Heavy Underdogs, the Commodores Shouldn't Be Overlooked in SEC Tournament

Three wins on the season in conference play isn't all that impressive, but if you are the team that has to face the Vanderbilt Commodores on Wednesday in the opening round of the SEC Tournament, they have your attention.

Nashville, Tn.- The Vanderbilt Commodores all but ended the NCAA Tournament hopes of both Alabama and South Carolina in back-to-back games this week and will look to provide more upsets starting Wednesday night when they open play in the SEC basketball tournament here at Bridgestone Arena.  

While the coming opponent won't be determined until the end of all conference games on Saturday, the league must now take notice of the Commodores as a team capable of upending their seasons next week. 

The Commodore's three wins all came against conference teams with overall winning records (LSU 20-10, Alabama 16-14, and South Carolina 18-13 with two coming at home and one on the road.   

Undermanned and usually facing more talented teams, the Commodores scared the life out of regular-season conference champs Kentucky both in Nashville and Lexington and almost upended Tennessee in Knoxville with a late rally along the way late in this season. 

South Carolina head coach Frank Marin was asked about Vanderbilt and their head coach Jerry Stackhouse following his team's loss to the Commodores on Saturday and shared his thoughts on the team that likely ended his team's NCAA tournament hopes. 

While the chances of the Commodores winning the SEC Tournament are slim, no one would be surprised now if they were to win the opening round and possibly even a second-round game on Thursday, but it also would not be a surprise to see them bounced out on the first day either. 

Such has been the story for this team this season, an up and down one that has shown the lowest of lows and the highest of highs during this 18-game conference run. 

Martin and Carolina along with head coach Nate Oats and Alabama know the pain of losing to Vanderbilt, and by next Sunday they will likely feel it all over again if their names aren't called during the tournament selection show.    

The question is, will there be more conference teams that join them on the list of team's Vanderbilt knocked out of NCAA contention this season? 

We'll find out starting Wednesday when the 2020 SEC Tournament- or the Big Blue Invitational- begins across town.