Austin Peay Governors vs. Vanderbilt Commodores Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 21st 2024

Preview and Prediction

Vanderbilt enters their second-to-last game before SEC play with a four-game winning streak, facing off against Austin Peay in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday.

The Commodores (10-1) are coming off a dominant 105-53 victory over The Citadel on Wednesday, giving them one more win than they had in the entire previous season.

Their opponents, the Governors (4-7), have lost five consecutive games, four of which were by double digits. They will travel about an hour southeast for this matchup.

Vanderbilt is heavily favored in this game, with a challenging SEC schedule ahead. Ranked 41st in the NCAA's NET rankings, the Commodores will face 11 teams currently ranked in the top 25 of the NET.

Coach Mark Byington was pleased with his team's performance on Wednesday, following a 10-day break for final exams.

"They approached the game with a business-like attitude, but also showed great energy and focus," said Byington.

The Commodores have shown improvement on the defensive end, ranking 100th in KenPom.com's adjusted defensive efficiency, 100 spots higher than last year's team. They also use their defense to create offense, ranking second in the country in KenPom.com's steal rate and 22nd in turnovers forced.

Five players on the Commodores' roster average more than one steal per game, including Tyler Tanner (2.5), Grant Huffman (1.6), AJ Hoggard (1.5), Chris Manon (1.5), and Jason Edwards (1.2).

Their ability to force turnovers and convert them into easy baskets has contributed to their success, as they currently rank ninth nationally in 2-point percentage (60.7).

Edwards, who comes off the bench, is the team's leading scorer with 19.2 points per game and ranks second in the SEC in scoring. He has scored in double figures in every game this season, including at least 19 points in his last five games.

On the other hand, Austin Peay prefers a slower pace and ranks 348th nationally in adjusted tempo. Their offense relies on strong performances from their three leading scorers: LJ Thomas (18.1), Sai Witt (14.3), and Isaac Haney (11.0).

Thomas, a transfer from NC State, was a highly-touted recruit when he signed with the Wolfpack in 2022.

"LJ is a dominant guard," said Austin Peay coach Corey Gipson in an interview with Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. "He has the ability to control the game, not just with his mindset, but also with his physicality."

The Governors, who finished with a 19-16 record last season, were picked to finish second in the Atlantic Sun's preseason coaches' poll and third in the media poll. Haney and Witt were both named to the league's 10-man preseason all-conference team.

PREDICTION

Austin Peay Governors

Vanderbilt Commodores

Austin Peay Governors vs. Vanderbilt Commodores Recap DEC 18TH 2021

Scotty Pippen Jr. had 16 points and Vanderbilt never trailed in a 77-51 non-conference victory over Austin Peay on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.

Quentin Millora-Brown supplied 13 points and 14 rebounds and Trey Thomas had 11 points for the Commodores (6-4). Vanderbilt turned 18 Austin Peay turnovers into 16 points and converted 18 offensive rebounds into 26 points.

Caleb Stone-Carrawell led the Governors (4-6) with 16 points. Cameron Copeland tossed in 11 points and Corbin Merritt added nine points and five rebounds.

Vanderbilt shot 45.2 percent from the field, while Austin Peay made 35.8 percent of its attempts.

Vanderbilt led 37-23 at halftime, fueled by its offensive rebounding. The Commodores grabbed 10 offensive boards in the first 20 minutes and turned them into 13 second-chance points. By contrast, Austin Peay secured just one offensive rebound.

Both teams shot poorly from deep, with Vanderbilt missing 13 of 15 3-point tries and the Governors knocking down just two of their 12 attempts beyond the arc before the break. Pippen was the lone player in double figures with 11 points.

Vanderbilt scored the game's first eight points, including a putback from Millora-Brown.

Rodney Chatman's layup provided the Commodores with their first double-digit lead at 15-4. A 10-2 run stretched the advantage to 19, 31-12, with five minutes left in the half. Pippen and Millora-Brown contributed four points apiece during that spurt.

The Governors got within 10 with a 9-0 run late in the half, including six points from Merritt. Pippen made a steal and dunk in the final minute.

The second half was scoreless for nearly three minutes until Stone-Carrawell's layup cut the Commodores' lead to 37-25.

With the score 42-28, Vanderbilt reeled off 11 unanswered points to put the game away. That outburst included 3-pointers by Pippen, Shane Dezonie and Thomas along with a layup from Jamaine Mann.