On Saturday night, the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers will head down the road
to Nashville for a rematch with SEC rival Vanderbilt.
It will be no easy task.
“It’s a good time to be playing good,” Tennessee head coach Jerry Green
said. “We’re a more confident team than the teams of the last couple of
years. But if you look past Vandy, you’re just wasting your time.”
The Vols will be playing their first game since beating Florida in overtime
last Saturday. With a full week off between games, mixed emotions come with
the rest.
“It’s bittersweet because the players want to play, but the coaches like to
practice,” Green said.
Vanderbilt comes into the game boasting a 16-6, 6-5 SEC record in coach
Kevin Stallings’ first season at the helm. The Commodores have played
strong basketball throughout the season, but now find themselves on their
first two-game losing skid of the season.
After winning three straight, Vanderbilt was upset last week by a
short-handed and struggling Alabama team, 77-63. Their second loss in as
many games came Wednesday at the hands of No. 13 Auburn, 86-80. The loss to
the Tigers was only Vanderbilt’s second loss at home this year.
“I think Auburn played their best game of the year to beat Vanderbilt at
home,” Green said.
Leading the Commodores will be senior sharpshooter Dan Langhi. Although
Langhi’s 6-11, 220-pound frame puts him at the forward position, he plays
much like a shooting guard.
Plain and simple, Langhi does it all for Vanderbilt.
Arguably one of the top players in the nation, he can shoot from anywhere,
rebound, post up in the paint or take defenders off the dribble. Langhi is
very hard to guard due to his skills combined with the height advantage he
brings to the table.
“I don’t know if we can stop him,” Green said of Vanderbilt’s
bread-and-butter. “He’s a tough matchup for us because he can play the
three, four or five positions. We’ll just try and slow him down.”
Langhi leads the team in scoring at 21.7 points-per-game while shooting 40
percent from behind the arc. He has been Vanderbilt’s leading scorer in 18
of their 21 games. Langhi also averages 5.8 boards and leads the team in
minutes at 34.5.
In the last meeting between the Vols and Commodores on Jan. 12, Langhi
poured in 31 points as Vandy came from 14 points down to upset then-No. 12
Tennessee in Knoxville.
The supporting cast for Langhi is also tough. At the point guard position
is 6-1 senior Atiba Prater. Prater averages 32.4 minutes and is a key role
player in running the Commodore offense.
At shooting guard is another three-point threat in James Strong. The 6-3
senior from Huntsville, Ala., is Vanderbilt’s second leading scorer with
11.6 points-per-game and a 36 percent accuracy from long range. Strong is
another Commodore that averages over 30 minutes of playing time.
The three spot and the middle man have been inconsistent for Vandy. Junior
Anthony Williams has seen some time at small forward and in the middle. He
averages 25 minutes a game primarily as a swing man. Freshman Sam Lekwauwa
has also earned some starts at forward. He will see sufficient playing time
for the Commodores.
Vanderbilt’s only true center who will see action is 6-10 junior Greg
LaPointe. However, he has seen limited action due to some back
problems.
Another key player for Vandy is 6-3 sophomore Sam Howard. Howard is
averaging 10 points and sees over 20 minutes while mostly coming off the
bench. He too is a three-point specialist, shooting 37 percent from
downtown.
Howard could earn a starting role Saturday if Vanderbilt takes the same
approach they did in Knoxville. Stallings inserted Howard in the starting
lineup for the first meeting as the Commodores went with a three-guard
approach against the up-tempo Vols.
Although the Commodores handed Tennessee one of their three losses,
revenge will not be a serious issue for the Vols.
“I think the revenge factor lasts for about three or four minutes into the
game,” Green said. “Then you get into the flow of the game.”
Vanderbilt will play only seven or eight players while the Vols can go as
many as 12 deep into their bench. That could be devastating for Vandy if
Tennessee can control the tempo with their fast-paced offense.
Vanderbilt is in somewhat of a slump with their losing streak and will be
facing their second-consecutive ranked opponent.
On the other side of the ball, Tennessee is on a high with strong
performances capped off with an emotional Florida win. The Vols may be
playing some of the best basketball in the country.
“If our kids need inspiration, I’ll be surprised,” Green said. “The revenge
factor in college basketball is not big.”
Revenge? We will see Saturday night.
