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 21TH 2024

Jason Edwards had 16 points, but he did most of his damage after Vanderbilt's balanced scoring dominated the first half in pummeling visiting Austin Peay 85-55 in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday.

Tyler Nickel scored 12 points and Devin McGlockton had 11 with nine rebounds, while A.J. Hoggard, MJ Collins and Jaylen Carey each scored nine for the Commodores, who put the game away with an 11-0 surge, amid a 17-1 run through the first 10 minutes of the opening half. Nine Vanderbilt players scored in the half.

Chris Manon finished with eight points and eight boards for Vanderbilt (11-1), which shot 62.1 percent and went 6-of-10 from 3-point range in the first half.

The Commodores, who won only nine games last season, won their fifth straight game. Their only loss this season was to Drake 81-70 in the Charleston Classic championship contest.

Edwards, who entered second in the SEC averaging 19.2 points, had six in the first half, but he helped Vanderbilt maintain control later. The Commodores shot 60.4 percent overall while recording 18 assists on 29 goals.

LJ Thomas scored 20 for Austin Peay (4-8), which doomed itself by shooting 1-of-11 from 3-point range and committing nine turnovers in the first half. The Governors shot just 31.7 percent overall in losing their sixth straight game.

Austin Peay's Isaac Haney opened the scoring with a bucket, then Vanderbilt scored the next nine points. It began with a basket from McGlockton and included a dunk from Manon and a 3-pointer by Hoggard.

The Commodores also had their way with the Governors at the other end of the court. Vanderbilt held a 16-2 advantage on points off turnovers in the first half.

Hoggard, the transfer from Michigan State, knocked down two more treys as Vanderbilt expanded its lead to 16-6. Moments later, prized freshman Tyler Tanner delivered the game's highlight by sending the ball off the backboard for Collins to slam home and put Vanderbilt ahead 27-7 with 10:13 remaining before the break.