Vanderbilt Commodores Hoping History Repeats Itself Against Volunteers

The Vanderbilt Commodores are facing their stiffest test of the season to date against the Tennessee Volunteers.

Feb 17, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Ezra Manjon (5) moves the ball against Tennessee Volunteers guard Zakai Zeigler (5) during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

The Vanderbilt Commodores did exactly what they needed to do at the start of their SEC schedule.

They won the two games they were favored in, defeating the LSU Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks. In their two losses, to the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Missouri Tigers, they were underdogs and dug themselves into too deep of a hole to climb out of.

With a 2-2 conference record and 14-3 mark overall, things are about to get a whole lot tougher for the Commodores.

On Saturday, they are hosting the Tennessee Volunteers at Memorial Gymnasium. Their in-state rivals ranked No. 6 in the country, are the first in a stretch of seven out of nine games against teams ranked in the top 10.

Looking to prove their legitimacy and move off of the NCAA Tournament, bubble, this will be the first of several opportunities to do so.

Vanderbilt will be looking to repeat history from the last time that they were able to defeat the Volunteers in Nashville.

In 2023, with Tennessee also being ranked No. 6 at the time, the Commodores picked up a huge upset victory, defeating their SEC rivals 66-65.

While the overall series has been dominated by the Volunteers, Vanderbilt has been successful when playing at home. They have a record of 54-45 when hosting Tennessee, including a 42-32 mark at their current home, Memorial Gymnasium.

What will it take for the upset to be pulled off this time around?

Vandy coach Mark Byington’s group is going to have to keep up their stellar work on the defensive side of the ball to keep things close.

The Volunteers have one of the stingiest defenses in the nation, giving up only 57.8 points per game. They are allowing their opponents to shoot only 35.9% from the field overall and 24.9% from 3-point range, which are ranked No. 2 and No. 1 in the country, respectively.

Scoring has not come easily to the Commodes during SEC play, as their high-flying offense has been stuck in neutral too often. Finding a rhythm against Tennessee will be a challenge, so they need to bring it defensively, as the Volunteers are susceptible to scoring droughts of their own.

Devin McGlockton has been a one-man wrecking crew on the glass this season, but his teammates are going to have to help him out as Vanderbilt is at a major disadvantage in the rebounding department.

The Volunteers relentlessly crash the boards, especially when they are on offense. It will be imperative for the Commodores to close out possessions by securing the rebound and not allowing their opponents to create multiple opportunities to score.