Vanderbilt Basketball: Way Too Early 2015-16 Outlook

The Vanderbilt Commodores finished the 2014-15 college basketball season with a disappointing loss in the NIT to the Stanford Cardinal in arguably the most poorly refereed game of the season. However, Kevin Stallings’ squad showed bright signs for the future and will potentially begin the 2015-16 season in the top 25.

Damian Jones will anchor this team in the center after forgoing the NBA for another season. Jones improved across the board in his sophomore season and should continue to do so next season. In addition to the star power of Jones, the Commodores boast a rising star in Riley LaChance. LaChance has a killer instinct when it comes to three-point shooting and will likely be one of the leading scorers in the SEC. These two Vandy stars will be joined by Wade Baldwin IV, Luke Kornet, Matthew Fisher-Davis, Jeff Roberson and others as Vanderbilt looks to be one of the teams to beat in the SEC.

Do I think this team has what it takes to win the SEC? The answer is definitely yes. No team in the SEC boasts the type of depth which the Commodores possess on their bench, and very few teams in all of college basketball have the same level of explosive three-point shooting at their disposal.

However, I do not believe that Vanderbilt will win the SEC next season. Vandy will be a legitimate contender for the SEC regular season title, but they are still a little too inconsistent to defeat the Kentucky Wildcats and LSU Tigers on a regular basis. The SEC is going to be extremely competitive next season, and the Commodores will find themselves losing a game or two they are expected to win.

A trip to the 2016 NCAA tournament should be considered a successful season, not because this team would be overachieving by making it to the Big Dance, but because if the right players return, Vanderbilt will be a legitimate threat to the national title in the 2016-17 season.

Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.