2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team
2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball | |
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SEC tournament champions | |
NCAA tournament, Round of 32 | |
Conference | Southeastern Conference |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 19 |
AP | No. 20 |
Record | 25–11 (10–6 SEC) |
Head coach |
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Assistant coaches |
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Home arena | Memorial Gymnasium |
Seasons |
| Conf | Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 1 Kentucky | 16 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 38 | – | 2 | .950 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 25 Florida | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 26 | – | 11 | .703 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 20 Vanderbilt † | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 25 | – | 11 | .694 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tennessee | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 19 | – | 15 | .559 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alabama | 9 | – | 7 | .563 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mississippi State | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ole Miss | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 20 | – | 14 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LSU | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arkansas | 6 | – | 10 | .375 | 18 | – | 14 | .563 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Auburn | 5 | – | 11 | .313 | 15 | – | 16 | .484 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Georgia | 5 | – | 11 | .313 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Carolina | 2 | – | 14 | .125 | 10 | – | 21 | .323 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† 2012 SEC tournament winner As of April 2, 2012 Rankings from AP poll |
The 2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represented Vanderbilt University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Commodores, members of the Southeastern Conference, were coached by Kevin Stallings, and celebrated their 60th season in their current home arena, Memorial Gymnasium. After a 21–10 regular season that fell short of lofty preseason expectations, the Commodores captured their first SEC Tournament Championship in 61 seasons on March 11, 2012, by defeating Georgia, Ole Miss, and top-ranked Kentucky in consecutive days.[1] In the 2012 NCAA tournament they defeated Harvard in the second round before falling in the third round to Wisconsin to finish the season 25–11.
Before the season
The Commodores came off a 2010–11 season that ended with a second-round (first game) upset by Richmond in the NCAA tournament. This continued a recent history of tournament disappointments for Vanderbilt, whose last three NCAA appearances had all ended with a first-game loss to a double-digit seed.[2]
During the offseason, the coaching staff saw one change when assistant King Rice was hired as head coach at Monmouth.[3] Rice was replaced by David Cason, a former player under Stallings at Illinois State who had spent the previous six seasons as an assistant with Tulsa.[4]
Class of 2011 signees
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Kedren Johnson PG | Lewisburg, Tennessee | Marshall County | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Sep 22, 2010 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() | ||||||
Shelby Moats PF | Waconia, Minnesota | Waconia | 6 ft 7.5 in (2.02 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Sep 26, 2010 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() | ||||||
Dai-Jon Parker SG | Alpharetta, Georgia | Milton | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Nov 5, 2010 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 23 Rivals: 30 | ||||||
Sources:
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2011–12 outlook
In a major offseason development, three of the Commodores' most important players—Festus Ezeli, John Jenkins, and Jeffery Taylor—all spurned the NBA draft and announced they would return for the 2011–12 season.[5][6] Jenkins, the SEC's leading scorer in 2010–11 at 19.5 points per game,[7] was chosen for the All-SEC first team.[8] Ezeli, who averaged 13 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks[7] in a breakout season, was named to the All-SEC second team,[8] and was also named by multiple sources as one of the most improved players in the country.[2][9] Taylor averaged 14.7 points[7] while being named to the All-SEC second team, as well as the SEC All-Defensive Team.[8] Ezeli, Jenkins, and Taylor were all named by Basketball Prospectus in its 2011–12 preseason outlook as among the top 20 players in college basketball, making Vanderbilt the only Division I men's team with three top-20 performers.[5]
These decisions meant that Vanderbilt would return all five of its starters from last season, all of them seniors except for Jenkins, a junior.[10] Another returning starter, point guard Brad Tinsley, led the SEC in assists in 2010–11 with 4.6 per game.[5][7]
The Commodores thus were widely projected as a preseason top-10 team,[2][5] with ESPN's Hall of Fame commentator Dick Vitale going so far as to rank them #5 in his preseason top 40.[11]
Less than a month before the start of the season, the NCAA suspended Ezeli 6 games after accepting a meal and hotel room from a Vanderbilt alumnus during a summer trip. He was able to practice with the team during the suspension, and was also eligible to play in the team's preseason exhibition game (but was unable to play in that game). Ezeli came off his suspension for the Xavier game on November 28;[12] however, he suffered a sprained knee during a late-October practice,[13] and did not return until the Davidson game on December 7.[14]
Roster
2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Schedule
Date time, TV | Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
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Exhibition | |||||||||||
Nov. 7, 2011* 7:00 p.m. | No. 7 | Xavier (LA) | W 102–67 | 17 – Taylor | 8 – Goulbourne | 4 – Fuller | Memorial Gymnasium (11,844) Nashville, TN | ||||
Regular season | |||||||||||
Nov. 11, 2011* 9:00 p.m., FSN | No. 7 | Oregon | W 78–64 | 1–0 | 24 – Jenkins | 11 – Taylor | 4 – Taylor | Memorial Gymnasium (14,316) Nashville, TN | |||
Nov. 13, 2011* 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 7 | Cleveland State Legends Classic – Preliminary round | L 58–71 | 1–1 | 17 – Jenkins | 11 – Tchiengang | 2 – Tied | Memorial Gymnasium (13,503) Nashville, TN | |||
Nov. 15, 2011* 7:00 p.m. | No. 18 | Bucknell Legends Classic – Preliminary round | W 80–68 | 2–1 | 17 – Taylor | 9 – Goulbourne | 4 – Henderson | Memorial Gymnasium (12,543) Nashville, TN | |||
Nov. 19, 2011* 5:30 p.m., ESPN3 | No. 18 | vs. NC State Legends Classic – Semifinal | W 86–79 | 3–1 | 28 – Jenkins | 11 – Tchiengang | 5 – Taylor | Izod Center East Rutherford, NJ | |||
Nov. 21, 2011* 9:00 p.m., ESPN3 | No. 18 | vs. Oregon State Legends Classic – Championship | W 64–62 | 4–1 | 14 – Jenkins | 13 – Taylor | 2 – Tied | Izod Center (3,294) East Rutherford, NJ | |||
Nov. 25, 2011* 8:00 p.m. | No. 18 | Monmouth | W 95–73 | 5–1 | 18 – Jenkins | 10 – Goulbourne | 5 – Taylor | Memorial Gymnasium (12,807) Nashville, TN | |||
Nov. 28, 2011* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 20 | No. 11 Xavier | L 70–82 OT | 5–2 | 20 – Jenkins | 7 – Tied | 7 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (14,316) Nashville, TN | |||
Dec. 2, 2011* 7:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 20 | at No. 6 Louisville SEC–Big East Challenge | L 60–62 OT | 5–3 | 27 – Jenkins | 8 – Goulbourne | 5 – Tinsley | KFC Yum! Center (22,728) Louisville, KY | |||
Dec. 7, 2011* 6:00 p.m. | at Davidson | W 87–83 | 6–3 | 30 – Taylor | 7 – Goulbourne | 3 – Johnson | John M. Belk Arena (4,475) Davidson, NC | ||||
Dec. 17, 2011* 4:30 p.m., CSS | No. 25 | Indiana State | L 55–61 | 6–4 | 21 – Taylor | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (13,310) Nashville, TN | |||
Dec. 19, 2011* 7:00 p.m. | Longwood | W 99–71 | 7–4 | 29 – Taylor | 10 – Goulbourne | 3 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (12,886) Nashville, TN | ||||
Dec. 21, 2011* 7:00 p.m., FSN | Lafayette | W 89–58 | 8–4 | 27 – Jenkins | 9 – Tchiengang | 10 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (13,034) Nashville, TN | ||||
Dec. 29, 2011* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | at No. 14 Marquette | W 74–57 | 9–4 | 19 – Taylor | 16 – Goulbourne | 8 – Tinsley | Bradley Center (15,684) Milwaukee, WI | ||||
Jan. 2, 2012* 7:00 p.m. | Miami (OH) | W 69–62 | 10–4 | 26 – Jenkins | 7 – Ezeli | 4 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (13,162) Nashville, TN | ||||
Jan. 7, 2012 12:30 p.m., SECN | Auburn | W 65–35 | 11–4 (1–0) | 17 – Jenkins | 8 – Ezeli | 6 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (13,473) Nashville, TN | ||||
Jan. 10, 2012 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | at South Carolina | W 67–57 | 12–4 (2–0) | 14 – Jenkins | 10 – Goulbourne | 9 – Tinsley | Colonial Life Arena (8,353) Columbia, SC | ||||
Jan. 14, 2012 3:00 p.m., SECN | Georgia | W 77–66 | 13–4 (3–0) | 18 – Jenkins | 9 – Taylor | 4 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (14,316) Nashville, TN | ||||
Jan. 19, 2012 6:00 p.m., ESPN | at Alabama | W 69–59 | 14–4 (4–0) | 20 – Jenkins | 10 – Ezeli | 4 – Tinsley | Coleman Coliseum (12,202) Tuscaloosa, AL | ||||
Jan. 21, 2012 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 18 Mississippi State | L 77–78 OT | 14–5 (4–1) | 21 – Jenkins | 14 – Ezeli | 5 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (14,316) Nashville, TN | ||||
Jan. 24, 2012 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | Tennessee 'Super Tuesday' | W 65–47 | 15–5 (5–1) | 23 – Taylor | 9 – Ezeli | 4 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (14,316) Nashville, TN | ||||
Jan. 28, 2012* 1:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | W 84–77 | 16–5 | 26 – Jenkins | 8 – Goulbourne | 4 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (14,316) Nashville, TN | ||||
Jan. 31, 2012 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 25 | at Arkansas | L 74–82 | 16–6 (5–2) | 19 – Jenkins | 6 – Taylor | 6 – Tinsley | Bud Walton Arena (13,678) Fayetteville, AR | |||
Feb. 4, 2012 12:00 p.m., CBS | No. 25 | at No. 12 Florida | L 65–73 | 16–7 (5–3) | 25 – Taylor | 11 – Goulbourne | 6 – Tinsley | O'Connell Center (11,270) Gainesville, FL | |||
Feb. 8, 2012 8:00 p.m., CSS | LSU | W 76–61 | 17–7 (6–3) | 21 – Ezeli | 6 – Tied | 5 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (13,610) Nashville, TN | ||||
Feb. 11, 2012 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 Kentucky ESPN College GameDay | L 63–69 | 17–8 (6–4) | 15 – Jenkins | 9 – Taylor | 4 – Tied | Memorial Gymnasium (14,316) Nashville, TN | ||||
Feb. 16, 2012 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | at Ole Miss | W 102–76 | 18–8 (7–4) | 28 – Taylor | 9 – Taylor | 4 – Tinsley | Tad Smith Coliseum (5,954) Oxford, MS | ||||
Feb. 19, 2012 12:00 p.m., FSN | at Georgia | W 61–52 | 19–8 (8–4) | 28 – Jenkins | 6 – Goulbourne | 2 – Tied | Stegeman Coliseum (7,823) Athens, GA | ||||
Feb. 22, 2012 7:00 p.m., SECN | South Carolina | W 59–48 | 20–8 (9–4) | 21 – Jenkins | 8 – Goulbourne | 5 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (14,316) Nashville, TN | ||||
Feb. 25, 2012 11:00 a.m., CBS | at No. 1 Kentucky | L 74–83 | 20–9 (9–5) | 19 – Taylor | 9 – Taylor | 2 – Johnson | Rupp Arena (24,388) Lexington, KY | ||||
Feb. 28, 2012 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 16 Florida 'Super Tuesday/Senior Night | W 77–67 | 21–9 (10–5) | 22 – Jenkins | 6 – Taylor | 4 – Tinsley | Memorial Gymnasium (14,316) Nashville, TN | ||||
Mar. 3, 2012 3:00 p.m., ESPN | at Tennessee | L 61–68 | 21–10 (10–6) | 18 – Jenkins | 7 – Goulbourne | 4 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (22,172) Knoxville, TN | ||||
2012 SEC tournament | |||||||||||
Mar. 9, 2012 9:00 p.m., SECN | No. (3) | vs. (11) Georgia Quarterfinals | W 63–41 | 22–10 | 15 – Jenkins | 6 – Goulbourne | 3 – Tinsley | New Orleans Arena (10,526) New Orleans, LA | |||
Mar. 10, 2012 3:30 p.m., ABC | No. (3) | vs. (7) Ole Miss Semifinalfinals | W 63–41 | 23–10 | 23 – Jenkins | 12 – Goulbourne | 3 – Tied | New Orleans Arena (18,523) New Orleans, LA | |||
Mar. 11, 2012 12:00 p.m., ABC | No. (3) | vs. (1) Kentucky Championship | W 71–64 | 24–10 | 18 – Taylor | 11 – Taylor | 4 – Tinsley | New Orleans Arena (18,114) New Orleans, LA | |||
2012 NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
Mar. 15, 2012 3:40 p.m., TNT | No. 20 (5) | vs. (12) Harvard Third Round | W 79–70 | 25–10 | 27 – Jenkins | 11 – Ezeli | 4 – Tinsley | The Pit (10,774) Albuquerque, New Mexico | |||
Mar. 17, 2012 5:10 p.m., TNT | No. 20 (5) | vs. No. 14 (4) Wisconsin Third Round | L 57–60 | 25–11 | 14 – Ezeli | 11 – Tied | 2 – Goulbourne | The Pit (12,128) Albuquerque, New Mexico | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. |
Notes and references
- ^ "Vanderbilt ends Kentucky's 24-game win streak to win SEC tournament". March 11, 2012. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
- ^ a b c Katz, Andy (August 9, 2011). "Festus Ezeli continues to learn the game". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
- ^ "Monmouth to Announce King Rice as New Head Men's Basketball Coach" (Press release). Monmouth University Sports Information. April 1, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ^ "David Cason named to Vanderbilt MBB staff" (Press release). Vanderbilt University Sports Information. April 15, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Bergeron, Elena (August 9, 2011). "CBB Summer Buzz: Vanderbilt". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011. (full article behind paywall; cited information in free preview)
- ^ Associated Press (April 20, 2011). "John Jenkins returning to Vanderbilt". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Individual Basketball Statistics". 2010–11 SEC Men's Basketball Statistics. Southeastern Conference. April 2, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ^ a b c "2011 SEC Men's Hoops Awards Announced" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 8, 2011. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ^ Torre, Pablo S. (March 7, 2011). "How Did I Get Here?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ^ Brennan, Eamonn (August 9, 2011). "Summer Buzz: Vanderbilt Commodores". College Basketball Nation Blog. ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ^ Vitale, Dick (July 26, 2011). "Dickie V Preseason Top 40: Top 10". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ^ Associated Press (October 17, 2011). "Festus Ezeli suspended six games". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
- ^ Associated Press (November 11, 2011). "No. 7 Vanderbilt 78, Oregon 64". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ Associated Press (December 7, 2011). "Vanderbilt 87, Davidson 83". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011.