Charleston, SC--Vanderbilt rose to the occasion and took down Nevada 73-71 in its opener of the Charleston Classic.

Here's some thoughts on the Commodores' performance in that game.

Vanderbilt made the timely play

Mark Byington's team looked like veterans on Friday night as it took down Nevada behind the timely stops and timely free throws.

The Commodores gave up just two scores in the final two minutes and knocked down enough free throws to win.

It felt like Vanderbilt's game to lose and in that reality, the Commodores did what good teams do.

They found a way to win.

MJ Collins, man

It felt like Virginia Tech transfer MJ Collins needed an outing like that.

It's always been in there, but Collins had been averaging just six points per game on 11.1% shooting from 3-point range heading into Thursday's game. The 6-foot-4 guard also hadn't eclipsed double figures yet this season.

Then Thursday's first half happened.

Collins lit it up with three difficult makes from beyond the arc that got him to 11 points before the break in Vanderbilt's first game in Charleston.

Nevada size was noteworthy, but Vanderbilt overcame it

That was far and away the biggest team that Vanderbilt has seen this season.

Vanderbilt's undersized group was tested on Thursday as it faced a group with positional size galore that often switched everything one through five and runs its offense through a 6-foot-9 point guard.

It often looked like Vanderbilt was incapable of stopping Nevada from getting to its spots in the lane and getting good looks. It's physicality and ability on the glass allowed it to hold its own, though.

That was a test unlike Vanderbilt has seen this season. It passed.

AJ Hoggard's physicality was a factor

When it felt like Vanderbilt had to rely on tough shotmaking, it often got bailed out by Hoggard, who consistently got his feet in the paint on Thursday night.

A microcosm of Hoggard's day was his "too small" gesture directed at a significantly bigger team than his own. Perhaps Hoggard's biggest importance came as a tourniquet, though.

That was personified in a late first-half layup physical late first half drive that ended a 7-0 Nevada run.

Hoggard was among the most physical players on the floor on Thursday despite the point guard label and that made a difference.

So did his passing.

Hoggard finished with seven assists, including a few flashy ones, and just three turnovers on the day. The Michigan State transfer might have the best manipulation ability out of any of Vanderbilt's ballhandlers.

The 6-foot-4 guard was a difference maker on Thursday.

Vanderbilt isn't the best defensive team in Charleston, but it's disruptive

Byington's team was significantly outsized on Thursday, but it held its own defensively all night.

Vanderbilt rotated well, it had active hands and it played with its hair on fire defensively. That's a recipe for success, and disruption.

Byington's team certainly was both of those things on Thursday as it forced Nevada into 16 turnovers and scored 17 points off of them.

Vanderbilt point guards Grant Huffman and Jason Edwards stood out, in particular on that end. Huffman finished with four steals and Edwards chipped in three.

If Vanderbilt gets after it like that on the defensive end, it's got a chance to do some things in March.

At the very least it appears to be a group that has a high care level on that end.

That was Jaylen Carey's best game at Vanderbilt

Carey wasn't his best statistically on Thursday, but impacted the game significantly against a team with more size than any that Vanderbilt has seen.

It wasn't as much about the numbers for Carey on Thursday as it was his presence. Vanderbilt was outrebounded by just three largely as a result of Carey hauling in eight.

Carey's impact was also felt more noticeably in the mid second half as he shifted the momentum back Vanderbilt's way with his first make from 3-point range at Vanderbilt and a subsequent block on the other end.

Vanderbilt's center lived up to expectations on Thursday, as did Vanderbilt.