Alabama vs. Vanderbilt today at high-noon...       

      I never underestimate any team. A poor team can beat a great team if all the pieces fall into place. Vanderbilt's basketball program has suffered. Jerry Stackhouse inherited a mess. Not just any mess, but a program that was on death's door. Bryce Drew all but destroyed Vanderbilt basketball. Drew came to Vandy as the red-hot new SEC wunderkind. It never happened. At Valpo, Drew had won the Horizon Conference four out of the five years he coached there. In the final season, the Crusaders were an astounding 30-7, including a 16-2 conference record. Vanderbilt came calling with an offer to get him out of the mid-major coaching ranks. His first year at Vandy, he took his Commodore team to the Big Dance. After that, it all fell apart. He ended his tenure in Nashville with a 40-50 overall record and a dismal 16-38 conference record. In this final season at Vandy, they failed to win a game. Goodbye, Drew, and hello, Stackhouse.  

     Stackhouse won three league games and eleven games overall. They were 11-21 overall and 3-15 in the Conference. That was an improvement. Jerry was a high-profile name and hoped his college and professional careers would be the lynchpin to future success. Right now, the 'Dores are 2-9 in the Conference and 6-11 overall. I'm going to defend Stackhouse. 2020-21 has been a horrible year for Vandy due to COVID protocols and postponed games. The Commodores haven't had the time to build a cohesive team yet. I watched the Vandy-Kentucky game. Vandy fell behind early, rallied some in the first half, and was down only one-point late in the second half. Two bricked free throws allowed Kentucky to maintain their lead and win by four. Here's what I saw that Bama fans need to remember. Vanderbilt took the ball inside for a lot of quality shots at the rim. Had Scottie Pippin, Jr. had a good game; the 'Dores would have won. If wishes were horses, even the beggars could ride. I get that. Don't think that Vandy won't play hard for one minute, and the game will Bama's weakness against Vanderbilt's strength. 

     This will be Alabama's game to lose.  On paper, the numbers all favor Alabama. Scottie Pippen, Jr. is an outstanding guard. He leads Vandy in scoring with 20.3 ppg and assists at 5.2 per game. Each of those numbers is 2nd in the SEC. Dylan Disu, power forward, is averaging 15  ppg. Disu is tied for 3rd in the SEC for shooting percentage. He also leads the SEC in rebounding at 9 per game. The Commodores are scoring 73.5 ppg and are allowing 76.8 ppg. I like Bama by 14.