Basketball - Open 'Dores

Vanderbilt @ Georgia Analysis

Feb 182012

Georgia has really struggled this season. While they have a few nice wins here and there, losses to teams like South Carolina this week really make the Bulldogs look terrible. Some talented guys are surely on the roster, but there is not enough scoring or pure skill going around to make Georgia a serious threat in the conference.

Offensively, a lot of their production comes from the perimeter. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Gerald Robinson, and Dustin Ware are the only players on their team averaging above eight points per game. Caldwell-Pope will probably be the most used man of the bunch, but the point guard Robinson is the most consistent and efficient scorer on the squad. Georgia uses a lot of screens both on the ball and off it to create separation. Caldwell-Pope is the most notorious for using this technique to score, as we has a very quick jumpshot and is probably the most confident shooter. Robinson can also shoot the three, but he prefers to incorporation some driving and kicking action to get the offense going. Ware will contribute to the scoring effort as well, but his game is far from efficient. Georgia certainly has a lot more flow to their game than the Rebels had earlier this weekend, but they are far from a great scoring team as they struggle to put up more than 60 on the scoreboard. Not a lot is going in on the post for them either, as many of their big men will settle for shots outside of the paint (or just a weak move overall). And even worse for their post game is that they are the worst offensive rebounding team in the conference. Georgia is not completely terrible on offense though, as they do minimize their turnovers quite well in most games.

Georgia is not the best on defense either. We will probably see both man-to-man and a matchup 2-3 zone from them tomorrow, but the scheme is not the problem for the Bulldogs. It surprisingly is not their post defense either, which I expected to be quite weak but is actually decent. It is their perimeter defense that kills them. Georgia just cannot seem to stop sagging off shooters when the offense uses an on-ball screen. I cannot really explain it. Mark Fox should be able to teach his team to play up on the shooters, but they continued to give open looks. We will absolutely silence the crowd with our threes if they want to keep that up this weekend. Anyways, their post defense was better than expect. No where near perfect, as they can get pushed around at times, but certainly better play than one would assume from watching their big men play offense. Georgia does not do a lot in the defensive rebounding, blocking, or stealing departments though so it is hard for them to be really efficient in turning their defense into offense. When they do get a steal though, they get down court very quick. Gerald Robinson is great in full court situations and could be dangerous if our turnover issues come up again.

Gerald Robinson has been solid running the point this season. He has a wide range of tactics in his offensive game and leads his team down the stretch of games. He is very fun to watch attacking the basket with his very athletic moves to finish around the rim and can be quite dangerous when he causes the defense to collapse. And as I mentioned earlier, he is fantastic in fastbreak situations. While three-point shooting has never been his best skill, he can easily knock down an open jumper. His assist numbers are not extraordinary for a senior guard, but the numbers are a bit skewed in my mind. Robinson is far from a ball hog and can hit an open teammate quite well. And that is why he leads the league in assist percentage.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the most offensively dangerous player on the team. Really, he is one of the best in the conference at scoring when he gets hot. His jumpshot is very quick and, as was mentioned earlier, he is running at a very high confidence level for any player (especially a freshman). KCP nearly dropped twenty on us in our last matchup, and it would not be surprising to see him get in the high marks again. Georgia needs him to contribute a bulk of the scoring effort, so they will look for the freshman stud quite a lot in the game. KCP is a very solid rebounder. It will be interesting to see how our defense matches up with him a second time around.

Dustin Ware is the third scorer for the Bulldogs. He is terribly inconsistent though. Ware can score in high numbers at times, but he falls into cold streaks so easily it is hard for me not to criticize him. And, regardless of if he is hitting them or not, he is going to shoot them. As I mentioned before, this team requires so much offense from their guards so much that they have to give them shots. Ware is absolutely great at the free throw line though, so we do not want him going there to get his buckets.

Marcus Thornton has been worked into the starting rotation since coming back from an injury. He has been shooting and getting into the offense a lot more recently, but his shots have not been falling to consistently. Thornton cannot hit mid-range shots with consistency and does not get too many opportunities in the paint. He is a fair player in his own right, but Nemanja Djurisic will get a lot of opportunities playing at this spot as well.

Donte Williams is the biggest starting player for the Bulldogs. His game mostly involves moves around the basket, but he is a decent player. He gets running down the court really well and can get an easy dunk when opposing big men are not hustling. He is not a great offensive player though, and he does not grab a lot of boards for his position. Williams is also an awful free throw shooter.

Now for the bench, where Georgia actually has a few decent players. Nemanja Djurisic joins KCP as a big time playing freshman for Georgia. He is far from having a polished game, and he had a terrible performance against us earlier this season, but he has a nice offensive skill set for the time being. I have seen everything from shooting a three to putting the ball on the floor and finishing at the basket from this big man from Montenegro. And we are not talking about Steve Tchiengang or Dai-Jon Parker threes, this guy real shoots them with confidence and consistency. I hope we are ready for his game, because he could sneak up on us if we think he will play as poorly as he did last time.

Other bench players include John Florveus, Vincent Williams, Sherrard Brantley. Florveus actually likes to use some post game at times, but he often has to settle for difficult chucks over the defender. He is not seem to be very strong in the paint and his footwork is far from great, so is not a huge threat. Williams is a fair player in a lot of aspects, but is not extraordinary in any area. Brantley struggles to have any solid production at all himself.

Georgia is not a good team. While this game may be on the road, there is just not enough here to make me think we have a good chance of losing. Regardless of if we struggle to win in Athens or not, the Bulldogs just shouldn’t have to overall talent to compete with us. We would have to be way off our game and really discounting our opponent to be seriously threatened in this one. Given our recent games, I do not see that happening.\

Vanderbilt wins this one pulling away in the second half. Jeffery Taylor and John Jenkins continue their high scoring ways and should have a good day from outside. We will probably go to Festus Ezeli a lot early. Lance Goulbourne should have a nice day rebounding. I know this post was not as in-depth as usual, but I am pretty busy today folks. Hope you enjoyed it anyways.

Go ‘Dores!

Vanderbilt @ Ole Miss Analysis

Basketball No Responses »

Feb 152012

Mississippi is a real interesting team. I realize that i say that a lot I do an analysis, but it is said because I really did not know as much as I thought about our opponents before doing these type of post. It has really made this conference even more interesting, and I feel like a much more knowledgeable fan than I was before. Anyways, this really is an interesting case. The Rebels are sitting at the middle of the conference, struggling to grab a big win (especially on the road) but are probably really looking forward to this game at their home court. And that makes this game a little more threatening than before, and our guys need to be ready for the test. I feel we are pretty superior to the Rebels after doing a little analysis, but the fact remains that we are going on the road to face a hungry squad. And that is never easy. Mississippi is also one of the biggest teams (in terms of size) in the nation, which puts some added pressure on Lance Goulbourne and Festus Ezeli. I think they we can handle it though. And this is why.

Ole Miss is a mess on the offensive end of the court. Seriously, it looks as if they have no sense of offensive flow and lack any type of gameplan at all. Never have I seen a team favor so many one-on-one situations, which is even more odd considering they really have no terrific offensive threat. Silly turnovers are commonplace and the only design they show at all is a little post-up game from time to time. Other than that, they seem to rely heavily on their players’ ability to create offensively. And they lack any dependable three-point shooters as well. Against our defense, this looks pretty good for us. Terrence Henry, the best one-on-one threat for his team, will more than likely be matched up with on of the best defenders in the league. Moreover, their occasional post game should be handled by Festus pretty well. And even if things were not going that way in the paint, a little zone defense from us should cover the court quite nicely given the poor outside shooting of Mississippi. Also favorable for us is the fact that the Rebels do not do a lot of things in the fastbreak. And finally, they cannot hit free throws to save their life. I was really a lot more worried about this game before I witnessed the Ole Miss offense.

My analysis did not show great defense either. However, this is something that could have been a fluke. I just think it is unreasonable to think so lowly of both their defense and offense while they are sitting at fifth in the conference. Still, my finger tips cannot help but report the things I saw. Mississippi used a lot of both man defense and zone, neither of which were really effective on a consistent basis. Ole Miss was just losing hot shooters like Rodney Hood and Jalen Steele open time and time again. Dee Bost caused the defense to collapse many times, and he would simply kick it out to his shooters. Or they would swing the ball around against the zone until they found a shooter. I could not believe that Ole Miss was just sitting their in their 2-3 zone while facing three players who could easily hit the three-point shot. No way they try that against us, because Mississippi State exposed it time and time again, and we have three starters who can hit threes even better that the Bulldogs players. So it will be up to one of our perimeter players to collapse the defense with a little driving and kicking. I did notice that Ole Miss had some good on-ball defenders but their repeated mistakes off the ball really killed them. Also, they seemed a little slow and unaware getting down the court when Mississippi State was running. Maybe we can expose that as well. Really though, my expectations are that they play better defense that what I witnessed while analyzing. It was not really a talent issue, but dumb mistakes just kept on being repeated. They will pay if that continues when John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor come to town.

My guess is Ole Miss cleans up some of these things, along with possibly some offensive flaws, in preparation for this big home game. Otherwise, we should not have much of a problem outscoring them. Still, they are an outstanding rebounding team. I am a little less worried than I would normally be just because our big guys look good against Kentucky over the weekend, and Lance Goulbourne had such a dominant game against them last season, but it will still be a huge part of the game. If we can somehow win there, then we could really be talking about a controlling game. Now for the player breakdowns.

Terrance Henry is the star for the Rebels in a lot of ways. He has a pretty diverse scoring arsenal and has confidence in basically every shot he takes. He has had two poor games in a row (which partially explains my analysis of the offense) but it is clear that the talent is there. Remember he did score double-digit points in the five games before his cold stretch. Henry can take players off the dribble in multiple ways, both with a step back jumpshot and a finishing move at the rim. He also does not mind taking a step up three-point shot, but he really does not hit it too well. It would be in the best interest of his team to persuade him away from taking that shot, but they need the offense and I doubt anyone is telling him not to shoot it. Henry is a really big guy playing the three spot, but he should have his hands full with Jeffery Taylor anytime he is matched up with our star player. He is like Taylor in a sense though, because he is a stellar defender that is almost always asked to guard the opposing star. So we should see him going head to head with JT for most of the game, which should be fun to watch.

Murphy Holloway is another fine player for the Rebels. He has great footwork when posting-up and sometimes defenders just get lost when trying to keep up with his moves. Holloway is not really a fantastic scorer in my eyes, but he preforms well with the opportunities he has on offense. What he really excels at is rebounding, and he averages a near double-double. I know I have said this already, but they are great rebounders as a team. Hopefully our guys in the paint can control the boards, because that is really how Ole Miss wins games and stays at fifth in the conference.

Reggie Buckner is the last big man for the Rebels. He, much like his teammate above, is a great rebounder. It would be those two that are going to grab a bulk of the boards. Buckner has a decent post game as well, and showed some solid up-and-under moves against the post defense of Mississippi State. Still, he does not have the footwork of his teammate in my eyes. Buckner is also a terrible free throw shooter, which is pretty common on this team. He also allows some awful defensive positioning from time to time. It is almost as if he is not paying attention, and just allow his opposition to get in front of him without him really taking much notice until after a score. I do not know if that is a consistent problem, but I certainly saw it my analysis. Festus will be trouble for the Rebels if that keeps up. He is certainly not bad at all facets of defense though, and is a tremendous blocker and can punish an over-confident offensive player when they drive to the basket.

Nick Williams has been a big scorer of late. He has only had one single-digit game in his last eight outings and has a very wide range of techniques to get his buckets. Williams is basically the only guy willing to take multiple three-point shots for his team right now, even if he does not hit them too well. He also attempts mid-range shots, floaters, or even layups to get his points in the box scorer. He certainly has the mentality of a scorer, and we have to keep an eye on him to make sure he does not get hot. He is also a fair rebounder, and contributes to the large rebounding stats his team puts up from time to time.

Jarvis Summers runs point for Ole Miss. He is one of the few players with good court vision on the team, and he is pretty efficient when attracting defenders and then throwing the lob to one of his big teammates. He can drive to the basket himself as well, but he does not finish well enough to be a big threat there. Same goes for his shooting, as he can knock down an open jumper easily but is just not a big creator for himself. He does not mind attempting a mid-range jumper or floater though when his team needs scoring though. Summers is a decent freshman point guard, but nothing too spectacular.

Jelan Kendrick will get a lot minutes off the bench. He is not really a pure point guard by any means, but he will probably see a good amount of time running the team due to his ball handling skills. He is a decent player but he shoots way too much for his own good (or the good of the team). Moreover, he cannot shoot a three or even a free throw with any consistency. He is pretty decent on-ball defender though and is the type of player that could have a double-digit game because he shoots a lot. He is a former McDonald’s All-American and transfer from Memphis. He has a lot of skill, but just has not progressed as much as expected. Ladarius White, a freshman guard, will see some minutes too but probably not enough to make much noise. He really shoots way too much as well. And you wonder why I think their offense is so poor.

Ole Miss is a decent team that does few things pretty well. However, they are simply not complete enough to compete with us at this point in the season. We should be able to handle these guys and their unproductive offense, regardless of if they are good rebounders or not. No way I expect our guys to drop this one after playing so hard this past weekend. I think our team is now on a mission to close out the season strong. And please, my fellow fans, show some love for your team and do not be one of those haters (sorry for lack of better word) that I see in the forums. Come on, you guys are Open Dores readers. You’re better than that.

This one took way, way, way too long to write. I probably made multiple mistakes because it is late and I am tired. Hope you enjoyed it anyways.

Go ‘Dores!

Kentucky @ Vanderbilt Analysis

Basketball 2 Responses »

Feb 092012

A long-awaited matchup is finally upon us. Kentucky is coming to Nashville as No. 1 in the nation. Vanderbilt has not been quite up to par with early expectations but we all know how much talent is on this team, and if there was ever a night to come around than this Saturday is the time. UK has struggled on the road at times this season, and it is time for the Commodores to prove their game in front of a national crowd. I hope you are as excited as I am.

Anthony Davis will sweep awards like no has ever swept them before this postseason. Oh, and he is going to be signing with Charlotte Bobcats (or some other trash team) for big bucks when they draft him with the top pick this offseason. And you are better off just believing the hype if you do not believe already. Davis has a story like no else, as he was just an average-sized high school guard just a couple of years ago before one huge growth spurt sent him on a path to becoming the star he is today. I cannot describe his ability to block shots because there is not a word for it. He is simply the greatest ever in that dimension for the game. He just denies every thing his oppositions throws at him regardless of it is a hook shot, a layup, or even a three. He also has great defensive instincts, and is quick to getting the Kentucky defense back to their assignments when switches are made. Worse of all though, is the physiological affect he has on the opposing offense. And that goes for everyone he is playing, as he seems to not allow any clean shots by any player if he is on the court. Just watch some Kentucky games. It seems like everyone goes cold against them, just because their defense is so intimidating. Davis is also the leading scorer and rebounder for Kentucky. He has great communication with all his teammates (most of which are outstanding passers) and that allows for many alley-oops a game. He just dunks, and dunks, and dunks, and dunks again. He does not mind posting up either, but he prefers to stay away from any exhausting aggressive and strong moves. He prefers to use his quick feet to get a shot off quicker than the usually slow opposing big man can defend. He does bring a lot of intensity and leaping ability to rebounding though. One thing you can do to Davis is sucker him into shots further away from the basket. He cannot hit them with any consistency and if you got him to miss enough, maybe you could lower his confidence. Other than that, not much is wrong with this guy. You may get him out of position, but he is just so physically gifted that he almost always gets back in time to shut down any offense. Yet he does it with getting in foul trouble. Such a talented player.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is one of the most intense, hard-working players my eyes have ever witnessed. He plays basketball like every coach in America wants his players to play. His will to win sets this Kentucky team apart from the other freshman-heavy squads we have seen recently. He also posses outstanding rebound abilities at the three spot. Moreover, he does not waste time by handing the ball to Marquis Teague when gets his hand on the ball. He would rather get his teammates going down the court, where he has great finishing ability and even better court vision to find an open teammate or lob it up to one of many great leapers he plays with. His instincts are unheard of for a freshman. MKG has an outstanding first step when attack the basket and quickly makes the best decision for his team. And that is what Kidd-Gilchrist is all about. He wants to be the victor and he thrives on getting the loose ball no one else was even going to go after. He never stands around and his high-energy is contagious to his teammates. Kentucky fights for all those extra possessions that make them winners, so we have to be ready to battle it out this weekend. MKG has been known to chew his out teammates out when they are not doing their work. He is also doing his though. On both ends of the court, he is one heck of a player.

Marquis Teague is yet another five-star freshman for the Wildcats. He took a lot of heat earlier in the year but has cleaned up his game a lot recently. He is a good passer and can penetrate a defense quite well. He is not the best finisher, but he can cause the defense to collapse once he beats his man off the dribble, which of course leads to a kick out or the always-efficient pass to Anthony Davis. He does not have the pure takeover ability that blessed Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, or even Brandon Knight before him but he is still very gifted as a college freshman. His three-point shot is not spectacular, but he does a fair job of knocking down the deep ball if he gets open. And with this very talented Kentucky team comes their great court vision, so they are very good when it comes to finding an open man. Still, there are question marks surround this particular freshman. When things are going well in Lexington, he seems to function with very sound decisions. However, when he leaves his home court, he has been known to make some terrible mistakes. Just look at his performance in Knoxville, where he struggled to make the even simple passes in the half court. A majority of his teammates have terrific ball handling skills for their position, and that kind of hides the flaws in Teague’s game. I would look for him to be a big variable in the outcome of the game this weekend. Hopefully he continues to make those mental errors on the road.

Terrence Jones is probably the biggest offensive threat that Kentucky presents. His skills set is loaded and he has a variety of ways to attack the opposing defense. However, the fact that he is fourth on his team in points is a little ridiculous. He forces things at times and his jump shot just has not improved as much as I expected it to. He is not the factor that he should be a this point, regardless of if he had a finger injury or not. I will stick to the word I used in the first sentence of this paragraph though. Jones is a threat. He has the capability of going off any night. Something I have noticed though is that if he misses early, he seems to fall out of favor with the Kentucky offense. I do not think they like him forcing things and they like to go to the route of him finishing alley-oops and running a fastbreak than attacking off the dribble. He is the third best rebounder on his team, but that is not an insult considering he plays with Davis and MKG. He also contributes to the outstanding defense of Kentucky with his blocking ability, and he is pretty versatile on all ends of the court. I hope, hope, hope that we catch him on a cold night. When he is knocking them down, they are nearly impossible to beat.

Doron Lamb is starting next to Teague in the backcourt. Much like Jones, he is a sophomore that can light up the scoring column. Actually, he is just behind Davis as the leading scorer on the team and he has not even started every game. His three-point shot is excellent, and he loves the shot from the corner. We must clamp down on this guy, as he is going to get more shots than anyone else on the team. Kentucky loves to look for him to put the dagger in their oppositions and close the game. We cannot give them that opportunity. As with all players that lead their team in shots, he has been known to force things when he misses a few. And that is what we need. Jones and Lamb have a lot of dimensions to their scoring, unlike superstars MKG and Davis that do most of their work around the basket. I think winning will require Kentucky to get one dimensional like that.

Kentucky does not have a lot of depth but they do have some great bench players. Darius Miller plays more consistent minutes off the bench than basically any player in the league, and has one of the most interesting offensive skills set out of any player in the conference as well. Miller can hurt you both with a three-point shot and a post move. His complex game usually provides a good amount of buckets off the bench and his size can create some matchup issues (as if there were not already enough). Kyle Wiltjer is another five-star freshman but he is not held to quite the same level as Davis, MKG, and Teague. I just think it is crazy how this guy would be the highest rated prospect we have ever had but is hardly a role player for Kentucky. Wiltjer does do a lot of things pretty well, and can hit shots outside and inside. He normally provides some offense off the bench, but not too much. Eloy Vargas is a serviceable guy in the paint, who will give a breather to Anthony Davis at some point in the game. He does not too much though, but simply handles business in the post while the superstar get a quick break.

Here is how I look at things. I just think that Antony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are just going to get their stuff and we cannot really do anything about it. We need to make sure they do not get much help though. Other guys have struggled somewhat on the road this season, and we need to take advantage of that and take away other options. John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor must avoid the long arms of Davis at all cost. Give Kentucky a couple of pump fakes and then take a jump shot. Going inside will not be much of an option if Davis is on the court unless Jeffery Taylor really wants to expend all his energy somehow avoiding the guy for one possession. Not worth it if you ask me. Kentucky does not make many mistakes on defense, we have got to get them in the air (they love blocking shots) and beat them with our superior outside shooting (mid-range shots also but even that will be tough). Brad Tinsley must be a factor. He has to get in the scoring column and hold his own on defense. Actually, that goes for everyone. All of the Wildcats have a huge skill set, so we need to clamp down on everyone. We will have to give energy and effort for a full basketball game. Kentucky hustles more than anyone in the nation and we need to change our careless ways this weekend if we want to have a chance. We need emotion to win this game. Memorial needs to erupt when we get on the fastbreak and fans need to scream their lungs out if we force Calipari to take a timeout. Our guys feed off that energy. And lastly, we need Kentucky to mess up more than us. Our talent cannot beat them, we need some help from the mistakes of our opposition. It is time for some Memorial Magic folks. It is time to show yet another top-ranked team that we do not lay down when the big boys come to town.

Go ‘Dores!

LSU @ Vanderbilt Analysis

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Feb 072012

LSU was a fun team to analyze. The Tigers have a lot of new faces, and it will be interesting to see how these guys develop in future years. Trent Johnson has his team headed in the right direction, and I am looking forward to the game tomorrow.

Justin Hamilton is a very interesting player. Much like Arnett Moultrie, he is playing his first season in this conference since transferring his sophomore year and has already made a name for himself. Hamilton gets a lot more touches than most big men in the conference and has a lot of moves in his arsenal to put to use with his touches. While he strongly prefers and usually knocks down the long two-point shot, he has an underrated but very clean hook shot. His confidence is running at a high level and he has gained a lot of trust from his teammates. Hamilton is also a very talented passer and uses his good vision to hit his fellow players when opposing defenses collapse on him in the post. Also good is that he hits his free throws unlike a lot of the big guys in the this league. Hamilton really offers an interesting game and is quite talented at a lot things from shooting, rebounding, and passing. I have seen him make an error or two on defense, such as letting opposing big men establish very dangerous position, but no problems are too common. Oddly, while he can easily hit a very long two-point shot, he really does not stretch his game behind the three-point line like we saw Erik Murphy do last week. Also unlike Murphy, he rolls off of picks as opposed to popping. I am curious why his range really just stops right before the three-point line. Surely he could add a little longer shot to his already big arsenal.

Anthony Hickey caught my eye while watching some LSU games as well. He showed a variety of moves on offense, everything from driving to shooting to running the offense. I would not call his passing abilities or even court vision excellent, but he is a sufficient point guard and makes a stellar pass every now and then. Hickey is not really great with his three-point shot either, but he has confidence and hits his shots often enough to keep me from being critical of him. He shows a lot of effort and has a decent game to show for it. His freshman mistakes do show sometimes though. He tries to do too much at times and really gets caught forcing passes in the post. His on-ball defense is pretty solid though and his abilities to steal the ball are some of the best in the league. He should be a solid player in the conference for a while. Interestingly enough, he was a two-star prospect coming out of high school.

Johnny O’Bryant is another high-energy player in the starting lineup for the Tigers. Moreover, he is a freshman just like Hickey. O’Bryant was a highly regarded All-American coming out of high school though and has a lot of potential to become a great player. He gives so much effort on the court, and has played through a hand injury for a while now. He is strong around the basket, preferring more aggressive and strong post moves unlike his teammate Hamilton. O’Bryant also has some range though, and the first shot I saw him hit was a pretty long two-point bucket. He has a lot of confidence, and even attempts a three at times if he is feeling hot. I would recommend we try to sucker him into that shot though, as he has not shown to be able to hit it at all. He is a good rebounder, and has a decent offensive game when he is playing to his strengths. I really like what he brings to the team, but I would be lying if I said he had really developed his skills at this point. Give it a year and he should be a pretty good player.

Andre Stringer and Ralston Turner are the only two starters from our game last season that will be starting tomorrow. And their role this season is much of the same, as they are mostly scorers. You will probably think they take a few too many shots for their own good in the game, but you have to remember that LSU really needs them to put up something in the scoring column or else they lose big. I do not think either one of them is really a good player, but their high usage could cause them to get hot if we slack on defense. Stringer especially takes a lot of shots, and is quite unique considering his small size and the fact he plays off the ball. I would certainly attack the defense of Turner though, as he basically got joked on by a variety of guys in the games I watched. And either one of these guys could be subject to not starting, because a lot of lineups have been tried recently. My best guess is that these two start around Anthony Hickey though.

Now for the bench players. You all probably remember Storm Warren, who had a career-high night against us last season. Well he is one of the most improved players in the league this season. And while I doubt he drops twenty tomorrow, you will definitely see his impact on the game. He usually gets few dunks and maybe a few mid-range attempts a game and looks pretty comfortable all over the court. He is a very high-energy guy and plays the game like it should be played, hard and without complaining. Storm Warren has always been happy in his role, regardless of if it meant starting or coming off the bench for a freshman. I like him for that.

Chris Bass is really the next guy off the bench who gets consistent minutes. He does not score much at all, but he fills up the stat column pretty well across the board, and he will probably be asked to do a little more in this game due to depth issues. Eddie Ludwig will be another guy coming off the bench. His minutes have been quite inconsistent lately, but he did have a solid game against us in the SEC tourney last season and we will need to keep and eye on him. Malcolm White will be yet another forward coming off the bench, and he is also coming off a one-game suspension. John Issac, a reserve guard for the Tigers, will probably not be in the game due to some academic issues. I am uncertain of that through, and we probably will not know for sure until tomorrow. If he does not go, it will be interesting to see who picks up the slack.

I really feel pretty comfortable about this one to be honest. I expect the offense to flow very well. Tinsley will more than likely make a few errors against the quick hands of Anthony Hickey, but our talent really kind of tips the scale in this one. LSU is also slow getting back on defense, so expect a few highlight plays in transition for us. Jeffery Taylor should have a pretty decent game. And while our defense has gotten exposed recently, the Tigers just do not have the firepower to survive a full basketball game against us. Hamilton will probably get his buckets, but not much else really scares me. Stringer threw up miss after miss against us last season, and I would not be surprised to see that again. I hate to disrespect a much-improved LSU team like this, but facts are facts. We have not hit rock bottom enough to drop this game in Memorial. LSU has not won a road game since playing North Texas in December, and that will not change tomorrow. The Tigers have improved and actually became competitive, but that does not mean they are at our level yet.

‘Go ‘Dores

Vanderbilt @ Florida Analysis

Basketball 6 Responses »

Feb 042012

Florida is the best team we have played all season. And to make matters worst, they are a great shooting team and undefeated at home this season. So yeah folks, this game is definitely going to take a big upset to win. The Gators have a dynamic offense full of scorers that are just ready to make their mark on the game. We may need to use creative lineups with Kyle Fuller or Dai-Jon Parker to have the defense able to cover the many talented guards on the court. As for the Gator defense, their press is not too scary as they are not very aggressive with it this season. What they can do though is go after a loose ball, which means we have to limit our own mistakes. Florida is a great team and this is going to be a tough game in Gainesville.

We can start with analyzing Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton. And just because we have played them many times now, does not mean you know these two this season. Walker has actually taken a back seat this season, despite still being just as dynamic he was before. He is simply playing in a loaded backcourt, and it is actually Boynton who leads the team in scoring. Boynton has been playing smart basketball all year long, and is absolutely killing his old career-high shooting percentages with his marks this season. He is hitting a killer 44% with the deep ball, and that is coming while he is shooting nearly eight shots from three-point territory a game. Given the troubles we have had with scoring guards lately, both of these guys scare me a whole lot. They love to soot the ball off of a screen up top, and we need to be ready for that before they torch us. Also look out for Walker to distribute the ball more than we are used to, as he is having his best season passing the ball. Oh, and the funny thing about Kenny Boynton is the free throw line is the only place he cannot find his stroke at.

Bradley Beal may be the guard we need to worry about most though. He is not shooting quite as well as his teammate Boynton, but he makes his impact on the game felt through a variety of ways. Such as having as many doubles-doubles as our own Lance Goulbourne. The 6’3″ freshman is a solid rebounder and a terrific offensive player all over the court. He was a high school All-American and has abilities that surpass even some of the Kentucky freshman. And he fits right into the system as he loves to shoot off of a screen. Beal has started from day one of his college career, and should be ready for this big game at home. I am curious as to how we will go about defending these three terrific perimeter players.

Erick Murphy and Will Yeguete make up the starting frontcourt for the Gators. Although neither of them are really the best frontcourt player on the roster, they are certainly serviceable players in their own right. Erick Murphy is the guy normally setting those many screens up top we have talked about already, and loves to stand around the three point line in that area of the court as well. He has absolutely no hesitation when taking that three and has gotten very comfortable with it as well. He shoots 45% from beyond the arch, and will probably take around four shots from there today. With he and the three starting guards all capable of shooting the deep ball, this makes Florida a very tough team to defend. Will Yeguete is not offensive minded at all, but he is a very hard worker and has a tendency to get those 50-50 balls. I have seen the occasional post up by him as well, but I would not expect to see it today though with our defense. I would also not worry if he goes to the free throw line, as he is quite a bad free throw shooter.

Florida does not have a lot of bodies coming off the bench, but they are all very solid players. Mike Rosario is in his first season at Florida since transferring from Rutgers. His numbers are not quite as impressive as when he was a Scarlet Knight, but he is quite productive with his minutes. Rosario is always looking to score in a verity of ways, and he is actually quite a tough player. Scottie Wilbekin is not nearly as productive with his minutes, but he is a fair ball handler and passer and should see a decent amount of time off the bench. Patrick Young is really the guy you have to look out for. He is basically the full package with his massive build and his energy, and is an enforcer in the paint by all definitions. He is not fully healthy though, and has to take his minutes off the bench for now. Still, you have to look out for him in the frontcourt when he steps out there. All of his shots are near the basket and he leads the SEC in shooting percentage because of it. However, he is an absolutely terrible free throw shooter (it feels like we have been saying that all day).

As I said in the beginning, this one is going to be tough. We need our guys going after every loose ball there is, because we will get crushed if we just sit back like we did against Arkansas. We will also need to swing the ball around a lot, as Florida can be prone to helping a little too much on defense and giving up the open jump shot. And they also gave up a few drives against South Carolina to keep the Gamecocks in to the game, so we need to try to expose that as well. Still, nothing is going to come too easy and we will need to play smart and hustle to even have a chance in this one. We may need to throw a variety of lineups at the Gators at well, and try to turn this game into a chess match of sorts.

Go ‘Dores!

Tennessee @ Vanderbilt Analysis

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Jan 232012

Tennessee has amazed the Southeastern Conference in the early goings of league play. Cuonzo Martin has really stepped up the performance of his squad lately and that is clear after witnessing the Volunteers defeated both Florida and Connecticut. And their play against Kentucky was quite impressive too. Tennessee has come a long way since losing to Austin Peay earlier in the season, and they are sure to give us a much better game than we expected coming into the season. Jarnell Stokes, along with some improved play across the board, is the big reason for that. While their loss to Georgia was extremely unimpressive, improvement in the play of the Vols is still clear. I was interested in seeing just how much better this team is than that it was in December.

Jarnell Stokes caught my eyes really early. Not just because he was one of the best prospects in the nation, but also because his massively scary frame sticks out quite a bit on the court. He is freaking huge and already has a body ready for the professional game, even though he is basically a senior in high school (and it is really weird to think that this guy is barely older than me). Stokes, in case you do not know the story, was unable to play basketball this high school season because he transferred and apparently misread the rules on basketball in this state. So when he graduated early this December, he was not interested in sitting around. And because basically every school had their scholarships filled, he would have to become a walk-on player at the majority of universities he was interested in. Cuonzo Martin had plenty of open scholarships though, and was able to sell his program and brought Stokes in for this season. So, we will probably be dealing with this guy for a year and a half before he leaves for the NBA.

Anyways, he really is, for lack of a better word, a beast. His strength allows him to finish plays through contact and attract multiple defenders the majority of the time. He is a double-double machine and his point and rebound numbers have gone up every game he has played (along with his minutes, as he is already starting three games into his college career). Not only does he have the same kind of instinct Arnett Moultrie has to go after the boards, but his build allows him to just be a space eater in the paint. He does need to get a little more creative on the offensive end though, and learn a few more post moves before he become dominant. Also, while it is clear he is not afraid to take a mid-range jumper, he struggles to knock it down for some reason. I really think he spends a little too much time away from the basket in his time on the court. Other than that, his weaknesses that have caught my eye so far are his poor free throw shooting abilities and his tendency to give up an easy move in the post. However, this does not mean is a terrible defender all around, as he can be known to send a few shots into the stands if opposing guards want to attack the basket. Just remember though, this analysis is suspect to flaw because, after all, the guy has only played three games of college ball. And, just so you know, those rhymes were an accident.

Trae Golden is the next guy to breakdown. He has really improved this year as opposed to the last and has actually become the leading scorer for the Volunteers. Golden is playing with a very high level of confidence right now, and I have seen him hit some very difficult shots from all over the floor this season. His assist numbers are really something to marvel at as well, as he leads all point guards in the conference at that stat. He is without a doubt the most improved player in the SEC, too bad that is not an award we give out. Golden does a lot of his best work inside the perimeter, as he is really quite inconsistent with the deep ball. He could have a real solid game from outside, or he could really go overboard with the his shooting. He has shot more threes than anyone on the team, even one more than specialist Skylar McBee, but they just are not falling at an efficient rate (not due to percentage, but due to being very streaky). His other problem is turning the ball over. He tries to do so much that he mishandles the ball at times, and has some really silly turnovers. As a team, the Volunteers turn it over almost as much as we do. And that is terrible.

Cameron Tatum, who has been playing ball at Tennessee for a good 87 years now, is critical to the team due to his very high amount of playing time. He, like a few other guys, has nights were he is either on his game or off his game. Tatum has a terrible field goal percentage and really should be providing more consistency given the fact that, you know, he is an eighty-seventh year senior. His three point percentage is actually good though, and the rate at which he knocks them down is second only to Skylar McBee. His defense is solid and his contributions are seen in many areas across the board. Where he really struggles is his decision making. Much like a lot of his teammates, he makes stupid mistakes. And while I have not mentioned this yet, is should be clear that the Vols do not have good transition defense at all. Considering their turnovers, that is a huge game-changer for this team. I hope we see our guys take advantage of that.

Jeronne Maymon has been a pleasant addition to the team this season. His is, of course, a transfer player from Marquette and has become one of the most efficient players on the team this season. His field goal percentage is outstanding and his abilities around the basket are very clear to me. He is also a strong rebounder, which leads to a deadly combination when is playing with Jarnell Stokes. He is not a strong free throw shooter though, and is known to get in early foul trouble if opposing teams attack him. All in all though, he is certainly one of the more crucial players on the team. He is probably a little better than he is given credit for.

Josh Richardson is the final starter to be named, but his impact is felt more off the stat sheet. Richardson does not shoot it very well not shoot it particularly well and is not going to be the type of guy who lights us up. Still, he is a great defender and contributes greatly to the much improved defensive play of the Volunteers. He recently gained the starting job over Jordan McRae and is simply a big part of the Cuonzo Martin defensive plan.

Tennessee has four significant players on the bench right now. Jordan McRae is a former starting guard, and his minutes are dwindling but he still deserves some respect off the bench given how big of a scorer he was earlier in the season. His defense is very susceptible though, and we should attack him offensively when he gets in the game. Kenny Hall has stepped up this season but still does not have a very complete game. His field goal percentage is good because he does not step outside, but he does have nice rebounding skill and has greatly improved his free throw shooting from last season. Chances are he will not be a huge factor on the game as a whole, but his time on the court is well spent. Skylar McBee is a huge three-point specialist who I worry about the most off the bench. He is deadly from beyond the arch and nothing in the game of basketball resurrects a team like a three point shot, so we have to keep an eye on him when he steps on the court. You know what his real weapon is though? His mustache. Who wants to guard that thing? Anyways, Renaldo Woolridge is another former starter who has taken a huge hit in minutes, but still has to be mentioned. Cuonzo Martin likes to occasionally put this 6’9″ forward at the three spot when he plays tall, and Woolridge actually fits in quite well with his unique play style and ability to hit deeper shots than most guys his height.

All in all, this is a game that worries me. Mostly because of the high emotions after the weekend, and there is really no telling how it will affect our game. I think getting in the head of Cuonzo Martin will be a big factor though. It will be his first game in Memorial, and the conditions could have him making decisions he would not normally go with. Such as if we jump out to an early lead, and he decides to go with offensive firepower over the defense of his starting five. And that is how we can blow this game up. I do worry about Skylar McBee more than anything though. Not because he is just a breathtaking scorer, but more because we played idiotic perimeter defense against Mississippi State last week and I know McBee will torch us if we want to do that again. I hope Stallings chewed the guys out, and we can get back to playing the defense that started our winstreak.

We will kill them if they play anything like they did against Georgia (seriously, it was that awful). I would not expect that though. I think they will come out a little more prepared tomorrow, and the game should be close for a while unless Cuonzo just makes a foolish mistake. Festus Ezeli looked much better in our last game and I think he is ready to show his dominance again. We will need all we can get from him against the Volunteer rebounding efforts, but I do think he has the edge against their questionable post defense. He should be able to get things going early. And then when the bench backcourt comes in for Tennessee, it will be time for the Jenkins and Taylor show. And fastbreak points could be critical as well, given the fact that Tennessee turns the ball over quite often and is not the best team at getting back on defense.

Vanderbilt wins this game from balanced scoring efforts, much improved perimeter defense, and a rebirth of Memorial Magic.

Go ‘Dores!

Mississippi State @ Vanderbilt Analysis

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Jan 212012

Mississippi is an interesting team. After their win against Baylor, they looked one of the better teams in the nation. Yet here they are with an even record in conference play. And after watching their last two games, it is really crazy how quickly this team can go from great to terrible on all areas of the court. The Bulldogs have skill, which of course gives them a chance in every game, but they make so many errors that they struggle to produce at times.

Dee Bost has been the heart of this team for as long as I can remember. His confidence is unmatched on the court and is one of the most clutch players in the conference today. However, one of the big reasons he has to be so clutch at times is because he puts his team in trouble. He is so trusting in his own abilities that he throws up extremely difficult or contested shots. Bost is a good passer, but his weak court vision causes his him to miss guys at times. And when that happens, the possession normally leads to a poor shot by Bost. He struggles to manage his team at times as well, and I have noticed multiple times where everyone just seems to be standing around and not looking for openings. In fact, I would say the random stalling in the Mississippi State offense is one of the biggest reason why they lose games. Nevertheless, you have to respect the pure talent Dee Bost brings to the court. And you better put the game away before the final minutes, because this senior point guard is the perfect type to lead his team to victory. He is also dangerous defensively, and is one of the better players at stealing the ball in the conference.

Arnett Moultrie is the story of the Bulldogs though. Since transferring from UTEP, the power forward has become a star on the national level. He is, like our own John Jenkins, on the 25 Wooden Award finalist list that was released earlier this week. Moultrie dominates the boards with intensity every time he leaps. He easily averages a double-double and is the leading scorer for the Bulldogs. His offensive boards usually equal a bucket or a foul, which he can draw pretty well as he moves somewhat awkwardly on the court. So sometimes he may not have even been fouled that hard, it just looks like it because he is, for lack of a better word, a little goofy. When he is not around the basket though, his team has been known to stand around a little instead of working for the board. And that leads to some offensive putbacks for the opposing team, just watch their last game. I think that may not be too much of a problem for them tonight though, as we just don’t have the type of players that look for the putback dunk often.

Renardo Sidney is the other half of the post game for Mississippi State. He is the one player everyone loves to hate, and draws attention with his massive build, childish attitude, and surprising shooting range. I will give him credit though, he has grown up somewhat and has developed more than most of the players in the conference. The Bulldogs love to go to him in the post early, where they like to find out how his big frame works on the opposition. Usually, he does a pretty good job of backing down his opponents. However, he struggles to finish his post moves at times which makes the whole play kind of pointless. I have just seen him air ball a few too many hooks to be very threatened by his game down low. Moreover, the body of Festus Ezeli will be the strongest he has faced in a while. What I do worry about is his ability to draw fouls, simply because it is hard not for players to foul a body that big. Good thing for us though is that he really struggles at the free throw line. Sidney does have some shocking range though, and can knock down the three somewhat easily if you give him time to set his feet. And after he has been doing this for more than a year now, it really makes no sense why teams continue to give him all kinds of space. He defense is very exploitable when he goes against lean guys with shooting range, such as when he played JaMychal Green. However, his post defense has improved and his big body can be disrupting. Still, that huge frame works against him and he is known to get called for fouls when, really, he did not do too much. His biggest problem though, is just those plays where he throws in the towel and does nothing. His conditioning and attitude are still a problem, even if they have improved some.

Other starters for the Bulldogs are Rodney Hood and Brian Bryant. I would say Hood is really that next guy for the team. He plays a lot minutes, and is probably the second most productive player on the team given his touches. I think the freshman small forward is very talented, and he contributes all over the stat sheet for his team. Hood is a very balanced guy offensively, but I have seen him get beat of the dribble a few times defensively. It will be interesting to see if Jeffery Taylor can expose that weakness tonight. Brian Bryant just recently took the starting shooting guard spot from Jalen Steele. His numbers have not been breathtaking by any means, but we may see more from him as he grows into his starting role more.

No one scare me off the bench for Mississippi State. As a team, they like to play their starters a good bit of the game. Jalen Steele will get some minutes as the backup guard and Wendell Lewis will give a break to the post players. Steele may be able to do something but his production is nothing to be feared. Lewis, meanwhile, seems to lack offensive game to say the least.

Considering I think Alabama is a better team than Mississippi State, you should know I am picking the Commodores for this one. Dee Bost really struggled to get going on the road against ‘Ole Miss earlier this week and something tells me tonight could be very similar. Moultrie will probably give us trouble on the boards, but Lance Goulbourne is just not going to make that as easy as Alabama made it last Saturday. Sidney should have some offensive production early but he has been known to fall apart as the game progresses. Hood, along with Moultrie, is the real guy I worry about for a full forty minutes.

Vanderbilt controls this game with their outside shooting and defense. Mississippi State has seemed to have our number at times, but they will need a heck of game from Dee Bost to beat us at home tonight.

Go ‘Dores!

Vanderbilt Silences Alabama

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Jan 192012

With all the hype and anticipation this game brought, it seemed like the perfect scenario for the typical disappointment. However, that was not the case by any means. Actually, this is one of those games that a Kentucky or Florida fan is going to think is impressive by looking at the final score, without even knowing that the game was not anywhere near the ten-point differential shown at the bottom of the screen. Not even in the same ballpark. Vanderbilt controlled that game like no one would ever expect, even when playing a poor outside shooting team like Alabama.

It was awesome. Our basketball was smart and our defense was stellar. I spent the majority of the game actually trying to figure out how we were shutting the Crimson Tide down so well. I know they have not been playing up to their skill level recently, but they looked absolutely stunned out there on the court. Alabama is not a bad team folks, just watch some of their games. Heck, I feel like they are a better squad than Mississippi State. And that is the truth. I was so blown away by our performance that I really do not even know what to say.

I am serious too. It seems like all anyone wants to do these days is spit out some numbers from Ken Pomery and call that analysis. And while I know Pom has a good system and advanced stats are cool, they just do not tell the full story. You know, if you really watch Alabama play, you can see for yourself that they are a darn good team with their use of effective post offense and crushing defense. Nothing like the team that was seen playing Vanderbilt tonight. Or in this certain case, you can actually look at Ken Pomery and his rankings call Alabama the fourteenth team in the nation. What we just did to them on their homecourt was fantastic and unexpected, as they simply could not even function on the basketball court. It was like the Crimson Tide team that played Mississippi State over the weekend just decided to stay in Starkville. I was blown away.

We can play with anyone with performances like that one. Right now though, we just need to look ahead to our own game with Mississippi State. I will give my breakdown of the Bulldogs tomorrow, which will hopefully turn out as good as the Alabama analysis yesterday. I am not trying to toot my own horn, but I was proud of myself for being quite accurate in picking out the strengths and weaknesses of the Crimson Tide. Anyways, I will talk to you guys tomorrow.

Go ‘Dores!

Alabama Basketball Anlyasis

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Jan 182012

Alabama is much more complex than I first thought. And their game against Mississippi State was an excellent basketball game that was even closer than the four-point difference indicates. The Crimson Tide never give up and have a pretty wide range of techniques to throw at opposing teams, and it will take everything we have to top them in Tuscaloosa. I have done my research though folks, and may have spotted some keys to victory. Hope you enjoy it.

JaMychal Green is the first guy I have to breakdown. Alabama is decisive in getting him going early, and he was given control of the ball four out of the first five possessions. It is clear to me that he likes to establish his stellar offensive game along the baseline, facing up with opposing post players that usually cannot match his skill set. He is never afraid to take the long two-point shot and actually prefers to get his stroke going further away from the basketball in the early parts of the game. As his oppositions get tired is when he likes to post up, and he clearly has a great touch on hook shots from the evidence I witnessed. One of the more surprising parts of his game is his solid court vision and natural passing abilities. He finds cutting teammates with ease and is a tough player to matchup with from a defensive standpoint. As for his own defense, he is not the best. When defending against a post up player, he gets pushed around quite easily and has a bad habit of fouling. He isn’t always in great position for the defensive rebound either, which hurts his team. However, he has great instinct when it comes to blocking a driving offensive player. Which, considering the sometimes faulty defense his teammates have, patches up a lot of mistakes of the Alabama defense as a whole and naturally intimidates opposing players. Overall, he is surprisingly one of the most clam players on his team and is good at getting the game under control when the Tide get a little too fast for their own good.

Tony Mitchell is the other deadly forward for Alabama. He, much like his teammate, can stretch the court quite well for a post player and has actually taken more threes than any of his teammates. However, his a little too aggressive for his own good sometimes. My thoughts are that he gets a little panicked when controlling the ball too long and throws up tough shots. Still, his offensive outburst can really be a difference maker for Alabama if he gets going. Mitchell seems to like to play parallel to the baseline, and lacks the post up game Green can present. He does have that odd talent of being a good passer, and can find his fellow forward easily if Green establishes position in the paint. His defense overall seemed decent, although he lacked some of the explosive blocks his teammate had. Mitchell has been known to nearly foul out of games, but he generally plays a lot more minutes than the foul happy Green. And this is one of the reasons why his value is similar to that of Green, although he is not as skilled.

On the perimeter, the Crimson Tide start to look a little foolish at times. No one really hits the long ball with any consistency. All of the guards really rush if they get caught in a momentum trap, as in they do the exact same thing that everyone is told not to do. Instead of slowing the game down, they like to push the ball even harder which leads to many mistakes, especially considering that their passing is not the greatest. And that is one of those moments when they are better off giving the ball to Green and letting him work. However, they do excel in some areas. In man-to-man defense, they play as tight as any team in the conference and really know how to run as soon as opposing teams make a mistake. All of the guards are textbook in fastbreak execution and know how to finish in those scenarios. And when they drop back into zone defense, they are great at reading opposing teams and snatching passes that lead to more breaks. Trevor Releford, in particular, is a great finish and without a doubt the most threatening of the Alabama guards. Other than he, they can really struggle in halfcourt situations when Green or Mitchell are not getting the ball.

Off the bench, only two players are really going to do anything. Andrew Steele is a really tough guard of the bench who could pose some problems if we let him. Nick Jacobs is a freshman forward who actually has a decent post game put will not get many plays designed for him, and his defense can really be exposed by opposing players. I expect both to get decent bench playing time, especially if Green is in foul trouble and one of the starting guards is struggling (both of which are very possible).

Overall, Alabama has some good pieces and they are a serious threat to our winstreak. We cannot allow Green to get to the free throw line eleven times again, and we must make sure he gets his foul. Overall, our essential game plan should be to get some things going in the post, because Alabama as a team is known to foul and allow offensive rebounds. And that is why I expect Lance Goulbourne to have a pretty nice day for us. I say this because Arnett Moultrie to abuse them on the glass this past weekend, and Goulbourne has the same rebounding intensity of Moultrie (although he lacks the same offensive instinct). If Festus Ezeli could magically come back to form over this longer break then his post moves could probably destroy Green, but we cannot but all our faith into that. We need our perimeter players to take control of the ball and be ready to scare Alabama out of their deadly zone by shooting the ball. I know that sounds a little funny but if the Mississippi State game was evidence of anything, then Alabama plays a darn good zone defense that simply does not allow for post play. It took Dee Bost making some great plays from the perimeter for the Bulldogs to top Alabama, and we will need our guys to do the same.

Draft Stock: Jeffery Taylor

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Dec 302011

My full analysis of the Commodores easy handling of Marquette can wait. I want to talk about Jeffery Taylor first and foremost. He, more so than any of our three draft prospects, has increased his draft potential by a good bit this season and is finally starting to regain the trust of Vanderbilt fans. However, if you read my draft stock pieces at the end of last season, you readers should know that I have stood by Jeffery Taylor in terms of his draft stock. I have even been defending his game a lot over the past few seasons and, outside of a few straightforward criticisms early this year, have been a JT supporter. I am not patting my self on the back here folks, but I am here to make another case for one of our top players.

Now we all know Jeff has been collecting buckets much better this season, but did you know how much better? A quick look at the stats shows he is an outstanding 10% improved on his field goal percentage from last season, and sits at a stellar career-best mark of 54.2% right now. While that will go down some in conference play, it will not take as big a fall as someone might expect. Really, over the course of his four-year career, the senior forward has actually improves his field goal percentage in conference play as opposed to late non-conference play in all but one season. While it is absurd to think he can repeat that improvement due to his already high marks, it can be expect to not fall much at all and for this season to finish with a comfortable lead as the best shooting year for the career of Jeffery Taylor.

A deeper analysis shows that Jeffery Taylor was actually not as down last season as many thought. If you read my draft stock post, you are already aware. As for those who have not, here are the numbers to back that claim. While JT did shoot his worst field goal percentage of his career last season, the number is slightly skewed. Jeffery Taylor took over ten times as many three pointers his junior season as he did his sophomore season. As his range improved, the difficulty of his total shot selection did as well. Naturally, this dragged his field goal percentage down. When we look at his true field goal percentage, which takes the fact that three point shots are more valuable than two point shots, you can see that his junior season percentage was just barely one percentage point less than his sophomore season. So yes, last season was statistically a down year for Jeffery Taylor. However, a real pro scout would most certainly value the fact that JT added deep range shots to his arsenal more than a tiny little difference in his efficiency. When we take a look at this season, or even last night for that matter, it is clear that the deep shot has became an even stronger skill for the senior forward. And that is why his true field goal percentage sits at a career-best 60.5% right now. Considering those stats and the fact that JT can add muscle almost at will, scouts should be drooling at the work ethic and potential for Jeffery Taylor.

Shooting is not even the best skill of Jeff Taylor though. He is not afraid to take his outstanding perimeter defense to any player in the country and his athleticism gives him the opportunity to make a variety of stunning plays. Not to mention his defense crates many turnovers, and he has a higher steal percentage than Kemba Walker did in his final season at Connecticut. All in all, his main criticism here at Vanderbilt has been his consistency. However, no one seems to mention that pro teams are not looking for their star player when they draft Jeffery Taylor. He is more fitting the spot of a fine role player, a defensive stopper, and a build block in the scheme of a franchise. I could really see him capitalizing on those spots at the next level. If Jeffery Taylor can keep the same work ethic he has now, he has a potential to fit the mold of a bigger and more explosive Aaron Afflalo in the NBA. And in case any of you folks are unaware, that is the type of player any team would want on their roster and high up in their rotation. However, Jeffery Taylor may not have much more room to develop his outside game and will need to develop a few more moves attacking the basket if he wants a chance to reach the levels I am talking about. His go-to moves could prove to be quite predictable at the next level and that is the biggest immediate problem in his game right now.

All in all, the future looks bright for Jeffery Taylor. And if he can continue playing like he has, then the future of this team will look bright as well.

Older Entries

Vanderbilt @ Georgia Analysis

Vanderbilt @ Ole Miss Analysis

Kentucky @ Vanderbilt Analysis

LSU @ Vanderbilt Analysis

Vanderbilt @ Florida Analysis

Tennessee @ Vanderbilt Analysis

Mississippi State @ Vanderbilt Analysis

Vanderbilt Silences Alabama

Alabama Basketball Anlyasis

Draft Stock: Jeffery Taylor

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