No. 15 Vanderbilt hope to be healthier against struggling Oklahoma
No. 15 Vanderbilt Commodores looks to extend its three-game winning streak against visiting Oklahoma Sooners -- losers of nine straight -- in Nashville, Tenn. on Saturday afternoon.
The Commodores (19-3, 6-3 Southeastern Conference) had a needed week off after a 71-68 home win over Ole Miss. Tyler Tanner led all scorers with 24 points, AK Okereke tied a season high in scoring (17) and Mike James established season highs with nine points and nine rebounds off the bench.
"I knew we weren't coming into this game at our best," coach Mark Byington said afterwards. "Injuries, illnesses, fatigue, just a lot of things going on. Ole Miss fought really hard and we knew they were going to play that way. We just had to figure out somehow, some way, to be able to win that way."
The Sooners (11-12, 1-9) come off a 94-78 loss at Kentucky on Wednesday. Xzayvier Brown's 21 points led the Sooners, who allowed 1.44 points per possession (per Ken Pomeroy) while being outrebounded, 41-25.
"It's ... physicality, size," coach Porter Moser said when asked about the rebounding differential. "We battled back. I think we cut (the lead) to eight at one point and then they got two or three offensive rebounds. When you're trying to cut (the lead) those are just daggers, when you're trying to get a stop and can't finish the play with a rebound."
Vanderbilt has been burdened by absences to guards Duke Miles (16.6 ppg) and Frankie Collins (7.8); Miles likely won't play Saturday while Collins' status is uncertain.
The Commodores have been hampered by illness -- Jalen Washington (8.9 ppg) threw up in warm-ups last Saturday and played through it at less than full strength, while leading rebounder Devin McGlockton (6.8) had a season-low two points in 26 minutes.
Vanderbilt ranks 31st nationally in average offensive possession length (15.9 seconds) per Pomeroy, but played its slowest-tempo game of the year (64 possessions) against Ole Miss. The game before, the Commodores slowed the pace to a crawl in the second half of an 80-55 win over Kentucky to rest Tanner, who has played at least 33 minutes in every league game.
The Sooners take care of the ball (10 turnovers per game, ranked 35th in Division I) and have capable scoring threats in Brown (16.4 ppg), Nigel Pack (15.8), Tae Davis (12.7) and Derrion Reed (11.9). But they've leaked defensively, allowing 79 points or more in their last eight games.
Pack, a sixth-year player, had scored 22, 23 and 25 in Oklahoma's previous four games before scoring just six on eight shots in Lexington.
The Commodores would like more from Tyler Nickel (14.5) than the five points (which tied a season low) he had against Ole Miss, which snapped a nine-game double-digit scoring streak. He's had a pair of games in which he hit eight 3-pointers this season.
Vanderbilt is 14th in the latest NET rankings, and has a 6-3 mark in Quad 1. It drew a four-seed in Joe Lunardi's projected NCAA tournament field of Feb. 3. Oklahoma (85th) is a Quad 3 opponent.
This is one of just four remaining home games for Vanderbilt. The Commodores are in a fourth-place tie in the SEC's overall standings behind leaders Florida and Texas A&M (7-2).
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:43 | Tae Davis turnover (lost ball) (Chandler Bing steals) | |||
| 10:43 | Jump ball. Tae Davis vs. Chandler Bing (Chandler Bing gains possession) | |||
| 11:02 | +3 | Devin McGlockton makes three point jump shot (Tyler Tanner assists) | 26-13 | |
| 11:18 | +2 | Xzayvier Brown makes two point jump shot | 26-10 | |
| 11:37 | Mohamed Wague defensive rebound | |||
| 11:39 | Devin McGlockton misses two point jump shot | |||
| 11:53 | TV timeout | |||
| 11:53 | Jeff Nwankwo personal foul (Tyler Tanner draws the foul) | |||
| 11:55 | Nijel Pack turnover (lost ball) (Tyler Nickel steals) | |||
| 12:15 | +2 | Tyler Harris makes two point jump shot | 24-10 | |
| 12:38 | +3 | Nijel Pack makes three point jump shot (Dayton Forsythe assists) | 24-8 | |
| 12:57 | Tyler Nickel turnover (lost ball) (Jeff Nwankwo steals) | |||
| 13:14 | +3 | Dayton Forsythe makes three point jump shot (Jadon Jones assists) | 21-8 | |
| 13:18 | Jadon Jones offensive rebound | |||
| 13:20 | Nijel Pack misses three point jump shot | |||
| 13:28 | Jeff Nwankwo defensive rebound | |||
| 13:30 | Tyler Tanner misses two point layup | |||
| 13:41 | +1 | Tae Davis makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 18-8 | |
| 13:41 | Tyler Nickel shooting foul (Tae Davis draws the foul) | |||
| 13:41 | +2 | Tae Davis makes two point layup | 17-8 | |
| 14:01 | Jeff Nwankwo defensive rebound | |||
| 14:03 | Jalen Washington misses two point jump shot | |||
| 14:22 | Devin McGlockton defensive rebound | |||
| 14:24 | Kirill Elatontsev misses two point jump shot | |||
| 14:39 | +2 | Jalen Washington makes two point dunk | 15-8 | |
| 14:41 | Jalen Washington offensive rebound | |||
| 14:43 | Tyler Tanner misses two point layup | |||
| 15:11 | +2 | Tae Davis makes two point layup (Nijel Pack assists) | 15-6 | |
| 15:32 | +3 | Tyler Nickel makes three point jump shot (Tyler Tanner assists) | 13-6 | |
| 15:45 | TV timeout | |||
| 15:45 | Xzayvier Brown personal foul (Tyler Tanner draws the foul) | |||
| 16:06 | +2 | Mohamed Wague makes two point layup (Dayton Forsythe assists) | 13-3 | |
| 16:21 | Tae Davis defensive rebound | |||
| 16:23 | Tyler Tanner misses two point layup | |||
| 16:40 | Mike James defensive rebound | |||
| 16:42 | Xzayvier Brown misses three point jump shot | |||
| 16:52 | +1 | Tyler Tanner makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 11-3 | |
| 16:52 | Tyler Tanner misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
| 16:52 | Derrion Reid shooting foul (Tyler Tanner draws the foul) | |||
| 17:01 | Nijel Pack personal foul (Tyler Tanner draws the foul) | |||
| 17:03 | Tyler Tanner defensive rebound | |||
| 17:05 | Mohamed Wague misses two point layup | |||
| 17:05 | Mohamed Wague offensive rebound | |||
| 17:07 | Nijel Pack misses two point layup | |||
| 17:23 | Mike James turnover (bad pass) (Nijel Pack steals) | |||
| 17:25 | +1 | Tae Davis makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 11-2 | |
| 17:25 | Devin McGlockton shooting foul (Tae Davis draws the foul) | |||
| 17:25 | +2 | Tae Davis makes two point layup | 10-2 | |
| 17:28 | Jalen Washington personal foul (Xzayvier Brown draws the foul) | |||
| 17:46 | Tae Davis defensive rebound | |||
| 17:48 | Tyler Tanner misses two point jump shot | |||
| 18:00 | +1 | Tae Davis makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 8-2 | |
| 18:00 | AK Okereke shooting foul (Tae Davis draws the foul) | |||
| 18:00 | +2 | Tae Davis makes two point layup | 7-2 | |
| 18:13 | +1 | AK Okereke makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 5-2 | |
| 18:13 | +1 | AK Okereke makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 5-1 | |
| 18:13 | Tae Davis shooting foul (AK Okereke draws the foul) | |||
| 18:36 | +2 | Derrion Reid makes two point jump shot | 5-0 | |
| 18:49 | Tyler Tanner turnover (bad pass) | |||
| 19:11 | Devin McGlockton defensive rebound | |||
| 19:11 | Tae Davis misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
| 19:11 | +1 | Tae Davis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 3-0 | |
| 19:11 | AK Okereke shooting foul (Tae Davis draws the foul) | |||
| 19:20 | Nijel Pack defensive rebound | |||
| 19:22 | Tae Davis blocks AK Okereke's two point jump shot | |||
| 19:42 | +2 | Tae Davis makes two point jump shot | 2-0 | |
| 20:00 | (Sooners gains possession) |
| Min. Per Game | ||
| Pts. Per Game | ||
| Ast. Per Game | ||
| Reb. Per Game | ||
| Field Goal % | ||
| Three Point % | ||
| Free Throw % |
| Tae Davis turnover (lost ball) (Chandler Bing steals) | 10:43 |
| |
+ 3 | Devin McGlockton makes three point jump shot (Tyler Tanner assists) | 11:02 |
| |
+ 2 | Xzayvier Brown makes two point jump shot | 11:18 |
| Mohamed Wague defensive rebound | 11:37 |
| Devin McGlockton misses two point jump shot | 11:39 |
| Jeff Nwankwo personal foul (Tyler Tanner draws the foul) | 11:53 |
| Nijel Pack turnover (lost ball) (Tyler Nickel steals) | 11:55 |
| |
+ 2 | Tyler Harris makes two point jump shot | 12:15 |
| |
+ 3 | Nijel Pack makes three point jump shot (Dayton Forsythe assists) | 12:38 |
| Tyler Nickel turnover (lost ball) (Jeff Nwankwo steals) | 12:57 |
| |
+ 3 | Dayton Forsythe makes three point jump shot (Jadon Jones assists) | 13:14 |
| Team Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Points | 26 | 13 |
| Field Goals | 10-15 (66.7%) | 4-11 (36.4%) |
| 3-Pointers | 2-4 (50.0%) | 2-2 (100.0%) |
| Free Throws | 4-5 (80.0%) | 3-4 (75.0%) |
| Total Rebounds | 8 | 5 |
| Offensive | 2 | 1 |
| Defensive | 6 | 4 |
| Team | 0 | 0 |
| Assists | 4 | 2 |
| Steals | 2 | 2 |
| Blocks | 1 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Fouls | 5 | 5 |
| Technicals | 0 | 0 |
|
| Team Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma 11-12 | 82.6 PPG | 41.0 RPG | 14.7 APG |
| 15 Vanderbilt 19-3 | 88.8 PPG | 40.1 RPG | 17.5 APG |
| On Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| D. Forsythe | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Nwankwo | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| K. Elatontsev | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| K. Rogers | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Hansen | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R. Lovelace | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| K. Atak | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. Holst | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| F. Keeffe | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 26 | 8 | 4 | 10/15 | 2/4 | 4/5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| D. McGlockton | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| J. Washington | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| A. Okereke | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2/2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Harris | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Tanner | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0/4 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| D. McGlockton | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| J. Washington | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| A. Okereke | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2/2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Harris | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Tanner | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0/4 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| On Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| M. James | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| J. Leverett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Bing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F. Collins | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Keeffe | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Nicholson | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Dean-Vines | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| C. Messer | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| G. Kimble III | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| D. Miles | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 13 | 5 | 2 | 4/11 | 2/2 | 3/4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |