Vanderbilt (6-2) will defend their home court in Nashville, Tennessee against a tough #20 Arizona State (8-1). Vanderbilt is coming off a huge win over in-state opponent Middle Tennessee with a score of 79-51. Arizona State, on the other hand, dropped a close one earlier this month, but have bounced back with a win over Georgia by 2.
How Vanderbilt Can Win
Shoot at a high percentage and move the ball. In a game where both teams are virtually identical, you have to excel in the areas you lead. For Vanderbilt, this would be the assisting branch and shooting percentage. The Commodores will need to take plenty of high percentage shots to ensure they don’t give up the ball unnecessarily. This Vanderbilt squad shoots at a 47.9%, which is great in terms of smart shooting. Also, to move the ball into the paint and around to open shooters will be needed for a win.
How Arizona State Can Win
Pressure the whole floor and keep a steady rebounding pressure. Arizona State hasn’t made their way to #20 in the nation without playing well. This comes in the form of defense, which keeps teams around the 70s mark score-wise. It’ll be no surprise for Arizona State to try to keep a heavy defensive set on the Commodores to keep the scoring down. Another push for the Sun Devils will be for a rush-the-glass first mindset to grab rebounds and possessions to work in their favor.
Players to Watch
Vanderbilt: C Simisola Shittu has been the main player on the court for the Commodores this season. This is in the terms of rebounding and scoring, all while sitting at the Center position. This comes as no surprise because Vanderbilt likes to move the ball into the paint and get physical baskets. This is a shift from basketball we see in today’s game and more of a traditional shift. Shittu averages 15.9 points a game with 7.8 rebounds a game to match it.
Arizona State: I know the shift is to rebounding, but Arizona State will need G Luguentz Dort to be on point. Not only does Arizona State need a successful rebounding game, but if their leading scorer isn’t on, they won’t win. Dort averages 20.9 points a game and shoots at a 42% and this allows some room for error. However, this will most likely be a toss-up on if Dort decides to have a game or not.
Score Prediction
This game will come down to rebounding. This poses a strong emphasis in terms of forwards and centers to rebound and for guards to shoot at a high percentage. And when this is the case, Arizona State will take the cake. Vanderbilt is not a bad ball team, but their inconsistency, especially in the guard position, will not help them in anyway. I think it will remain an interesting game, but Arizona State takes a good lead late. Arizona State-76 Vanderbilt-70
Photo Credits: https://thesundevils.com/news/2017/11/14/mens-basketball-remy-martins-mission-is-much-bigger-than-basketball.aspx
