Save the Shield! A Vanderbilt sports blog

I’m not going to get too upset about Saturday’s result. Maybe when Kentucky finds a coach who can actually hang onto his accomplishments rather than getting them all vacated by the NCAA, I’ll respect them as a good basketball program again rather than just proficient cheaters.
But we’re still working on [...]

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I’ve been trying for a while to get into using Ken Pomeroy’s stats, especially the main ones of tempo-free offense and defense. Each year I understand what’s going on on his page a little more, but the key to making knowledge your own is learning to apply it for new insights. So [...]

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This isn’t directly Vanderbilt-related, but I’d argue that stories of corruption in college sports are pretty important to the context in which Vanderbilt’s football and men’s basketball teams operate.
Now that I live in Memphis, it’s been sort of hard to miss all the sordid details coming out about the vacated 2008 Final Four previously claimed [...]

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All the nonsense surrounding Calipari here in Memphis has been hilarious to watch. Actually following it has been a bit of an obsession for me this week.
If I had lots of time I would write up a huge long post on the topic but instead I’ll just paste in some thoughts from a VandySports [...]

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Christina Wirth - Image shamelessly stolen from Gary Stepic, VU official site
Vanderbilt women’s basketball looked really impressive in thumping Western Carolina 73-44. Wirth scored about a third of our points. I’ll try the Pomeroy thing — pace in number of possessions must have been, uh, shot attempts minus offensive rebounds plus [...]

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The jeers were reverberating in unison around water coolers across America last week. A fresh start to the week, the obligatory Super Bowl exclamations and lamentations, followed by this:
“…So I hear Bobby Knight’s itching to add another red sweater to his collection.”
“Oh yeah! I read that last night. How old is he, anyway?”
“Around 70, I [...]

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High comedy is Brent Musberger asking Bob Knight if he’s ever arranged chairs for the fans.
I’m not totally sure the Montanan meant that remark to be comical, although if I had to bet I’d take the side that he did.   I’m quite sure he knew what he was doing, though, when he excitedly pointed [...]

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I just haven’t been real real motivated to think about Vanderbilt sports as we have this lull before the bowl.   I went to order my Music City ticket yesterday, verified as I had heard that the VU ticket office was selling mediocre seats for the price of premium seats.    Getting counted among the [...]

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No better way to kick off basketball season than to celebrate the fact that the NCAA has absolutely no problem with Billy Gillispie paying a recruit’s dad to speak at a basketball camp.
Why again do I waste time following this farce called college sports?
(Thanks to GoDores2005 for the link.)

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Before I mentally move on to VU baseball season, and while this it’s still marginally in-season, I have a few suggestions on how the NCAA’s crowning event and its feminine counterpart could be improved. Mind you, I still think the men’s tournament is the best event of most sports years, second only to the [...]

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