Vanderbilt Commodores

Despite Loss to Florida, Vanderbilt Proves It Can Compete with Top Teams

After a tough loss to Florida, Vanderbilt faces a brutal schedule. Did the Commodores show enough to give fans hope for their team’s first NCAA Tournament in seven years?
Taylor Hodges|
Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) guards Vanderbilt Commodores guard Jason Edwards (1) during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) guards Vanderbilt Commodores guard Jason Edwards (1) during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

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Vanderbilt Commodores

Vanderbilt needs to pull off some upsets if it hopes to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive and had a chance Tuesday night to do just that.

However, despite holding the lead over No. 6 Florida for most of the game, the Commodores fell 86-75 and squandered away an upset win that would’ve impressed not just the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, but also the voters for the various top 25 polls.

On one hand, the loss hurts because it drops the Commodores in the SEC standings (in a four-way tie for eighth place at 4-5 in conference games). On the other hand, Vanderbilt showed it can hang with the best teams in the nation…it just needs to work on finishing those games, which is a good problem to have (or at least a better problem than if they needed to find a way to stay in contention for a similar win).

Vanderbilt, arguably, was the better team for the first 30 minutes of Tuesday’s game. The Commodores only held a one-point lead at halftime but, despite not holding a lead larger than four points, felt like they were in control of the game.

But the Gators proved themselves to be the better team with a 17-6 run in the second half that propelled them to the win and avoid the upset. Yet, a performance like that should be enough for the Commodores to snap their seven-season streak of missing out on the NCAA Tournament.

Reality, though, dictates the Commodores will need to win game’s like the one Tuesday against No. 6 Florida. Luckily, or unluckily, they’ll have plenty of opportunities to do that.

Vanderbilt has one of the most difficult schedules in the season’s final weeks. Six of its next seven games are against ranked teams and there’s also a game against a future hall of fame coach (Arkansas and John Calipari) and a team receiving votes (Texas).

The Commodores face Texas next on Saturday and then No. 1 Auburn, No. 4 Tennessee, No. 14 Kentucky, No. 25 Ole Miss, No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 15 Missouri in consecutive games.

So, Vanderbilt will have a good argument to earn an invitation to be a part of March Madness if it can be competitive in most of those games and win one or two.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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