Vanderbilt vs Ole Miss: Final Stretch Showdown

0:00On March 2nd, number 24, Vanderbilt heads into the final stretch of the regular season with a solid shot at the NCAA tournament. The Commodore sit at 22 wins and 7 losses overall, 9 and 7 in the southeastern conference. They face Ole Miss on Tuesday night in Oxford, Mississippi, followed by another row game to wrap things up. Despite some bumps lately, they're projected as a number 5 seed by ESPN and rank high in key metrics like net and wins above bubble. The team started hot with 16 straight victories, but has gone 6 and 7 since. Their latest setback was a 91 to 77 loss at Kentucky on Saturday. That game highlighted defensive woes as the Wildcash shot nearly 60% from the field and 50% from three point range while committing just 11 turnovers. Vanderbilt's coach pointed out that poor offense fed into those defensive lapses like bat shots and turnovers that fired up the home crowd. Leading score at Tyler Tanner stepped up with 19 points, going perfect on 9 shots inside the arc.

1:02He averages 18.5 points and 5.2 assists per game. Ford, Devin McLaughlin struggled, scoring 0 points before fouling out. Meanwhile, Ole Miss snapped a 10-game skid with an 85-79 upset at Auburn. They shot over 50% from the floor and 40% from beyond the arc. Freshman Patton Pinkins dropped a career-high 26 points matched by AJ Store, who leased the Rebels at 15.1 points per game. Vanderbilt beat Ole Miss 71 to 68 back in late January thanks to Tanner's 24 points. Both teams need strong finishes, with the Commodore's aiming to shore up defense for a deep tournament run and the Rebels chasing an SEC title shot. This matchup could shake up late season momentum.