Vanderbilt basketball finished runner-up in the Charleston Classic tournament over the weekend, defeating Nevada and Seton Hall before falling to Drake in the championship game.
Although all the opponents were mid-majors, the win over the Wolf Pack (6-1), which went on to win its final two games of the tournament, is likely to end up a Quadrant 1 win. The other two games could end up in Quadrant 2 or Quadrant 3 after being played at the neutral site that was TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina.
After playing exclusively home games against overmatched opponents earlier in the season, Vanderbilt (6-1) did well in its first test against better competition. It will get further opportunities with a road game against Virginia Tech and a neutral-site game against TCU in December that will be important if the Commodores want to get in the NCAA Tournament conversation.
“That’s a Quad 1 win, and you’re sitting there and you know it’s something that’ll be a good win,” Mark Byington said on postgame radio after the Nevada win Thursday. “We’re hopefully in a situation in March to be in position for the NCAA Tournament and that’s what this tournament’s about. And we knew we had a really good team to go against, and we knew was going to be a challenge.
“And I knew I was going to learn a lot about my guys. And we were down early and we were just off. I didn’t recognize the team for a little bit. And a lot of times when you’re like that, it’s hard to get out of it. And there are voices in the huddles. And then when I walked into the huddle, I knew they were in good shape, because it was time to reset and time to play.”
Here’s what we learned from the tournament:
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Vanderbilt basketball has a lot of offensive depth
Vanderbilt has rolled with a nine-player rotation to start the season with starters AJ Hoggard, Grant Huffman, Jason Edwards, Tyler Nickel and Devin McGlockton and bench players Jaylen Carey, MJ Collins, Chris Manon and Tyler Tanner.
A different player went off in every game. Against Nevada, Hoggard had 18 points, Edwards had 16 and Collins had 15 off the bench. Against Seton Hall, Nickel had 24 points and hit six threes. Against Drake, Edwards had 26, the only player on the team with double-digit scoring. Devin McGlockton was quiet in Charleston, but he’s gone off in other games, too.
Vanderbilt not only has a lot of different players who can score, it also has a go-to bucket-getter in Edwards, who has scored in double digits every game this season.
Vanderbilt basketball defensive breakdowns still a concern
Per analytics website Torvik, Vanderbilt ranks 23rd on offense but just 132nd on defense. The Commodores excel at forcing turnovers with 29 steals across the three games, but when the opposing team does attempt shots, it can become problematic. Nevada frequently found itself with wide-open dunks and layups, going 22-for-34 on shots in the paint, and Drake went 24-for-38. Each of the three teams Vanderbilt faced also shot 33% or better from three in the game.
While the Commodores made their threes in each of the first two games, they shot just 19% in the third game, which was a significant factor in the loss. With the defensive struggles, Vanderbilt will need to make its shots, knowing the other team may have open looks.
Impact on Vanderbilt basketball NCAA Tournament resume
The win over Nevada was the important one for Vanderbilt’s resume, with that likely to end up a Quadrant 1 victory. The 2022-23 team that was left out of the NCAA Tournament did not have a Quadrant 1 win in non-conference. Official NET rankings have not yet been released.
But the SEC looks especially deep this year. Other teams projected to be at the bottom of the SEC have also picked up notable non-conference wins, including LSU (Kansas State on the road, UCF at a neutral site) and Georgia (St. John’s at a neutral site). The Commodores will still need a critical mass of SEC wins to get in the tournament conversation.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt basketball NCAA Tournament resume improves in Charleston
