freshman guard Isaiah West, a Goodpasture Christian High School graduate, who is suffering a foot injury and is expected to miss another one to three weeks.