Men's Basketball polls and brackets

by Barca Blog

'Dores drop in Monday's rankings
Vanderbilt's home loss to South Carolina hurt the Commodores in the latest national rankings released earlier today. VU fell seven spots to 20th in Associated Press Top 25 and four spots to 23rd in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Click Here to view the polls.

Latest NCAA bracket predictions
With one week to go, the bracketologists have different opinions on where Vanderbilt would land if the NCAA Tournament started today. A strong showing by the 'Dores in the SEC Tournament could go a long way in determining just how high of a seed they get on Selection Sunday.  

ESPN's Joe Lunardi - 4th seed
CBSsports' Jerry Palm- 5th seed
FoxSports' Kulenych/Gately - 5th seed
CNNSI's Andy Glockner - 6th seed

More talk about the Commodores
ESPN's Andy Katz thinks the Georgia-Arkansas winner could give Vanderbilt trouble in the SEC quarterfinals:

I wouldn't be stunned to see the winner of Georgia-Arkansas cause fits for Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals, and South Carolina isn't dead yet after winning at Vanderbilt to end the regular season.

FoxSports' Jeff Goodman picked Kevin Stallings as the SEC Coach of the Year and placed Jeffery Taylor on the all-conference first team.  Read More

Weekly MBB polls and brackets

by Barca Blog

Commodores climb in Monday's polls

With two more conference wins to add to their resume, Vanderbilt jumped to 13th (from 16th) in the latest Associated Press Top 25 released today. It's the highest ranking the Commodores have achieved since they held the same spot on January 7, 2008, after starting the season 15-0.

Voters in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll only moved the 'Dores up from 20th to 19th.

Click Here to view the complete rankings.

Latest NCAA bracket predictions

ESPN's Joe Lunardi placed Vanderbilt as a 3rd seed for the second consecutive week. CNNSI's Andy Glockner kept the 'Dores as a 4th seed while CBSsports' Jerry Palm gave them a 4th seed again, too.

More talk about the 'Dores

ESPN's Andy Katz wrote that the Commodores' tilt with Florida in Gainesville on Tuesday is one of the "Places to be this Week":

Florida probably won't win at Kentucky on Saturday, which means beating Vanderbilt at home is somewhat important to securing a berth.

FoxSports' Jeff Goodman ranked the VU/UF matchup as the fourth best game of the week:

Kevin Stallings’s team is playing for a seed, while Billy Donovan and the Gators could use this one to secure an NCAA tournament berth.

Finally, CBSsports' Gary Parrish admitted why he's 'dumber than he thinks' in his Monday Look Back column:

At this point I should just keep quiet about Vanderbilt, let Kevin Stallings continue to win games and never do anything to remind folks I'm the guy who picked the Commodores to finish fifth in the SEC East. But is that what I do? Nope. For some reason, I felt the need to pick Vandy to lose at Arkansas just before Vandy went to Arkansas and rolled to Saturday's 89-72 win that had Vandy fans publicly mocking me, just like always.

Weekly MBB polls and brackets

by Barca Blog

Commodores go both directions in rankings

After splitting last week's slate, Vanderbilt climbed one spot to 16th in the Associated Press Top 25 today, but fell from 19th to 20th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. Click Here to view the complete rankings.

Latest NCAA bracket predictions

ESPN's Joe Lunardi moved Vanderbilt up from a 4th seed to a 3rd seed.

CNNSI's Andy Glockner kept the 'Dores as a 4th seed.

CBSsports' Jerry Palm thinks VU deserves a 4th seed as well, up one spot from the previous week.

FoxSports' Chris Kulenych and Craig Gately also projected Vandy as a 4th seed for the second week in a row.

More talk about the 'Dores

ESPN's Mark Schlabach and CNNSI's Andy Glockner still consider Vanderbilt to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament.

In the latest Weekly Watch, ESPN's Andy Katz thinks the 'Dores are one of five teams to keep an eye on:

The Commodores couldn't beat Kentucky. That's OK. Vandy will be fine in the NCAAs. The Commodores can work on their seeding in the coming weeks.

Finally, CNNSI's Seth Davis has been burning up the phone lines with coaches from major conferences to get the lowdown on the top teams in the country. He offered up this scouting report on the Commodores:

Honestly, I don't know that they have a real weakness. I was surprised they didn't beat Kentucky, though you're obviously not going to beat many teams shooting 2-for-20 from three. Jermaine Beal is a strong lead guard who can score, and he runs their team. They have good perimeter shooting with [Brad] Tinsley and [John] Jenkins, an athletic wing in [Jeffery] Taylor and good size with [A.J.] Ogilvy, [Festus] Ezeli and [Andre] Walker.

This is the most athletic team Kevin Stallings has had there. The main thing with Ogilvy is you can't allow him to get deep with the ball. He's bigger than people think, he can go right or left shoulder, he shoots it quick. You have to make him a jump shooter.

Maybe their one weakness is when they face a lot of pressure. They have to be better at that because they'll turn it over some. Like if they played Clemson or someone in the second round who is committed to pressing for 40 minutes, that could give them problems.

Weekly MBB polls and brackets

by Barca Blog

Commodores rise in rankings

With two wins last week, Vanderbilt climbed five spots in both of the polls released earlier today. The Commodores are 17th in the Associated Press Top 25 and 19th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. Click Here to view the complete rankings.

Latest NCAA bracket predictions

ESPN's Joe Lunardi kept Vanderbilt as a 4th seed.

CNNSI's Andy Glockner moved the 'Dores back up to a 4th seed.

CBSsports' Jerry Palm placed VU as a 5th seed for the second week in a row.

FoxSports' Chris Kulenych and Craig Gately projected Vandy as a 4th seed.

More talk about the 'Dores

In his latest Bubble Watch, ESPN's Mark Schlabach considers the Commodores a lock for the NCAA Tournament.

Glockner feels the same way in his Bubble Watch:

Vandy moves to lock status after finishing a sweep of Tennessee. The Commodores are the clear second-best SEC team now, have four top 50 wins and a 9-4 top 100 mark. They're dancing.

ESPN's Andy Katz lists the 'Dores matchup with the Wildcats as one of the places to be this week:

Vanderbilt had one of its worst games of the season at Kentucky. Don't expect that to occur when it hosts the Wildcats in what should be one of the best atmospheres in the SEC this season.

FoxSports' Jeff Goodman says the Vanderbilt-Kentucky game is the third best matchup of the week:

The Wildcats took care of Vandy last month in Lexington, but can Kevin Stallings' team win in Nashville?

Finally, CBSsports' Gary Parrish writes what the rest of us think.. How could anyone still rank the Vols ahead of the Commodores in their weekly ballot?

Weekly MBB polls and brackets

by Barca Blog

'Dores remain in rankings

Vanderbilt dropped a couple of spots in the polls today after splitting their two games last week. The Commodores are 22th in the Associated Press Top 25 and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. Click Here to view the complete rankings.

Latest NCAA bracket predictions

ESPN's Joe Lunardi said Vanderbilt still holds a 4th seed.

CNNSI's Andy Glockner gave the 'Dores a 5th seed, falling from a 4th seed.

CBSsports' Jerry Palm moved VU up to a 5th seed from a 6th seed.

More talk about the 'Dores

In his latest Bubble Watch, ESPN's Mark Schlabach thinks the Commodores are in good shape for postseason play:

If not for its stunning loss at Georgia, Vanderbilt might have locked up an NCAA at-large bid last week. The Commodores are still in very good shape after beating four RPI top-50 opponents. If the Commodores can win upcoming home games against Tennessee and LSU, which would improve their SEC record to 8-2, it's hard to imagine them being left out of the NCAA field. The Commodores are 4-1 against RPI top-50 opponents and 7-4 against the top 100.

Glockner believes Vandy should be in the big dance at this point in his Bubble Watch:

Vanderbilt edged Miss. State and then was handled surprisingly easily by feisty Georgia (great job by Mark Fox there, btw). No real issues at this point, though. The 'Dores get a chance for the sweep of in-state rival Tennessee on Tuesday.

ESPN's Andy Katz lists the 'Dores matchup with the Vols as one of the places to be this week:

Vandy won at Tennessee but has slumped since, with losses at Kentucky and at Georgia. Tennessee has righted itself with a win over South Carolina. Winner can stay on Kentucky's heels.

Weekly MBB polls and brackets

by Barca Blog

'Dores continue climb in rankings

Vanderbilt moved up in the polls today after their impressive victory at Tennessee last Wednesday. The Commodores are now 18th in the Associated Press Top 25 and 20th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. Click Here to view the complete rankings.

Latest NCAA bracket predictions

ESPN's Joe Lunardi said Vanderbilt improved from a 5th seed to a 4th seed.

CNNSI's Andy Glockner also had the 'Dores as a 4th seed, rising from a 5th seed.

CBSsports' Jerry Palm kept VU as a 6th seed.

More talk about the 'Dores

In his latest Bubble Watch, ESPN's Mark Schlabach thinks the Commodores moved closer to locking up a NCAA bid:

The Dores have played the country's 22nd-toughest schedule and they're 3-2 against RPI top-50 teams (winning at St. Mary's and beating Missouri at home). They've also defeated fellow SEC bubble teams Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee.

CBSsports' Gary Parrish admitted he was late to the game on Vanderbilt:

Both polls ranked the Commodores last week, but I didn't because I couldn't find a marquee win on their résumé to offset the questionable losses to Illinois and Western Kentucky. Then Vanderbilt went and won at Tennessee, and that was good enough for me. Saturday's subsequent loss at Kentucky was inconsequential. The Commodores are 16-4 overall with a road win at Tennessee. I put them 16th in the Top 25 (and one).

Like Parrish, CNNSI's Seth Davis also jumped on the 'Dores bandwagon:

Vanderbilt fans have been on me all season for not ranking their Commodores, so I hope I made it up to them by installing their team at No. 15 on the basis of the win at Tennessee.

Weekly MBB polls and brackets

by Barca Blog

'Dores return to rankings

With a 15-3 record and 4-0 start in conference play, Vanderbilt's men's basketball team reentered the national rankings today. The Commodores vaulted to No. 21 in the AP Top 25 and No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

They've appeared in the Top 25 two other times this season, but dropped out the following week after losing to Cincinnati (Nov. 23) and Illinois (Dec. 8). Click Here to view the complete rankings.

NCAA bracket predictions - Monday update

ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Vanderbilt moving from a 6th seed to a 5th seed.

CNNSI's Andy Glockner also has the 'Dores as a 5th seed, rising from a 6th seed.

CBSsports' Jerry Palm gave VU a 6th seed.

More talk about the 'Dores

ESPN's Andy Katz is impressed with the Commodores in his Weekly Watch:

Vanderbilt has quietly put together quite a season -- it has a 4-0 SEC mark, a 15-3 overall record and is getting quality play from Jeffery Taylor (all 18 points in the second half against Auburn).

CNNSI's Seth Davis explains why he left Vanderbilt out of his AP ballot:

The lack of quality wins remains the only reason I am not ranking Vanderbilt, despite all the, uh, helpful suggestions from Vandy fans that they are ballot-worthy. The Commodores' best wins are over Florida at home and Alabama on the road. Not great, not terrible, but they also lost to Cincinnati and Western Kentucky on neutral courts. Vandy will have plenty of chances to make its case over the next two weeks.

Finally, FoxSports' Jeff Goodman mentions Vanderbilt's tilt at No. 1 Kentucky on Saturday as the second best matchup of the week:

I know it’s at Rupp Arena, but it’ll still be one of the more difficult tests that the Wildcats will face all season.

Weekly MBB polls and brackets

by Barca Blog

National Rankings

With two big conference road wins last week, Vanderbilt's men's basketball team inched closer to returning to the Top 25 today. The Commodores (14-3, 3-0 SEC) moved up in the Others Receiving Votes category of the Associated Press (26th) and ESPN/USA Today (t-27th) polls.

Vanderbilt has appeared in the Top 25 twice this year, but dropped out the following week after losing to Cincinnati (Nov. 23) and Illinois (Dec. 8).

Click Here to view the complete rankings

NCAA Bracket Predictions

The experts have released their latest projections for the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Vanderbilt jumping from an 11th seed to a 6th seed.

CNNSI's Andy Glockner also has the 'Dores as a 6th seed, rising from a 9th seed. Notice who he lists as VU's first round opponent. Glockner had this to say in his Bubble Watch:

Very quietly, Vanderbilt (14-3, 3-0, RPI: 22, SOS: 29) has won eight straight after a road sweep at Alabama and South Carolina. Beating Auburn at home on Saturday should be a priority, as the next two-game trip after that is at Tennessee and Kentucky. We'll find out everything we need to know there. Nonleague was a mixed bag, with losses to Western Kentucky and Illinois and wins over Missouri and at Saint Mary's.

Also worth mentioning... ESPN's Andy Katz wrote about the 'Dores in his Weekly Watch:

The Commodores are quietly putting together a run for an NCAA bid. Beating Alabama and South Carolina on the road is just two more steps.