Rogers weighs in on VU's NCAA chances

by Barca Blog - As the Commodores prepare for Wednesday's SEC Tournament opener with LSU, I traded emails with Kendall Rogers, the college baseball editor for Yahoo! Sports and Rivals.com, to get his thoughts on Vanderbilt's chances of earning a NCAA Tournament berth. Here's what he had to say:

Where does Vanderbilt stand right now with NCAA Tournament selections only a week away?

“I think there’s a good chance Vandy would be in if the season ended today.... Respectable overall record, 12-15 record against top-50 RPI teams is not good by any means, but it’s also decent compared to some other bubble teams. That 16-20 record against top-100 RPI teams is a reason to worry. Vanderbilt needs to win a couple games at the SEC Tournament this week to feel very confident on Selection Monday. Otherwise, Corbin and crew will be sweating bullets. I think they’re one of the last in as of right now.”

How will their RPI factor into the process, in addition to the SEC having the top overall RPI?

“I think history shows the teams that make the SEC Tournament have a good opportunity to make the NCAA’s field of 64... And yes, Vanderbilt has a pretty good RPI and a respectable overall record. That record against top-100 teams, though, would worry me. I think the committee will be smart enough to see Vandy is a pretty young team and has a tendency to be either very good or very bad. We’ll see how it plays out. RPI definitely is a major factor and the fact VU is at 37 is a definite plus.”

What are some more advantages for the Commodores as well as some of the things standing in the way of a bid at this point?

“Advantages are the fact Vandy will be playing good competition in the SEC Tournament, so their RPI is not going to drop much. Disadvantages are the fact there are a wealth of bubble teams and even with two wins, Vandy could get knocked out by a few teams having great conference tournaments. VU really needs to try to leave no doubt in Hoover.”

Thanks to Kendall for taking the time to give us an update. Make sure you check out his latest NCAA bracket projections every Wednesday on Rivals.com.