Shan and Co. tame the Tigers

Shan Foster, Alan Metcalfe, Ross Neltner, and Alex Gordon finally got their first win as a class in Atlanta as Vanderbilt defeated Auburn 93-82 this afternoon in opening round play of the SEC Tournament at The Georgia Dome. This long overdue accomplishment was overshadowed by All-SEC freshman A.J. Ogilvy who scored a career-high 27 points on 12 of 13 shooting from the field. Shan was 6 of 9 from three point land, and notched 26 as the 'Dores went coast to coast on an Auburn team that more times than not looked outmanned and outplayed. Walk-ons Jamie Graham and Joe Duffy both scored, as Graham saw 5 minutes of action. Vanderbilt shot 33-49(67%) from the field, and was a George Drake missed drunk away from setting a new SEC Tournament record for field goal percentage. Kentucky currently holds the record at 68.3%, set against Alabama in 1979, as the kitties won that game 101-100.

Vanderbilt will take on The Arkansas Razorbacks tomorrow at 2:15 CT on Raycom Sports. The 'Dores lost the regular season match up in Fayetteville, 78-73. That loss came on the heels of Vandy knocking off then #1 Tennessee and snapped a 7-game winning steak for the 'Dores. Memorable moments from that March 1st game include Shan passing my childhood hero Matt Freije as Vanderbilt's all-time leading scorer as he scored 22, and Ross Neltner calling a time out as Jermaine Beal's free-throws with 7.3 seconds on the clock pulled the 'Dores to within one. Unfortunately Vanderbilt had already used their full compliment of time outs and the team was assessed a technical foul, allowing Arkansas to hold on for the win. (Oddly enough, Ross had played a solid game before that mental breakdown, recording 14 points, 6 rebounds, and two assists.)

While Auburn's painful lack of a big man allowed A.J to run wild this afternoon, he will face a much tougher Arkansas front line. A.J. played well against Arkansas in his first go round scoring 20 points and grabbing 6 boards. Jermaine Beal and Alex Gordon were virtual no-shows in that game, as Jermaine scored 5 points on 1-9 shooting, and Red put up the big goose egg as he went 0-7 from the field. Both guards did record 7 assists apiece however. Bench play was also an issue as Vandy substitutes accounted for a meager 12 points.

Vandy looked good today, I'm not going to take anything away from them. However, if their level of play does not improve after every game they will get beat. This is a team that thrives on confidence. This win was huge in that respect, as it hopefully shook the team out of whatever funk they were in closing out the regular season. Teams that win tournaments get stronger as the tournament goes on, and that is precisely what must happen if the 'Dores want to cut down the nets in Atlanta on Sunday.

Great win today, and hopefully a better one tomorrow.

Go 'Dores!