Vanderbilt doesn't have much on its rèsumè through four games. In fact, it has fallen around 60 spots in KenPom despite being 3-1.
The good news for Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse; his team has a real chance to change that this week. The even better news: Vanderbilt may be at full strength or close to it for the first time this season after missing three rotational players in its first four games due to injury.
The fifth-year coach mentioned after Vanderbilt's win over Central Arkansas that Lee Dort has returned to the practice floor, "is definitely trending in the right direction" and that he's hoping to see the sophomore forward play 10-12 minutes in Las Vegas.
Ven-Allen Lubin has done some light contact work as well as some "dummy offense" while star guard Tyrin Lawrence is "the furthest back of the three" but has also been on the floor shooting.
Perhaps we could find out what Stackhouse really has with this group. Without the preface of "well, it likely would've looked drastically different with Lawrence, Lubin and Dort on the floor."
If Vanderbilt is without that trio that doesn't make the opportunity any smaller, though.
It's hard to quantify what a win or two over a top 50 team would do for the Commodores at this point. They'll likely have a chance to pick up at least one of those as they face off NC State (51) as well as BYU (15) or Arizona State (94).
A Vanderbilt win or two in Vegas would forgive some of its deficiencies through three games, perhaps some of those could be forgotten about. Winning cures all. Especially when those wins can give credence to the theory that things weren't pretty purely because of Lawrence, Lubin and Dort's absences and players playing out of their current roles.
Without those three in the lineup, senior guard Ezra Manjon has kept Vanderbilt's head above water with 18.8 points and four assists per game.
Manjon's trip will be defined by his opportunity to lead Vanderbilt to its two biggest wins of the season. Not only that. Manjon has an opportunity to show America that he belongs in the discussion with the top point guards in the country. What better place to do that than two standalone games against power five opponents.
What better place for Vanderbilt as a whole to use as a turning point?
There don't seem to be many, especially as it looks to avenge last year's loss to NC State. Physical big man DJ Burns, who gave the Commodores some problems with 18 points and nine rebounds last season, is back and the Commodores' intensity will have to be as well.
NC State lost its best player to the NBA draft but has replaced his production in aggregate with Arizona State transfer DJ Horne and Butler transfer Jayden Taylor as well as Casey Morsell taking a step forward.
A win against NC State, or a loss for that matter, would send Vanderbilt into a matchup into a matchup with either BYU or Arizona State. If the season were to end today, A matchup with BYU would be a quad one opportunity and Arizona State would be a quad two game.
How do you change the outlook of a team in two days?
Well. You don't get that opportunity often, but it feels as if Vanderbilt can do just that with a Vegas Showdown win.
It's gut check time and it's time for Vanderbilt to prove that it has more in the tank than it has shown through four games.
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