Vanderbilt Basketball: 2014-15 Season Preview and Prediction

By Taylor Sturm
Vandy Basketball
Dak Dillon-USA TODAY Sports

The Vanderbilt Commodores could not have had a more up-and-down 2013-14 college basketball season. Finishing non-conference play with an 8-4 record, every loss was by less than eight points, and three of these losses were to teams who went to the 2014 NCAA tournament.

After the dismissal of leading scorer Eric McClellan for academic reasons, the Commodores opened SEC play with four losses in five games and saw their season threaten to flounder into obscurity. However, a four-game win streak in late January led to a brief stint in the “bubble” discussion before the difficult SEC schedule and lack of depth led to a disappointing 15-16 season.

Unfortunately, the 2014-15 season will be another rebuilding season for head coach Kevin Stallings and the Commodores. Losing the majority of their top recruits from both the 2011 and 2012 seasons, the most talented member of this Vanderbilt squad, Damian Jones, is only a sophomore.

The Commodores’ non-conference schedule includes the Baylor Bears, St. Louis Billikens, Lipscomb Bison and Purdue Boilermakers, who all are capable of making it to the 2015 NCAA tournament. On top of their more difficult matchups, they will face hit-or-miss games against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Yale Bulldogs, Tennessee State Tigers and Rutgers Scarlet Knights, along with expected “gimme” wins against Trevecca, Western Carolina and Pennsylvania.

It could only get worse for Vanderbilt, as they could legitimately come into SEC play with seven or so losses. Several teams took a step back this offseason in the SEC, but Vandy looks primed to be the worst team in the conference after the departure of Rod Odom and Kyle Fuller.

Things are not looking too good for Vandy this upcoming season, but Stallings has already recruited three (or four depending on which rankings you use) four-star 2015 recruits. With Jones likely to return, the development of the 2014 recruiting class and the addition of the 2015 recruiting class, Vanderbilt should be a lock for the NIT in the 2015-16 season and have a chance to make it to the 2016 NCAA tournament.

However, expect a losing record for the Commodores this season as the struggling young team attempts to find a rhythm in a fairly difficult conference.

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

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