Vanderbilt basketball just took down Tennessee in the SEC Tournament. Here's how it did it.
Vanderbilt basketball hadn’t won against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament since that year, but here it is celebrating a win over the Volunteers. The Commodores are moving onto Saturday in the SEC Tournament.
Vanderbilt’s players knew that they’d been considered little brother in this series for a significant amount of time, but those days are gone. This Vanderbilt team can say they’re the best college basketball team in Tennessee as a result of winning Friday’s game and taking the season series from the Volunteers. The parity is real in the rivalry, as proven by the 12 lead changes on Friday, but it’s Vanderbilt who gets to declare itself as the victor.That looked like the Duke Miles that everyone around here knows is in there. That was better than anyone around here has seen, too. Miles put together his best game since returning from injury late last month against Tennessee, and the best game of his Vanderbilt career. That changed the dynamic of Saturday’s game. Miles was patient, explosive, crafty and had stretches of Saturday’s game in which he was the best player on the floor. Vanderbilt is still good without Miles at his best, but this group is significantly more dynamic with him at his best than it is without him operating at a high level. Miles will seemingly always be in double figures, but it’s a matter of efficiency these days. Miles had that as he started the game 9-for-9 from the field and looked like an artist performing when he put the ball on the floor. When it was all said and done, Miles went for 30 points on 11-for-14 shooting from the field, 4-for-5 shooting from 3-point range and was Vanderbilt’s leading scorer on Saturday.The way this thing was played favored Tennessee more than the previous two matchups It was pretty clear early on that this was going to be a game played to Tennessee’s liking, and Vanderbilt was going to have to fall in line and embrace it. The scoring droughts and long stretches with a few field goals in a row missed kept this thing tight, and low scoring nearly the entire way. It was a margins game, unlike the up-tempo ones that Vanderbilt generally wants to play. Tennessee also outrebounded Vanderbilt 46-to-34 on Saturday and flexed its muscles by grabbing 23 offensive rebounds for 24 second-chance points.Here’s the difference in the game; Vanderbilt and Tennessee both got to the free throw line 26 times on Friday.That’s how a series like this swings Vanderbilt’s way, even in a game that had fingerprints of a classic Tennessee performance all over it. Vanderbilt found a way because of what it did at the line.Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.Video of Diego Pavia Partying With ‘F--- Indiana’ Sign Going Viral After Heisman Loss
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Vanderbilt Basketball’s Most Likely Path to a SEC Tournament Championship: The AnchorYour daily briefing on what’s going on with Vanderbilt Athletics.
Read more »
Tennessee's Nate Ament Receives Injury Update Ahead of Auburn Clash in SEC TournamentThe Volunteers' star freshman is questionable ahead of their clash with Auburn.
Read more »
Auburn vs Tennessee Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today's SEC Tournament GameThese Auburn vs. Tennessee predictions lean into the Tigers' best player on Thursday, March 12.
Read more »
Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt prediction: SEC Tournament odds, pick, best bet FridayA pair of star-studded top-25 SEC teams tip off Friday afternoon in the tournament quarterfinals.
Read more »
Live Blog: No. 4 Seed Vanderbilt Basketball vs. No. 5 Seed Tennessee, SEC TournamentVanderbilt and Tennessee meet for a third time this season for the right to go to the semifinal Saturday.
Read more »
Tennessee vs Vanderbilt Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today's SEC Tournament GameThese Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt predictions expect another barn-burner from these Volunteer State rivals, a second within a week.
Read more »