Vanderbilt next up for LSU
Tigers coach Johnson aware of Commodores’ tough schedule
“I’m not sure anybody has played as tough a schedule as they have.” TRENT JOHNSON, LSU coach
The Vanderbilt men’s basketball team entered the season at No. 7 in the preseason polls, the highest preseason ranking for the Commodores since entering the 1965-66 campaign ranked fifth.
Festus Ezeli, Jeffery Taylor and John Jenkins, Vandy’s version of The Big Three, turned down a chance to enter the NBA early. Veteran point guard Brad Tinsley and 6-foot-8 forward Lance Goulbourne returned for their senior seasons.
But after suffering back-to-back road losses against Arkansas and Florida last week, Vandy continued its status as the Southeastern Conference’s hardest team to figure out.
“We were disappointed in how we played on the road last week, so it’s a big week to try and get back on tack,” coach Kevin Stallings said.
Vandy (16-7, 5-3) finishes the week Saturday with a home game against top-ranked Kentucky, as ESPN’s College Gameday visits Memorial Gym for the first time. First comes Wednesday night’s matchup with LSU (13-9, 3-5), which has lost six straight against the Commodores since 2006 and has yet to taste victory in four SEC road games.
Coming off a 23-win season and back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, Vanderbilt suffered early home losses to Cleveland State, Xavier and Indiana State. The Commodores discovered some steam following the return of Ezeli, who missed time with a knee injury, in racing to a 4-0 start in conference play.
However, the Commodores have now lost three of their last four in league play.
“I am not sure anybody has played as tough of a schedule as they have,” LSU coach Trent Johnson said. “I don’t think people realize how good of a basketball team a Cleveland State is or a Middle Tennessee is.”
Despite the sometimes rocky results, Vandy enters the week at No. 28 in the RPI rankings.
Jenkins leads the SEC in scoring at 19.9 points per game and Taylor ranks second at 17.7.
White, Isaac to return
Johnson said Monday senior forward Malcolm White and freshman guard John Isaac will re-enter the fold Wednesday after both players missed Saturday’s victory over Arkansas.
White served a one-game suspension for a flagrant foul against Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis a week earlier. Isaac was out after missing practice time during the week to deal with academic concerns.
“John’s academic situation has gotten better,” Johnson said.
“From my standpoint, he needed to concentrate more on school. He will be back out. If he practices well, we’ll see what happens from there.”
Lunardi’s take
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi released his latest mock NCAA tournament field Monday, and the SEC has five teams in the bracket and two more barely on the outside.
Lunardi has Kentucky as a one seed, Florida as a three, Vandy and Mississippi State as sixes and Alabama as an eight. He lists Ole Miss among his “First Four Out” and Arkansas among the “Next Four Out.”
All seven of those teams enter the week with an RPI ranking among the top 60 in the nation: Kentucky at No. 5, Florida at No. 14, Vandy at No. 28, Alabama at No. 31, State at No. 32, Ole Miss at No. 52 and Arkansas at no. 59.
LSU is up two spots to No. 74 in the RPI rankings this week.
Bama’s Mitchell suspended
Alabama coach Anthony Grant has suspended junior forward Tony Mitchell indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team, Grant announced at his news conference Monday afternoon.
Grant averages 13.1 points and 7.0 rebounds, but scored only 25 points during the Crimson Tide’s recent four-game losing streak. He scored 14 points off the bench in Saturday’s double-overtime victory over Ole Miss.
Alabama plays at Auburn on Tuesday before visiting LSU on Saturday.