NASHVILLE, Tenn.—It wasn’t always pretty, but Vanderbilt (12-1), in its final non-conference tune-up, took care of business with a 100-56 pounding of New Orleans (2-11) in Memorial Gymnasium on Monday evening.
Tyler Nickel (19 points), Jason Edwards (17), Tyler Tanner (16) and Devin McGlockton (14) led the Commodores in scoring. McGlockton pulled 10 rebounds to get his third double-double this season, while AJ Hoggard dished out eight assists.
Vanderbilt never trailed. It led by 21 at half, pushed the margin over 30 with 16:06 left, went up 40 on a Nickel 3 with 6:48 to play and finally, extended the lead to 50 with 2:30 remaining.
The importance of margin of victory—something that previous coach Jerry Stackhouse never grasped, or at least not until it was too late—was clearly at the forefront of coal Mark Byington’s mind as he addressed the media in the post-game press conference. The Commodores entered the day 35th in the NCAA’s NET rankings and should move up after a 44-point drubbing in a contest in which Vanderbilt was, give or take a basket, roughly a 32-point favorite.
“I just told the guys in the locker room, they did what they’re supposed to do in non-conference,” Byington said. “And the previous 12 games, and then tonight, and right now, we’re mid-30s in NET ranking, and probably go up maybe one (spot), or be about the same tomorrow. We put ourself in position to have a chance in SEC play. The big goal is obviously the NCAA tournament. We don’t hide from that. We talk about winning right away.”
NET rankings won’t release until Tuesday morning, but Vanderbilt moved up from 51st to 48th in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings—which track relatively well with the NET—after this one.
Vanderbilt got up double-digits in the first 5:05 on a McGlockton bucket, but had trouble separating much further for a while. The Commodores didn’t get a 20-point lead until Nickel’s 3 with 2:18 left in the period.
“My guys were just finding me,” Nickel said. “Like coach said, we were just playing the right way. When the ball’s popping and we’re catching it in rhythm, it’s pretty easy to get going from there.”
It was all over quickly in the second half as the Privateers, led by James White’s 18 points, never got within 20.
Tanner ended the night still not having committed a turnover in his collegiate career, which now spans 269 assists. He added three more steals to run his total to a team-leading 32.
“I try not to think about it, because I think if I do think about it, I’ll make the wrong play,” Tanner said, when asked about the turnover-less streak. “I just try to make the right play every time and not worry about it.”
Up next: the conference opener at LSU. The Tigers (11-2) have won their last three, the most recent being a 110-45 drubbing of Mississippi Valley State on Sunday.
They are, however, without Jalen Reed, one of their top players who’s been done with an injury since Dec. 3.
“We know we’re not the biggest thing. We’ve got to rebound at all five positions,” Byington said, when asked about concerns heading into SEC play.
The game tips off at 3:30 Central on Saturday and can be seen on ESPN2.
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