Vanderbilt hopes to snap a three-game losing streak when it faces Alabama A&M on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.
The Commodores (3-4) have gone winless after a 3-1 start, with those losses each coming against power-conference opponents.
Wednesday’s 80-62 home loss to Boston College was the first time the Commodores had their best two players — guards Ezra Manjon (16 points) and Tyrin Lawrence (six) — on the floor at once. Both have been sidelined with various injuries.
Vandy, however, did play without forward Colin Smith (8.4 points, team-leading 8.6 rebounds per game) as well as reserve Lee Dort, who was suspended indefinitely before the Boston College game after he was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault.
“We eased into the game, for whatever reason,” coach Jerry Stackhouse said after Wednesday’s loss. “We were a little bit shell-shocked there (from the Dort arrest).”
The Commodores have other issues, such as their No. 287 ranking in KenPom.com’s adjusted defensive efficiency and a 29.2 percent success rate on 3-pointers, which make up 46.4 percent of Vanderbilt’s shots.
It is coach Otis Hughley Jr.’s second year at Alabama A&M (1-5). Last year, the Bulldogs went 15-18, which marked the most wins for the program since Vann Pettaway guided Alabama A&M to an 18-14 mark in 2004-05.
The Bulldogs will play their third game against a Nashville-based opponent, having lost at Lipscomb two weeks ago and earning an 85-83 victoryin overtime over Tennessee State in their home opener on Wednesday.
Dailin Smith (13.8 points per game) leads the Bulldogs in scoring. On Wednesday, he played all 40 minutes and scored 13 points, while Omari Peek had 20 points.
Hughley wants the Bulldogs to play an up-tempo style. The Bulldogs rank 78th nationally in KenPom.com’s adjusted tempo.
“It’s organized chaos,” Hughley told Slam Magazine. “We want to shoot it and we want to keep shooting it.”
–Field Level Media