Monday night was a big one for the Vanderbilt Commodores, no matter the outcome.
With a nine day layoff for finals, Bryce Drew and his staff had to go back to square one after Darius Garland’s season ending and most likely college career ending knee injury. Drew and company had to figure out not only what their strengths and weaknesses are, but how to utilize the strengths, how to eliminate more weaknesses, and which group of players to do it with.
The results were a resounding and surprising 81-65 victory over No. 18 Arizona State. Not only were the Dores a one-point underdog at home, this was the first time they knocked off a top twenty opponent since they defeated Florida in the SEC Tournament way back in March of 2017.
We honestly had very little idea what to expect from this team on Monday. It certainly wasn’t a 16-point win. The performance gave us some idea on what Drew can hang his hat on.
There are also a lot of question marks that still need to be addressed, but first let’s take a look at what we learned.
This was a win by committee
Five Commodores scored in double figures: Saben Lee had 14, Aaron Nesmith had 13, Yanni Wetzell had 12 Joe Toye and Matt Ryan both had 11. Simi Shittu and Maxwell Evans just missed with 9 and 8 points respectively.
The initial stage of the game was defined on the offensive end by quick shots and little ball movement. As the game progressed the orange moved more. There were several reversals each time down. The ball went side to side with multiple ball-screens and handoffs. In other words, everyone got involved and the box score bears that out.
Lee was the quickest player on the floor in a group of ultra athletes. He repeatedly exploded into the lane although he over-passed several times when he got there. Nesmith is starting to get comfortable as a freshman, and last night showed flashes that he is an elite shooter and can still get to the rim. Wetzell came out of nowhere with a 3-pointer and the ability to catch and finish with authority when facing the rim. Toye was Toye, athletic yet solid, and in going three of four from deep, is a 3-point weapon we never thought we would see. Ryan was only 2 for 11 from the field, but we all know he is a capable scorer. But he does a lot more defensively as well as doing the little thing offensively that he doesn’t get credit for.
Shittu’s development is obvious in six weeks. There are still plenty he needs to work on. He gets out of position defensively. I think Drew has made accommodations by dumbing down Shittu’s responsibilities, but last night you could see what the buzz was all about. He protected the rim, pushed the ball in a point forward role, and is an exquisite passer off the dribble.
Evans was another delightful surprise. He gave this team the first half lift when they needed it. He came right in and hit an early three. He also had another stretch of three plays in which he hit a transition long ball, made a fast break pass ahead to Wetzell for a bucket, and hit another 3-pointer in transition. The second shot gave Vanderbilt its first lead at 25-24 with 4:34 left in the first half. He was also effective playing the point guard role. This speaks for Evans character. There was little playing time last season last season and early this year. Instead of pouting, he stayed well into the night and got shots in. Toye’s emergence gives me faith that Evans can be a player as well.
The bottom line is that it has to be heartening for Vanderbilt fans to see the impact of Wetzell, Nesmith, and Evans. It also must be added that Clevon Brown’s stats didn’t do him justice. He played with a high motor, and along with Shittu, defended the rim.
The starting lineup needs to change
The Commodores got down right off the bat 9-0. After closing the gap to 16-14, they gave up a nine to two run to fall behind again by nine, 25-16.
There was a common denominator when they got outscored 18-2 during Arizona State’s two runs. Saben Lee, Simisola Shittu, and Matthew Moyer were all on the floor at the same time. These three were also in the starting lineup along with Toye and Ryan.
We will talk later about what this team’s identity is, but that identity is not there with these three players in the lineup together. The trio is all non shooters from the perimeter. The defense extended on Ryan and Toye and sagged off the other three. There were no lanes to penetrate and nowhere to go off the ball-screens.
On the defensive end, the lack of discipline in the passing lanes was disturbing. Overplays led to drives. There was also little to no transition defense. The result was a layup drill in half and full-court.
The point differential was 79-47 in favor of Vanderbilt when those three weren’t in the game at the same time. Don’t mistake my argument. Lee and Shittu were huge for this team last night. Play all three guys. Give Saben and Simi huge minutes. It just doesn’t look like Drew can play those three together.
By the way, Vanderbilt had 36 bench points for the night.
Drew had an offensive game plan
The offense also has an identity. They play fast. Push the ball, and can put a group on the floor that is dangerous from behind the arc.
Over half of their shots were 3-pointers. They were 24 of 55 from the field for 43.6 percent, and 12 of 28 from 42.9 percent from deep. So a majority of the shots were via the long ball, and the percentage was higher behind the 3-point line than inside of it.
Toye was 3 of 4 from deep, Nesmith 3 for 5, Evans 2 for 3, Ryan 2 for 9, Lee and Evans 1 for 2, Moyer 0 for 2, and Shittu 0 for 1.
The ball reversals and movement made the defense move and provided space for shooters to get a shot off on the catch.
There were also more set plays put in by Drew. It wasn’t all five out motion. There were several box sets with the combination of Shittu, Wetzell, and Brown on the floor. He also had went to the UCLA – pin down action repeatedly in the second half.
The object though is to get these guys open outside looks. As players begin to recognize their roles, penetrators like Lee should be able to create for the likes of Ryan and Nesmith. Speaking of Lee, State played him to pass off of the drive. He needs to go up strong and finish.
One surprising stat was that officially Vanderbilt only got credit for four transition points. It certainly seemed like more. This team does push the ball at a high speed and gets into early offense from the pace. The next step is to be able to eliminate the bad early shot choices while still playing fast.
Another hurdle Drew will face is where does the scoring come from when the deep ball is not falling. I expect them to keep shooting it but they will be able to generate points from other places.
The defense is improving
My biggest concern from the North Carolina State game was not scoring the ball, it was keeping the other team from scoring. The defense in Miami was as bad as it gets.
They made strides against Middle Tennessee State. Admittedly, the competition was much weaker, but one can identify strong defensive effort as well as good technique and execution no matter who they play. The improvement continued on Monday.
The Sun Devils were held to season lows of 32.3 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from the 3-point area.
Drew can put a highly athletic group on the floor. Even an individual like Matt Ryan, who isn’t considered to be as dynamic, was excellent on the defensive side of the floor. At times, closeouts and scrambles were really good. They made not only one extra play on a defensive possession, but at times made two or three.
With certain lineups on the floor, they also took away Arizona State’s transition game. In the 9-2 first half run, the Devils scored seven straight points on the fast break. Drew changed the lineup. Transition layups were eliminated, and the Commodores went on a 19-9 run.
Vandy was also solid on the boards. Arizona State came in as one of the top rebounding teams in the country. They only won that battle by three. Their thirteen offensive rebounds can use work, but it isn’t an onslaught either. There were four players with five rebounds or more. They also had eight team rebounds which means the box outs were there, they just weren’t able to get to the ball.
One glaring aspect that does need to be worked on is the help-side, especially on the drive. On Luguentz Dort’s highlight reel dunk, he drove from the left corner. Toye had a bad angle on his closeout. He drove to the middle to the front of the rim. Shittu and Nesmith both had help-side and were in the lane, but neither one stepped in . Shittu got locked in on his man several times in the lane when he could have slid one more step and been in great position.
Shittu doesn’t understand the full concept of help defense yet. He wasn’t taught that in high school, but he has gotten much better in six weeks. There is one more thing regarding him I will be very interested to see in the future.
When he defends ball-screens, he doesn’t hedge or double, he just plays off. Granted, this keeps the ball from getting to the rim, but it does give up open jumpers off the dribble from the high post area. Arizona State’s guards couldn’t make those shots. Somewhere along the line they will play teams that can. They will also face perimeters that can knock down threes when the defender goes under the ball-screen. Does Drew put more on Shittu’s plate has he gains experience? On the other side, when he is in the lane, the combination of he along with Brown or Wetzell can certainly wall off the lane.
We will see if there is further progression when they play another ranked team, Kansas State, this Saturday in Kansas City.
With a nine day layoff for finals, Bryce Drew and his staff had to go back to square one after Darius Garland’s season ending and most likely college career ending knee injury. Drew and company had to figure out not only what their strengths and weaknesses are, but how to utilize the strengths, how to eliminate more weaknesses, and which group of players to do it with.
The results were a resounding and surprising 81-65 victory over No. 18 Arizona State. Not only were the Dores a one-point underdog at home, this was the first time they knocked off a top twenty opponent since they defeated Florida in the SEC Tournament way back in March of 2017.
We honestly had very little idea what to expect from this team on Monday. It certainly wasn’t a 16-point win. The performance gave us some idea on what Drew can hang his hat on.
There are also a lot of question marks that still need to be addressed, but first let’s take a look at what we learned.
This was a win by committee
Five Commodores scored in double figures: Saben Lee had 14, Aaron Nesmith had 13, Yanni Wetzell had 12 Joe Toye and Matt Ryan both had 11. Simi Shittu and Maxwell Evans just missed with 9 and 8 points respectively.
The initial stage of the game was defined on the offensive end by quick shots and little ball movement. As the game progressed the orange moved more. There were several reversals each time down. The ball went side to side with multiple ball-screens and handoffs. In other words, everyone got involved and the box score bears that out.
Lee was the quickest player on the floor in a group of ultra athletes. He repeatedly exploded into the lane although he over-passed several times when he got there. Nesmith is starting to get comfortable as a freshman, and last night showed flashes that he is an elite shooter and can still get to the rim. Wetzell came out of nowhere with a 3-pointer and the ability to catch and finish with authority when facing the rim. Toye was Toye, athletic yet solid, and in going three of four from deep, is a 3-point weapon we never thought we would see. Ryan was only 2 for 11 from the field, but we all know he is a capable scorer. But he does a lot more defensively as well as doing the little thing offensively that he doesn’t get credit for.
Shittu’s development is obvious in six weeks. There are still plenty he needs to work on. He gets out of position defensively. I think Drew has made accommodations by dumbing down Shittu’s responsibilities, but last night you could see what the buzz was all about. He protected the rim, pushed the ball in a point forward role, and is an exquisite passer off the dribble.
Evans was another delightful surprise. He gave this team the first half lift when they needed it. He came right in and hit an early three. He also had another stretch of three plays in which he hit a transition long ball, made a fast break pass ahead to Wetzell for a bucket, and hit another 3-pointer in transition. The second shot gave Vanderbilt its first lead at 25-24 with 4:34 left in the first half. He was also effective playing the point guard role. This speaks for Evans character. There was little playing time last season last season and early this year. Instead of pouting, he stayed well into the night and got shots in. Toye’s emergence gives me faith that Evans can be a player as well.
The bottom line is that it has to be heartening for Vanderbilt fans to see the impact of Wetzell, Nesmith, and Evans. It also must be added that Clevon Brown’s stats didn’t do him justice. He played with a high motor, and along with Shittu, defended the rim.
The starting lineup needs to change
The Commodores got down right off the bat 9-0. After closing the gap to 16-14, they gave up a nine to two run to fall behind again by nine, 25-16.
There was a common denominator when they got outscored 18-2 during Arizona State’s two runs. Saben Lee, Simisola Shittu, and Matthew Moyer were all on the floor at the same time. These three were also in the starting lineup along with Toye and Ryan.
We will talk later about what this team’s identity is, but that identity is not there with these three players in the lineup together. The trio is all non shooters from the perimeter. The defense extended on Ryan and Toye and sagged off the other three. There were no lanes to penetrate and nowhere to go off the ball-screens.
On the defensive end, the lack of discipline in the passing lanes was disturbing. Overplays led to drives. There was also little to no transition defense. The result was a layup drill in half and full-court.
The point differential was 79-47 in favor of Vanderbilt when those three weren’t in the game at the same time. Don’t mistake my argument. Lee and Shittu were huge for this team last night. Play all three guys. Give Saben and Simi huge minutes. It just doesn’t look like Drew can play those three together.
By the way, Vanderbilt had 36 bench points for the night.
Drew had an offensive game plan
The offense also has an identity. They play fast. Push the ball, and can put a group on the floor that is dangerous from behind the arc.
Over half of their shots were 3-pointers. They were 24 of 55 from the field for 43.6 percent, and 12 of 28 from 42.9 percent from deep. So a majority of the shots were via the long ball, and the percentage was higher behind the 3-point line than inside of it.
Toye was 3 of 4 from deep, Nesmith 3 for 5, Evans 2 for 3, Ryan 2 for 9, Lee and Evans 1 for 2, Moyer 0 for 2, and Shittu 0 for 1.
The ball reversals and movement made the defense move and provided space for shooters to get a shot off on the catch.
There were also more set plays put in by Drew. It wasn’t all five out motion. There were several box sets with the combination of Shittu, Wetzell, and Brown on the floor. He also had went to the UCLA – pin down action repeatedly in the second half.
The object though is to get these guys open outside looks. As players begin to recognize their roles, penetrators like Lee should be able to create for the likes of Ryan and Nesmith. Speaking of Lee, State played him to pass off of the drive. He needs to go up strong and finish.
One surprising stat was that officially Vanderbilt only got credit for four transition points. It certainly seemed like more. This team does push the ball at a high speed and gets into early offense from the pace. The next step is to be able to eliminate the bad early shot choices while still playing fast.
Another hurdle Drew will face is where does the scoring come from when the deep ball is not falling. I expect them to keep shooting it but they will be able to generate points from other places.
The defense is improving
My biggest concern from the North Carolina State game was not scoring the ball, it was keeping the other team from scoring. The defense in Miami was as bad as it gets.
They made strides against Middle Tennessee State. Admittedly, the competition was much weaker, but one can identify strong defensive effort as well as good technique and execution no matter who they play. The improvement continued on Monday.
The Sun Devils were held to season lows of 32.3 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from the 3-point area.
Drew can put a highly athletic group on the floor. Even an individual like Matt Ryan, who isn’t considered to be as dynamic, was excellent on the defensive side of the floor. At times, closeouts and scrambles were really good. They made not only one extra play on a defensive possession, but at times made two or three.
With certain lineups on the floor, they also took away Arizona State’s transition game. In the 9-2 first half run, the Devils scored seven straight points on the fast break. Drew changed the lineup. Transition layups were eliminated, and the Commodores went on a 19-9 run.
Vandy was also solid on the boards. Arizona State came in as one of the top rebounding teams in the country. They only won that battle by three. Their thirteen offensive rebounds can use work, but it isn’t an onslaught either. There were four players with five rebounds or more. They also had eight team rebounds which means the box outs were there, they just weren’t able to get to the ball.
One glaring aspect that does need to be worked on is the help-side, especially on the drive. On Luguentz Dort’s highlight reel dunk, he drove from the left corner. Toye had a bad angle on his closeout. He drove to the middle to the front of the rim. Shittu and Nesmith both had help-side and were in the lane, but neither one stepped in . Shittu got locked in on his man several times in the lane when he could have slid one more step and been in great position.
Shittu doesn’t understand the full concept of help defense yet. He wasn’t taught that in high school, but he has gotten much better in six weeks. There is one more thing regarding him I will be very interested to see in the future.
When he defends ball-screens, he doesn’t hedge or double, he just plays off. Granted, this keeps the ball from getting to the rim, but it does give up open jumpers off the dribble from the high post area. Arizona State’s guards couldn’t make those shots. Somewhere along the line they will play teams that can. They will also face perimeters that can knock down threes when the defender goes under the ball-screen. Does Drew put more on Shittu’s plate has he gains experience? On the other side, when he is in the lane, the combination of he along with Brown or Wetzell can certainly wall off the lane.
We will see if there is further progression when they play another ranked team, Kansas State, this Saturday in Kansas City.
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