Takeaways From Vanderbilt Basketball's 80-64 Loss To Texas

The harsh roadworthy realities 

Vanderbilt ne'er claimed to beryllium invincible aliases thing of nan sort, but it had yet to beryllium thwarted aliases pushed successful an situation for illustration it was successful connected Wednesday.

Mark Byington’s squad has been connected nan road, but mostly only knowledgeable sleepy crowds and middling teams astatine South Carolina, UCF and Wake Forest. This was its biggest roadworthy trial to day and it knowledgeable what nan roadworthy is for illustration successful a measurement that it hasn’t had to yet. 

As Vanderbilt recovered retired connected Wednesday, opposing shots spell successful that usually don’t, veterans get sped up successful ways they usually don’t and results tin alteration heavy erstwhile a roadworthy crowd is involved. 

Chalk it up and move on. 

Foul problem was a large problem

By nan six-minute people of nan first half, Jalen Washington and Devin McGlockton were some successful foul trouble. 

The foul problem being 1 that Vanderbilt struggled pinch successful Austin was fitting connected Wednesday arsenic it faced nan No. 1 squad successful nan state astatine drafting them. It was excessively predictable, though. 

It hasn’t been rather this drastic, but Vanderbilt has struggled often pinch akin issues passim nan people of nan season–and possibly much than Byington anticipated arsenic he built this roster. Washington’s 2.3 fouls per crippled matched his mean astatine North Carolina past season–albeit, he was playing much minutes per crippled astatine Vanderbilt heading into Wednesday night–and McGlockton’s 3.3 mean eclipsed his 3.0 per night. 

Heading into Wednesday, McGlockton had recorded astatine slightest 4 fouls successful 5 games, fouled retired of 1 and recorded astatine slightest 3 fouls successful 8 further games. Washington had 4 games successful which he recorded astatine slightest four, fouled retired of 1 and recorded 3 aliases much successful 4 further games. 

Vanderbilt doesn’t look to person many, but this appears to beryllium a flaw. At nan very least, it’s playing pinch guys who person worries astir fouls successful nan backmost of their minds much often than they should. 

Tyler Tanner kept it going

Tanner opinionated retired and being a double-figure scorer is nan astir predictable point astir Vanderbilt hoops these days. 

The sophomore defender has recovered himself squarely successful nan vicinity of stardom aft nan season’s commencement and catapulted his ain banal pinch a week successful which he was named SEC Player of nan Week and nan USBWA Player of nan Week. Tanner didn’t extremity there, though. 

Before anyone else, Tanner was successful double figures connected Wednesday nighttime and answered nan infinitesimal of being 1 of nan go-to guys successful an SEC roadworthy game. 

What’s existent and what’s nan road

The logic Vanderbilt’s foul problem is important coming retired of Wednesday nighttime is that it brings a inclination to ray that was antecedently covered up by nan flair of Vanderbilt’s 16-0 start. That’s thing it will person to reside arsenic it gets down nan agelong of convention play. 

Vanderbilt’s 5-for-14 people connected layups, 36.7% shooting from nan section and nan gashing it sewage connected nan glass, however, is each worldly to return pinch a atom of brackish these days. Consider Vanderbilt trailing for much clip connected Wednesday than it had antecedently each play successful nan aforesaid way.

Byington’s squad has capable of a assemblage of activity to this constituent that it shouldn’t beryllium evaluated successful those areas only disconnected of Wednesday, but it will person to proceed to beryllium that Wednesday isn’t each that suggestive of this group’s weaknesses. 

The bully news

Vanderbilt’s Wednesday nighttime nonaccomplishment won’t haunt it connected Selection Sunday aliases beryllium a blip connected its rèsumè erstwhile this is each said and done.

Texas will apt beryllium a bubble squad by nan clip this is each said and done and looks to person nary problem staying successful quad one. Meaning, this will beryllium a quad-one nonaccomplishment for Vanderbilt.

That intends that nan metrics won’t beryllium each that unkind to Vanderbilt erstwhile nan first sting wears off.