Stallings reacts to Mississippi State loss

by Barca Blog

Quotes from head coach Kevin Stallings following Vanderbilt's 62-52 loss to Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament semifinals on Saturday. For more reaction from the press conference, click here.

On the loss...
"We just got outplayed today, especially in close to the basket. They were much better than us. I thought our defense was good enough to win the game, but offensively we were never able to find a rhythm. We couldn't get any baskets, couldn't get to the foul line.

"We've got to figure out what it was we were doing earlier in the season where we were averaging 31 free throws a game, and now we can only average about 15. But we didn't do a good job. Really, just there wasn't anything about our game today that was like we wanted it to be or like we needed it to be. That's disappointing.

"I made some mistakes and screwed up at the end. I won't get into specifically what they were, but I made some mistakes, and it cost our team."

On Beal being on the bench coming down the stretch...
"No, I had subbed for him to give him a rest, and we started playing better. We just started playing better. I thought Brad gave us some energy, and putting Jeff on Bost was an improvement for us. Brad made a couple shots and pitched the ball ahead, and we got a dunk by Jeff, and we had some momentum going there. So it wasn't anything other than we'd just gotten a head of stride and were playing a little bit better."

On late turnovers and missed opportunities...
"We had the wrong guys doing the wrong games. Guys weren't really playing to their strengths, and that's my fault. It's my fault that I've got guys that will get themselves in the wrong position and in a position where they're not ordinarily successful.

"We made some turnovers. We took some bad shots. We got some balls blocked. I take responsibility for that because that could have been avoided if I had done a better job."

Vanderbilt-Mississippi State Photo Gallery

By T. Young (Photo Courtesy of John Russell)

Check out John Russell's photo gallery from Saturday's SEC Tournament semifinal game between Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. The Commodores were bounced from the Tournament after suffering a 62-52 setback on Saturday afternoon in Bridgestone Arena.

Click here to see all the action photos from the game.

For additional coverage of Saturday's game click here

Final: Mississippi State 62, Vanderbilt 52

Vanderbilt was eliminated from the SEC Tournament after suffering a 62-52 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena.

The Commodores will learn their NCAA Tournament fate when the brackets are unveiled during CBS' Selection Show at 5 p.m. CT on Sunday.

Stay with VUcommodores.com for official coverage.

Live Blog: Vanderbilt vs. Miss. State

Join us for a live blog of today's SEC Tournament semifinal matchup between Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. Click Here

Photo of the Game: This is The Future

by Barca Blog (Photo by John Russell)

"The Future" is now.

Johnny J played like a grizzled veteran in his SEC Tournament debut last night. The sharpshooter was perfect from the field in the second half, scoring 22 points on 6-for-6 shooting with four of those coming from long range, to help the 'Dores runaway with a 78-66 win over Georgia.

If you somehow missed it because the game was past your bedtime, then listen to this montage of Joe Fisher's radio calls. (John for 3.... GOOOOD! OH MY GOODNESS!)


(download audio)

Click here to view more of Russell's photos.

McMahan recognized as SEC Legend

by Barca Blog (Photo by John Russell)

Former Commodore great Ronnie McMahan was honored as Vanderbilt's Southeastern Conference Legend during halftime of last night's game.

McMahan (1992-95) still ranks as VU's fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,719 career points. He currently is an assistant basketball coach for local high school Montgomery Bell Academy, who won their sixth state championship last week.

SEC Tournament semifinals schedule

by Barca Blog

Four teams -- Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi State -- are still alive in the 2010 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament. Check out Saturday's semifinals schedule and Friday's results below. For complete coverage of the tournament, go to SECsports.com.

Saturday's Slate on ABC
[E1] Kentucky vs. [E3] Tennessee - 12 p.m. CT
[E2] Vanderbilt vs. [W1] Miss. State - 2:15 p.m. CT

Friday's Results
[E1] Kentucky 73, [W4] Alabama 67
[E3] Tennessee 76, [W2] Ole Miss 65
[W1] Miss. State 75, [E4] Florida 69
[E2] Vanderbilt 78, [E6] Georgia 66

Jenkins steals the spotlight

by Ryan Schulz

The postseason is where upperclassmen are supposed to shine and it’s where freshmen are supposed to wilt under the bright lights and pressure. Just don’t tell that to Vanderbilt freshman sharpshooter John Jenkins.

On a night when the Commodores desperately needed a player to step up against an opponent that had given them fits all year, Jenkins did. The Hendersonville, Tenn., native single-handedly took the bite out of the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday in Vanderbilt’s 78-66 quarterfinal victory in the SEC Tournament.

The long-range marksman poured in a career best 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting, but what may have been more important was his timing. After building an eight-point lead at the half, Georgia went on a 6-0 run to pull within two, and it appeared the game would remain close throughout.

Jenkins had other plans.

With the Commodores holding a 47-42 lead following five straight points by Lance Goulbourne, Jenkins took over the game. Beginning with a three-pointer at the 11:35 mark, Jenkins would score 12 straight points for Vanderbilt, giving the Commodores their largest lead of the game (59-47) with 8:21 to play. Jenkins would add another four points to bury the Bulldogs, while extending Vanderbilt’s lead to 18, 69-61 with 5:30 to play.

“If he’s left open, he’s unstoppable,” Head Coach Kevin Stallings said. “And if we can get him open, he’s unstoppable because he’s got to make open shots.”

Jenkins’ shots were falling in the second half, but it was a different case in the first half for the freshman, who made just 1-of-4 three-point attempts.

“Coach (Stallings) was telling me to go out there and be more aggressive,” Jenkins said. “That’s what I did. In the first half I came out slow, trying to get myself into it. In the second half, I just really let loose.”

Jenkins ability to get loose for open shots keyed the demise of Georgia and overshadowed a 34-point game by the Bulldogs’ Travis Leslie.

Jenkins played a career-best 32 minutes and was on the court more than any other Commodore besides Jermaine Beal. His play against he Bulldogs may have earned him a few more minutes on Saturday when Vanderbilt takes on Mississippi State in the SEC semifinals.

And if Vanderbilt is going to get past Mississippi State, it may need another strong shooting performance from Jenkins to do so. Thankfully for Commodore fans, poor shooting and Jenkins go about as well together as oil and water.

“There just are not very many days during the week where you see him not have a good shooting day,” Stallings said. “His jumper is fundamentally flawless and he has a high level of belief in it … and so does his coach.”

(Photo by John Russell)

SEC Tournament: VU advances to semis

by Barca Blog

Recap: [E2] Vanderbilt 78, [E6] Georgia 66
AP --- John Jenkins scored 22 of his career-high 25 points in the second half, and No. 20 Vanderbilt held off Georgia 78-66 Friday night in the Southeastern Conference quarterfinals. Recap

Quotables
VU coach Kevin Stallings on his team's defensive effort:
"We didn't want them to get a beat on us. They're a very good rhythm team. If you let them get into a rhythm, they'll find Thompkins time and time and time again. So one of the reasons we zoned was to try to keep the ball out of his hands. Leslie obviously was unbelievable, but the key to the game for us was Thompkins, and I thought we did a nice job on him."

Jermaine Beal on VU's rebounding effort:
"Our game plan to come in was just to focus on rebounding and to play physical because we know Georgia's a big physical team. And I think we won on the boards. So we got the victory."

Georgia coach Mark Fox on the loss:
"Vanderbilt came very determined to play tonight. I think our team was excited about playing also, but they really out rebounded us in the first half, and that had a significant impact on the ball game. We opened the second half with some competitive fight, got back in it, but we just couldn't."

Georgia's Trey Thompkins on the season:
"You're correct about the fact that we fought all year, but as a team, we expected to win some of those games. We never shortchanged ourselves on the fact that we were inexperienced with Coach's system or we were a young team. We came out to fight just like all our opponents did. We expected to win just like any other team would."

Notes
*Jenkins finished the game 5-of-8 from beyond the arc to tie Shan Foster's and Brad Tinsley’s school record for three-pointers by a freshman in a season (69).

*Vanderbilt outrebounded Georgia 43-32 … Georgia had outrebounded Vanderbilt in both of the previous games … Vanderbilt is now 13-1 when it outrebounds its opponent.

*Andre Walker finished the game with a team-high 10 rebounds and also had four assists, three blocks and two steals.

*Tonight’s win was Vanderbilt’s 24th this season, matching the 1965 team for third-most in school history … The 1993 finished with 28 wins, while the 2008 team finished with 26 wins.

Next Up
Vanderbilt will take on West No. 1 seed Mississippi State in the semifinals Saturday at 2:15 p.m. CT. The Commodores defeated the Bulldogs, 75-72, in their only meeting this season on February 3 in Nashville. For complete coverage of the tournament, go to SECsports.com.

SEC Tournament: Miss. State moves on

by Barca Blog

Recap: [W1] Miss. State 75, [E4] Florida 69
AP -- Barry Stewart scored 17 points and hit five late free throws as Mississippi State held on to defeat Florida 75-69 in the Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinals on Friday night. More

Quotables
MSU's Jarvis Varnado on the team's mentality:
"I feel like we have nothing to lose. We just come out here to play hard and play together. We had success last year in playing together, and we wanted to keep that focus coming in this tournament."

MSU coach Rick Stansbury on keeping players attention off NCAA talk:
"It's impossible to keep them away unless I lock them in the closet and take away their phones and all that. It's everywhere you go nowadays.You can't watch TV unless you're hearing about it. You can't walk anywhere unless someone is talking to you about it. And all these kids nowadays have these phones that's a walking computer. So they see it all day long. We don't talk about it. You guys (the media) do enough talking about it without us having to say it."

Florida coach Billy Donovan on NCAA possibilities:
"I have no idea. I really don't. I say this all the time. I think the only thing I try to focus on is the day in front of you and the team in front of you, and that's Mississippi State. I have no idea about what really a whole lot of teams have done in different conferences. I think we've played a very, very competitive schedule. We've had some really, really good quality wins. If that's good enough, then so be it. We'll wait and see what happens on Sunday."

Notes
*Mississippi State reaches the SEC tourney semifinals for the third straight year. They are the defending champions.

*The loss was Florida’s first against an SEC West opponent this year. They were 6-0 entering the contest vs. SEC West teams.

Next Up
Mississippi State will face the winner between Vanderbilt and Georgia. For complete coverage of the tournament, go to SECsports.com.

Live Blog: Vanderbilt vs. Georgia

Join us for a live blog of tonight's SEC Tournament quarterfinal matchup between Vanderbilt and Georgia. Click Here

SEC Tournament: Tennessee wins again

by Barca Blog

Recap: [E3] Tennessee 76, [W2] Ole Miss 65
AP -- Wayne Chism had 16 points and 15 rebounds as No. 15 Tennessee beat Ole Miss 76-65 in the Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinals on Friday. More

Quotables
Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy on their NCAA chances:
"You know, I don't know. There's so much made of this team in, this team out. To be honest with you, it's just counterproductive for us to live in that world. We just can't live in that world. All we can do is continue to play the game that's in front of us. Now there are no more games until they tell us what's next. Obviously, it's not a good position to be in. I've got a locker room full of very disappointed guys. So we'll have to wait and see."

UT coach Bruce Pearl on the Kentucky matchup:
"If you want to be a champion, you've got to beat the best, and Kentucky is the best. They are the best team here. They're one of the best teams in the country. And, obviously, an opportunity to play them and win a championship is something that you relish that opportunity. And we'll prepare, and we'll get after it"

UT's Wayne Chism on what it takes to beat Kentucky:
"The way to beat Kentucky is just play basketball. A lot of teams probably get scared to play these guys, but obviously when you go out and play somebody bigger and better on your schedule, you just come out and play basketball because that's one thing you know how to do. You come out and play different than what you all usually do, it's going to be a big mistake."

Notes
*Points off turnovers were a telling stat, as the Vols turned 14 Rebel turnovers into 20 points. By contrast, Ole Miss only had seven points off of Tennessee’s eight miscues.

*Neither team shot better than 40 percent from the field, but the Vols did have a decided advantage at the free throw line. UT made 70 percent of its 33 free throw attempts, while Ole Miss made only 48 percent of its 25 tries.

*Ole Miss went nearly five minutes without a field goal in the second half.

*Chris Warren went 5-of-12 from long range and tied a school-record for consecutive games with a made three-pointer by connecting from deep in his 41st straight game.

Next Up
Tennessee will face East No. 1 seed Kentucky in the semifinals Saturday at noon CT on ABC. The teams split their two regular season meetings. For complete coverage of the tournament, go to SECsports.com.

SEC Tournament: Kentucky gets to semifinals

by Barca Blog

Recap: [E1] Kentucky 73, [W4] Alabama 67
AP - John Wall had 23 points, including seven straight in the second half to give the Wildcats the lead for good, and No. 2 Kentucky overcame an 11-point deficit Friday in beating Alabama 73-67 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. More

Quotables
Kentucky's John Wall on his performance in the 2nd half:
"Basically Coach told me make a couple of plays. They told me the whole game to push it in transition, but I wasn't getting there. I was trying to find my teammates. Second half, I found the gaps and got into the lane. He let me run the pick and roll to the five man and let me make the play, and I was getting to the basket."

Kentucky coach John Calipari on getting out-rebounded:
"Last five games we've gotten out-rebounded. And, again, what I think has happened in all five of those games, you think about it, the other teams outworked us. I'm trying to convince this young team of 19-year-olds that either you want it more than they do or they want it more than you do. And whoever's in that mode in this tournament, or the next one, is going to win."

Alabama coach Anthony Grant on the loss:
"I thought our guys played extremely aggressive, played tough. But certain nights the shots aren't going to fall for you. Unfortunately for us, tonight we left some things out there on the offensive end that may have been able to make a difference."

Notes
*Alabama won the rebounding margin, 45-33.

*Kentucky scored 46 points in the paint, while Alabama managed only 26 points in the lane.

*Patrick Patterson added 20 points including 8-of-8 from the free throw line.

*Kentucky was held to 1-for-13 from behind the arc.

Next Up
Kentucky will meet the winner between West No. 2 seed Ole Miss and East No. 3 seed Tennessee in the semifinals Saturday at noon CT on ABC. For complete coverage of the tournament, go to SECsports.com.

Commodores to face Georgia

by Barca Blog

The bracket is set for the quarterfinals of the 2010 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena.

Vanderbilt will face Georgia on Friday night (8:45 p.m. CT) after the Bulldogs advanced with an impressive 77-64 win over Arkansas.

VU and UGA split their two regular season meetings with each team getting the win on their home floor.

Friday's Slate on the SEC Network
[W4] Alabama vs. [E1] Kentucky - 12 p.m. CT
[E3] Tennessee vs. [W2] Ole Miss - 2:15 p.m CT
[E4] Florida vs. [W1] Miss. State - 6:30 p.m. CT
[E6] Georgia vs. [E2] Vanderbilt - 8:45 p.m. CT

Thursday's Results
[W4] Alabama 68, [E5] South Carolina 63
[E3] Tennessee 59, [W6] LSU 49
[E4] Florida 78, [W5] Auburn 69
[E6] Georgia 77, [W3] Arkansas 64

SEC Tournament: Georgia advances

by Barca Blog

Recap: [E6] Georgia 77, [W3] Arkansas 64
AP - Trey Thompkins had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Georgia beat Arkansas 77-64 in the opening round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday night. Read More

Quotables
Arkansas coach  John Pelphrey on the future:
"I think that we've had a chance to get better in a lot of areas in terms of how hard we work, understanding of being a basketball team, work ethic ... But we're nowhere near where we're going to be, make no mistake about that. It's going to be special on the floor. It's going to continue to grow and be special off the floor. That's what's exciting."

UGA's Trey Thompkins on the Vanderbilt matchup:
"Vanderbilt is a great team. We understand we're going to have to come with every punch we have because they're going to play us hard. Right now we're going to focus on them when we get back to the hotel as a team. We'll address that later on. But as of right now, as a team, all we know is we're going to have to come to play just as hard as we played tonight."

Notes
*The Bulldogs secured their first win outside of the state of Georgia this season.

*Georgia owned a 45-28 advantage in rebounds and a 19-9 advantage in second-chance points.

*The Razorbacks experienced their worst 3-point shooting performance of the year in the loss (1-for-12).

Next Up
Georgia moves on the face East No. 2 seed Vanderbilt at 8:45 p.m. CT Friday night. For complete coverage of the tournament, go to SECsports.com.

SEC Tournament: Florida eliminates Auburn

by Barca Blog

Recap: [E4] Florida 78, [W5] Auburn 69
AP - Alex Tyus scored 24 points, and Florida snapped a three-game skid by beating Auburn 78-69 Thursday night in the opening round of the SEC Tournament. Read More

Quotables
Florida's Chandler Parsons on the victory:
"Auburn's a tough team, and we knew they weren't going to come in here and lay down. I think it shows we're a tough team because we weathered some storms when they went on runs, and we didn't hang our head. We kept battling and fighting."

Florida coach Billy Donovan on the win:
"I thought a huge factor in the game was going to be our ability to guard them from the three-point line. I think when you extend like that with their speed and quickness, you're going to get beat off the dribble and go at some drives. But I thought we did as good a job as we could have done guarding the three."

Auburn's Frankie Sullivan on team's cold 3-point shooting:
"I think we just missed wide open looks. We were wide open half of the time we shot the basketball. It just wouldn't go down for us tonight."

Auburn coach Jeff Lebo on senior Tay Waller being held scoreless:
"He was heartbroken after the game. It's hard to say something to somebody after a game like that. But that's what I told him, I'm proud of him. He's given us a lot of great memories, and tonight just wasn't his night."

Notes
*Florida won the battle of points off turnovers, 15-4. The Gators finished the game with only seven turnovers to tie their season low.

*The Gators are the first team to hold Waller scoreless this season. Against SEC play, Waller came in averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game.

Next Up
Florida will take on West No. 1 seed Mississippi State in the quarterfinals Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT. For complete coverage of the tournament, go to SECsports.com.

SEC Tournament: Tennessee moves on

by Barca Blog

Recap: [E3] Tennessee 59, [W6] LSU 49
AP - Wayne Chism had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Tennessee (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today, No. 15 AP) overcame its worst first half of the season to beat LSU 59-49 in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday. Read More

Quotables
UT coach Bruce Pearl on their offensive struggles:
"LSU played zone on us the whole game, and it really slowed the tempo of the game down. We got some pretty good shots, but, you know, there's a reason that we are the last in the league in three-point percentage."

LSU's Tasmin Mitchell on what was working defensively:
"The zone always give Tennessee problems. They've never been a real good shooting team beyond the arc. So the zone was working. I feel like we played it okay, but we just didn't grasp it at the end of the game when we could have captured the game."

UT's Brian Williams on playing with something to prove:
"Not many people are granted a second opportunity, and that's what you got to do is take advantage of that. And Coach and the University gave me something that I'm blessed with, and I'm trying to take advantage of that so far."

LSU coach Trent Johnson on looking ahead to next season:
"This team's gotten better. The end result hasn't been what we all would like, but this team has gotten better. The key for us is to -- spring and summer has to be very productive. And that they don't forget the hard lessons that they learned this year."

Notes
*The Vols held LSU to just 49 points, the lowest by any of their SEC opponents this year. 

*Williams set a season high with 14 rebounds. Chism had his sixth double-double this season.

*Mitchell ended his LSU career just shy of reaching 2,000 points. He scored 10 points, concluding his career with 1,989.

Next Up
Tennessee will play West No. 2 seed Ole Miss in the quarterfinals Friday at 2:15 p.m. CT. For complete coverage of the tournament, go to SECsports.com.

SEC Tournament: Alabama advances

by Barca Blog

Recap: [W4] Alabama 68, [E5] South Carolina 63
AP - Mikhail Torrance's 9-foot jumper broke a tie at 62 with 57 seconds left, and Alabama rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half to beat South Carolina 68-63 Thursday in the opening round of the SEC tournament. Read More

Quotables
Alabama coach Anthony Grant on the comeback:
"It seems like every effort play that was to be made, they made. And our guys showed great toughness, a great will to, even though when things were going bad, to stay together and to fight and do the things that really we worked on in terms of building all year. I couldn't be prouder of the efforts."

SC guard Devan Downey on losing the 18-point lead:
"What was going through my mind is just keep going. I feel the way Coach feels. We played to hang on. We didn't play to extend the lead and keep that intensity. Like he said, we just played to just hold on."

Next Up
Alabama will play East No. 1 seed Kentucky in the quarterfinals Friday at noon CT. For complete coverage of the tournament, click here.

SEC MBB Tournament Bracket

by Barca Blog

The 2010 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament bracket is set.

Vanderbilt (23-7, 12-4 SEC) will play the winner of East No. 6 seed Georgia and West No. 3 seed Arkansas on Friday night at 8:45 p.m. CT inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Commodores earned a first-round bye after finishing second in the Eastern Division.

The other seeds on Vanderbilt's side of the bracket are West No. 1 seed Mississippi State, East No. 4 seed Florida, and West No. 5 seed Auburn.

East No. 1 seed Kentucky, West No. 2 seed Ole Miss, East No. 3 seed Tennessee, West No. 4 seed Alabama, East No. 5 seed South Carolina and West No. 6 seed LSU are on the other side of the bracket.

2010 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
SECsports' Tournament Central | Printable Bracket
Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
All Times Central

Thursday, March 11 - TV: SEC Network
Game 1: [E5] So. Carolina vs. [W4] Alabama - 12 p.m.
Game 2: [W6] LSU vs. [E3] Tennessee - 2:15 p.m.
Game 3: [W5] Auburn vs. [E4] Florida - 6:30 p.m.
Game 4: [E6] Georgia vs. [W3] Arkansas - 8:45 p.m.
Byes: [E1] Kentucky, [E2] Vanderbilt, [W1] Mississippi State, [W2] Ole Miss

Friday, March 12 - TV: SEC Network
Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. [E1] Kentucky - 12 p.m.
Game 6: Game 2 Winner vs. [W2] Ole Miss - 2:15 p.m
Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. [W1] Miss. State - 6:30 p.m.
Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. [E2] Vanderbilt - 8:45 p.m.

Saturday, March 13 - TV: ABC
Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner - 12 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner - 2:15 p.m.

Sunday, March 14 - TV: ABC
Game 11: SEC Tournament Championship Game - 12 p.m.

Coleman turns tables on Peck

By Weinman

Following Vanderbilt's 63-61 win over LSU on Friday night, ESPN analyst and VU alum Carolyn Peck dropped by the Commodore lockerroom to prep for tomorrow's semifinal broadcast.

After talking with Coach Balcomb and a number of VU players, Peck took time to be interviewed by current Commodore sophomore Jordan Coleman. The Lake Mary, Fla., native asked the 1988 VU grad a trio of questions with her teammates and Peck's ESPN co-worker Cara Capuano looking on.

Jordan Coleman interviews Carolyn Peck
Click to Download Audio



The photo above is courtesy of Peck's Twitter page (@CarolynPeck). Follow her and the @VandyWBB page.