No. 11 Vanderbilt looks to continue its best start since opening 16-0 in 2007-08 when it hosts LSU on Saturday in Southeastern Conference action in Nashville, Tenn.
The Commodores (15-0, 2-0 SEC) improved to 8-0 at home with Wednesday’s 96-90 victory over No. 13 Alabama. Tyler Tanner scored a career-high 29 points, dished seven assists and added four steals to put himself in the early mix for SEC Player of the Year honors.
“I think (Tanner’s) confidence was shared with that bench group that was in the game, that they looked around and said, ‘We have Tyler Tanner and he’ll make some plays for us,’ and he did with assists,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said. “And they just finished it off.”
The Tigers (12-3, 0-2) dropped their conference road opener at Texas A&M before no-showing in the first half of its SEC home opener — LSU trailed 50-25 at the break — in Tuesday’s 78-68 loss to South Carolina.
“In the first half, we just did not have the urgency you have on the defensive side of the ball,” coach Matt McMahon said. “We gave them too much space. You’re not going to come back on anybody when you dig yourself that big of a deficit.”
Health also has been problematic for LSU. The Tigers lost 6-foot-10 forward Jalen Reed (9.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg) for the season with an injury after a 6-0 start, and have been without point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. since he sustained a leg injury in a Dec. 29 win over Southern Miss.
Thomas leads the Tigers in scoring (16.2) and assists (7.1). McMahon has termed the injury “day-to-day,” but Thomas didn’t play in either SEC game, leaving freshman Jalen Reece to run the offense. He is 3 for 13 from the field with six turnovers and hasn’t attempted a free throw in 65 minutes in SEC play.
LSU averages 86.5 points on the season, but just 70 in the two games without Thomas.
The Tigers’ best hope at an upset likely rests on big games from Mike Nwoko (15.7 ppg), Max Mackinnon (13.6) and Marquel Sutton (12.9).
The Commodores have one of the best backcourt combos in the country in Tanner (17.1 ppg, 2.6 steals per game) and Duke Miles (17.2 ppg, 3.0 spg), the latter of whom returned from missing two games for various health reasons to score 19 in the win over Alabama.
LSU, which ranks 172nd in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted tempo (68.6 possessions), will want to slow the pace against Vanderbilt, which ranks 39th at 71.8.
Even so, Vanderbilt is difficult to defend in a slower, half-court game. Tyler Nickel (14.7 ppg) has had a pair of games in which he’s hit eight 3-pointers this season, while Devin McGlockton (10.9) and Jalen Washington (10.1) provide a consistent scoring punch down low.
The Commodores will likely be without Frankie Collins (7.8 ppg) one of its three primary ball-handlers. Collins has missed the last three games with a meniscus injury that’s not expected to be season-ending.
