Three Observations From Vanderbilt's Win Over Buffalo
Jerry Stackhouse and his Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team won for the sixth time on the season on Tuesday night. With those wins already recorded, this years team needs just three more victories to equal all of last season when they won just nine games all season.
Of course the schedule will grow tougher as the season progresses, but already there are marked improvements in this team. How mich they have actually improved remains to be seen and will be determined during conference play where the Commodores will be looking to win their first SEC contest since the 2017-18 season.
Still there are encouraging signs right now and as with any sport, we can only take them one at a time.
Here are our three observations from the win over Buffalo.
THREE OBSERVATIONS
1) Scoring 90 Or More Seems To Be A Good Spot: This Commodoressquad has surpassed the 90 point plateau four times this season in eight game, winning three of the four.
Obviosuly scoring points is the key to the game, but this team seems to be able to score the basketball and play within the offensive structure Stackhouse is teaching.
The loss to Tulsa, where the Commodores managed just 58 points is the low total so far and the only game where they have been held below 70 points.
2) Guards Are Producing: Guard play is a key, and with Saben Lee returning and the addition of Scottie Pippen Jr. to the rotation, the Commodores guards are producing results. Add Maxwell Evans to the mis, who has scored in double figures in three consecutive games and you are getting great production from those two positions, and that's with Lee coming off the bench.
3) Clevon Brown Improving: A four star prospect from San Antonio, Texas, Brown has added some muscle to his frame and with the help of Stackhouse, who played his position at the highest level, things are starting to come together for the 6'8" senior.
Vanderbilt will need this trend to continue for Brown with the conference scedule approaching, because he is their only legitimate inside scoring threat at the moment.
