Historic Start Continues: Vanderbilt Tops LSU 84-73 to Match Program-Best 16-0 Record
Vanderbilt Moves on to 16-0
No. 11/10 Vanderbilt Commodores men’s basketball stays perfect and ties the program’s best start at 16-0. Today the Commodores defeated the LSU Tigers 84-73. This was a game that the Commodores started with an imposing first half.
My key player for the first half was Tyler Nickel. He put his stamp on the game early with 15 points in the first half, shooting 4-for-7 from three-point range. He also grabbed four rebounds in the half, in which he played 18 minutes. The 6’7″ senior came into today’s game averaging 14.7 points per game and shooting 48.2 percent beyond the arc. Nickel isn’t just an offensive-minded player. He can take care of business on both ends. He finished the day with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks in his first career double-double.
Vanderbilt as a team made it difficult for LSU in the first 20 minutes. The Tigers missed their share of close-range shots, and I credit that to the defensive presence of Vanderbilt in the paint. Jalen Washington, Devin McGlockton, and just the Dores overall helping on defense affected LSU to a point. At the half Vandy held the paint advantage 24-14, but that would flip in the second half. LSU would end up with a 40-38 advantage in the paint by the end.
LSU was able to get some open looks and make shots. They were missing their leading scorer in Dedan Thomas, who averages 16.2 points per game. Not saying the game’s outcome would have been different in terms of winning, but when a team is missing their leading scorer on the road, it is a huge factor.
Tyler Tanner showed again today that he can do more and create ways to score without the boost of three-point shots. Tanner was without a three and still scored 20, going 7 of 18 from the field. Not to mention his complete ability as a player to affect both ends of the court. Tanner, who is one of the best in the country in steals, added three more today.
Duke Miles can shoot it from any direction and makes it tough to guard. Three-pointers, drives, fadeaways, you name it, and he can do it. The one thing I go to with him and Tanner is getting to the rim and drawing contact. Miles went 8-for-8 from the stripe today, accounting for almost 50% of his points. The only thing about Miles is the foul trouble. He tends to live on the edge in that regard, and I believe that is just a product of the defense he plays.
Vanderbilt led 52-38 going into the half, and everything seemed to click, but basketball is a game of runs. The Tigers were able to do that, and Vanderbilt had a lull in the second half for a good while. LSU was able to cut it to single digits. Vanderbilt was off rhythm in the half, and AK Okereke gave this team a bit of a boost in my opinion. He was able to make some shots and provide some offense when it was hard to come by. He added 12 points today and also three steals.
Post game, Vanderbilt Head Coach Mark Byington spoke about the dry spell during this game, and he mentioned how the team hit a wall of fatigue midway through the game, especially coming off the hard-fought Alabama game that went late, but they found a way to get through it and get the win.
Then back to Tyler Tanner, he gets to the rim and finds a way to get points on the board. He scored nine in the second half, and that was mostly from going 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. Tanner plays with a big mentality, and that shows. He attacked and did that today against LSU.
One thing I learned from the Commodores today is they showed the toughness to withstand a stretch of no offense, despite LSU’s run. The Commodores built such a great cushion in the first half that it allowed them to still lead pretty comfortably when things swung the other way. This is basketball, and these are how games tend to be in conference play and later into March. The Commodores did lead from start to finish today, as LSU was never able to overcome a Commodore lead.
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