How Vanderbilt Basketball Performed Defensively Against Western Kentucky

Vanderbilt came away with a win over Western Kentucky to start Feast Week.

Devin McGlockton (99) blocks a shot. | Battle 4 Atlantis Photo Gallery

Vanderbilt basketball looked human for the first time this season on Wednesday as it escaped the quarterfinal round of the Battle 4 Atlantis against Western Kentucky, winning 83-78.

The Commodores scored the lowest amount of points it has scored in a game all season and had trouble closing out the game on both ends of the floor as Western Kentucky took a 17-point deficit down to three points. One of the storylines coming out of the game was Vanderbilt’s defensive performance against the Hilltoppers.

The Commodores had a mixed bag of results defensively, showing plenty of promise in the win but also showing some things that need to be cleaned up going forward.

Starting with the positive, Vanderbilt’s defense did a terrific job of forcing turnovers. The Commodores forced nine turnovers in the first half, which was Western Kentucky’s season average for a game. In the second half, Vanderbilt was able to force eight more turnovers and continued to apply pressure throughout the game.

Frankie Collins was one of the defensive stars in the game. Collins came off the bench with eight points, six rebounds and nine assists, but where Collins was most productive was his ability to take the ball away from Western Kentucky. Collins finished the game with six steals with a couple of them being down the stretch of the game and prevented Western Kentucky from completing what would have been a big game 

Another positive thing coming out of this game is how Vanderbilt was able to win a game that is competitive. Despite Western Kentucky’s comeback efforts, it was Vanderbilt who did get takeaways and force Western Kentucky to its worst game shooting the ball as the Hilltoppers shot 37 percent from the field. Two guys were the bulk of Western Kentucky’s offense. Western Kentucky guard Cam Haffner scored 18 points off 6-for-14 shooting and guard Teagan Moore put up 24 points on 6-for-12 from the floor. The rest of Western Kentucky’s team shot just 30 percent in the game.

“We got a chance to experience a game where you got to make stops. You got to make plays on offense. You got to take care of the ball. Sometimes when you get a game is 30 or 40 points, it's hard to be able to see how they're going to handle those situations. And I thought in a lot of those situations we did well,” Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington said.

The flip side of getting to experience a tight game is the fact that Vanderbilt was unable to close the game out earlier than it should have. Whether it was missed free throws offensively or the Commodore defense not getting the key stop earlier in the second half, Vanderbilt left the door open for a Western Kentucky comeback.

Vanderbilt had trouble throughout the game playing without fouling and playing into the hands of Western Kentucky’s offense at times. Western Kentucky was able to shoot 33 free throws in the game off 22 Vanderbilt fouls in the game. When Western Kentucky drove it into the paint, there were often fouls called on Vanderbilt.

Perhaps the most surprising thing in the game was the fact that Vanderbilt was outrebounded by Western Kentucky, losing the battle on the glass 42-37. Something to keep in mind is that Vanderbilt came out with the win despite playing a game where it felt like it left more to be desired. In an early season tournament like this, there will be games like today where Vanderbilt is challenged. Wednesday, the Commodores survived and that is all that matters at the end of the day.

“You go to play these games, and it's game, game, game and you'll leave knowing so much. This is just step one. Step two gets tougher, and I'll be sitting here tomorrow and know even more about our team,” Byington said.