The ball doesn't always go in. Sometimes you have an off shooting night. It's hard to change things on offense when they aren't going your way, but one thing you can control is defense.

Shea Ralph has made defense the point of emphasis for Vanderbilt this season.

"Defense has to be who we are. We are going to have offensive nights that aren't great," Ralph stated. "Defense and rebounding and playing with tenacity on that end of the floor will always be the cornerstone of who we are."

That is exactly what Vanderbilt has shown this season. Just a few weeks in and the Commodores have put their aggressive style on exhibit, edging out their opponents in just about every statistical category.

On the boards, they are outrebounding their opponents by an average of 13 rebounds. They're also making it very difficult for teams to get their offense in a rhythm.

Vanderbilt's opponents are shooting an average of 32.7% from the floor and just 24.7% from behind the arc. This is the 26th best field goal percentage defense in the country.

Because of that, it's allowing the Commodores to outscore the opposition by an average of 38 points.

Ralph knows that early on in the year, this group will have to learn to mesh and build chemistry on offense, but through that process, defense will be what they fall back on.

"We are going to have days, especially early in the season where our offense looks a little wonky, but if we can play defense like that, then we always give ourselves a chance."

The Commodores have the 15th best scoring defense in the country, giving up an average of 47 points per game.

Part of the reason is due to the fact that Vanderbilt is winning the turnover battle, forcing its opponents to give up an average of 25 turnovers per game.

While Ralph has vocalized the importance of defense, the Commodores have been able to back it up and put it on full display.