NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Kevin Stallings dismisses the analysts’ predictions that his Vanderbilt Commodores are the popular upset victim as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament.
His Commodores (23-10) play No. 12 seed Richmond (27-7) on Thursday in Denver in the Southwest Region. They already were a popular pick as one of the teams from a BCS league to make an early NCAA tournament exit for a third straight time after losses to Siena in 2008 and Murray State in 2010.
Stallings recalled how Vanderbilt was picked to lose to Western Michigan in 2004 and to George Washington in 2007 when the Commodores reached the regional semifinals in each tournament.
“So then I think they stopped picking people to beat us, and then Siena did. I don’t think it makes any difference what the analysts say,” Stallings said. “They don’t really know our team, a few of them do because they’ve seen us play. I’m not worried.
“Heck, if some of those guys were such experts, they’d still be coaching.”
This is Vanderbilt’s fifth NCAA appearance in the past eight seasons under Stallings, and he guided the Commodores to the regional semifinals in 2004 and 2007.
But Vanderbilt lost its last two NCAA tournament games when seeded fourth, including last year’s 66-65 loss to Murray State on a buzzer beater. That’s a game sophomore John Jenkins, the Southeastern Conference’s leading scorer, watched last summer on replays to stoke the ache of that loss.
“I remember telling some of the guys, ‘Remember this feeling.’ I used to watch the whole game. I knew the outcome, but I still wanted to watch it for that feeling … We have to use it as motivation,” Jenkins said.
The Commodores reached the Southeastern Conference tournament semifinals before losing Saturday to No. 12 Florida. Stallings said his team played well through the first two games and up to two-thirds of the loss to Florida, but he likes how they are playing right now.
“I’ll have a very ready and very prepared team ready to play on Thursday, and that makes me very excited,” Stallings said.
Jenkins, who sat out Vanderbilt’s first game in the SEC tournament Thursday against LSU, still may not be 100 percent but Stallings said he thinks Jenkins’ sore toe on his left foot is fine.
The sore foot was a focal point during one game in the SEC tournament.
Stallings said an opponent intentionally stepped on Jenkins’ toe after being told to do so by his coach. Stallings would not name the player or the coach, but Vanderbilt and Mississippi State played an emotionally charged up-tempo game Friday when Jenkins returned to the lineup.
Jenkins, the SEC’s leading scorer, finished with 29 points against coach Rick Stansbury’s Bulldogs. Jenkins was matched up against MSU guard Dee Bost much of the second half.
“That his coach was telling him to step on his foot …, I thought that was interesting,” Stallings said, again declining to identify the player or coach.
The coach said he told referees what was happening and Jenkins said he also told officials during the game what was going on.
“They said they would watch out for it, but somehow he kept getting away with it. … It’s something I’ve got to prepare myself for mentally,” Jenkins said.
