VANDERBILT-TENNESSEE PART II -- SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S LACHANCE?

Insider forum for fans of Vanderbilt football, men's and women's basketball, and baseball. Signup for access here https://www.14powers.com/signup-for-membership/ If you are a premium member and are having trouble accessing this board please email donyates@vandymania.com Include your username in the email.
zemek
Commander
Posts: 431
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2016 4:17 pm

VANDERBILT-TENNESSEE PART II -- SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S LACHANCE?

Post by zemek »

It is a tale as old as the scriptures.

When a teammate falls, other players have to pick him up.

Vanderbilt, playing without Matthew Fisher-Davis, needed other Commodores to stand in the gap and compensate, building a bridge to a much-needed victory in SEC play.

Riley LaChance gave Bryce Drew exactly what he and his team needed this past Saturday.

It is always a bumpy ride with LaChance. Fans have to be willing to roll with the ups and downs of his performances, because for all the times he struggles, the great games sparkle and often make a positive difference to this team. Vanderbilt has a fragile relationship with the three-point shot, but when it drops -- as it did for LaChance against LSU (4 of 7) -- the Commodores become tough to beat.

Vanderbilt also becomes tough to beat when its perimeter defense limits an opponent to 4-of-19 three-point shooting, and when it handcuffs a formidable ballhandling and scoring point guard, LSU's Tremont Waters, to just seven points on a 3-of-12 (1-of-6 from three) slash line with no free throw attempts. (Broken down by shooting percentage, Waters' slash line was .250/.167/.000.)

Does Vanderbilt have any chance of making a run to the postseason? Yes. If the question was shifted -- does VU have a good chance? -- the answer would be no, but it is still early enough in the season that a five-game winning streak would put this team in the postseason mix. No one in the huddle or on the practice court should be entertaining any notions of March basketball, but the point of this brief discussion is simply to note that Vanderbilt seemed well outside the postseason ropes last year but fought its way inside the club and got seated in a comfortable booth. If VU was able to catch fire late last season, the fire should burn inside these Commodores one year later.

Right now, the best candidate to get hot and lead an uprising is LaChance. He has the ball a lot, he has an advanced understanding of Drew's offense, and he has been struggling. Those are all reasons to think he can go off these next few weeks. Yes, even the third reason in that list -- which seems like a negative on the surface -- can be explained in a positive way. LaChance's struggles might not immediately or outwardly suggest that a big month lies ahead for him, but they do point to the idea that if he can sustain a high level for "just" a month (since he hasn't been able to do that the previous two months), Vanderbilt could take off.

It could be the case that LaChance is VU's weather-vane player, so if he can get on a roll, the team might follow suit.

Tonight in Knoxville, Vanderbilt has to be wondering if there's a LaChance this season can begin to pick up genuine and consolidated momentum.

You have met the Tennessee Volunteers before in these season-long game previews. You know that Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield most centrally stir the drink for coach Rick Barnes' club. You know that Williams is a good stationary low-post defender, but is weaker when forced to move around and guard opponents on the perimeter. You know that the Vols overcame a double-figure deficit in the second half to win in Memorial Gym.

What else do you need to know about the Vols? Lamonte Turner, a reserve, exploded for 25 points this past Saturday against South Carolina. Barnes played three guards at the point against the Gamecocks, and he also moved Turner from the two-guard spot to the point guard, giving him more ballhandling responsibilities. Having the ball on a consistent basis liberated Turner instead of restricting him.

Tennessee had a dynamic offense the last time it played Vanderbilt, so one might wonder why Barnes felt the need to change. The answer was an ugly 59-55 loss to Missouri in which the Vols' offense completely bogged down. The presence of another road game on the schedule after that visit to Mizzou impressed upon Barnes the need for new lineup combinations and player responsibilities.

That's what Vanderbilt will have to deal with tonight.

Will the Commodores win? Who knows? First things first: Let's see if Vanderbilt can build another 10-point second half lead over the Vols. It will be hard to lose a double-figure lead twice to the same team in the same year.

Is it likely VU will be able to do that? No... but I'm saying there's a LaChance it could happen.