VANDERBILT AND THE ESSENCE OF EDUCATION

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Some of the information in this report was contributed by freelance college basketball analyst Nathan Giese.

An evolving society needs an evolving understanding of what a good education represents. I have not been in a college classroom in 19 years, but I highly doubt that the larger structure of college education has changed all that profoundly from the late 1990s. Technology has grown by leaps and bounds, creating more interactive methods of instruction and communication, but education is still a menu of subjects combined in various mixtures of requirements to give students enough credits for their given field of study. It's not as though this is a bad system, but should it be the same system for decades?

Whether or not universities change the architecture of education, a person can look at a changing, complicated world and see that a true education is holistic and diverse. Classroom examinations of subjects certainly have their important place in the system, but so do other ventures not as widely accepted or (as yet) incorporated into educational curricula: vocational training, hands-on skills education (such as teaching students how to cut wood, cook meals, or repair machinery), money management, and other subjects with a strongly practical (and less academic) bent. Exposing students to real life situations and needs, not just textbook-driven studies of various topics, (more) fully equips a student for his or her future.

The Vanderbilt men's basketball team and head coach Bryce Drew are diving into a true education this November.

VU -- through the schedule Drew created -- is being exposed to diverse tests which will lift the Commodores out of a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all model of basketball learning. Each opponent is noticeably different, forcing Vanderbilt to adjust to the particular strengths and weaknesses of the team on the other side of the court. Teams in any sport try to impose their strengths on the opponent regardless of circumstances, but teams almost inevitably have to account for the capacities and adjustments of their opponent in order to attain their objectives. The more competitive the opponent, the more a team has to alter the way it approaches the specific game.

Vanderbilt is making a big change this week. On Sunday night, the Commodores -- fresh off two challenging games against mid-majors Belmont and UNC-Asheville -- stepped up in weight class and took on No. 10 USC. The Trojans matched the Dores blow for blow in the second half after a wild, uneven first half in which VU improbably did not attempt a single shot -- NOT ONE -- in the final 3:33 before halftime. USC and Vanderbilt both relish attacking the basket and playing the game at a faster pace. That was a good test for Vanderbilt, one the Commodores very nearly passed.

Virginia is different from most teams, but coming after USC, the contrast will be especially great for the
Drew Crew.

No one needs an elaborate, extended description of Virginia basketball. It's Tony Bennett-coached basketball, the style of play which requires total commitment from both the players who practice it and the opponents who must defend it. The full shot clock gets used in halfcourt sets. Ample screens and cuts and a premium on patience define Bennett ball, first practiced in the family by Tony's father, Dick Bennett, who was a mid-major nuisance for elite teams in the 1990s at Wisconsin-Green Bay before going to Wisconsin and making the 2000 Final Four as a No. 8 seed. Tony followed dad to Washington State and then succeeded him as head coach in the Pacific Northwest. Given the keys to a Power 5 program, Tony cracked the Sweet 16 with Wazzu in 2008. If a coach can win big at Washington State, he can win anywhere.

At Virginia, Bennett The Son has not failed. He turned Virginia into a top-two NCAA Tournament seed in three straight seasons from 2014 through 2016. Bennett has won ACC regular season and tournament championships. He made the Elite Eight. He has done everything but bring Virginia its first Final Four appearance since 1984. His style works -- it merely hasn't taken the final step. Vanderbilt has its work cut out for it, and to emphasize the theme of a diverse education, the Commodores face the urgent need to adjust to circumstances.

Their game against USC showed why.

If Vanderbilt let Sunday's game slip away, it occurred at the defensive end of the floor. Not closing down
Jordan McLaughlin's shooting hand when leading by three points in the final 35 seconds enabled the hot-shooting USC guard to tie the game and create overtime. USC remained close in the final minutes of regulation for a number of reasons. The flaw attached to Vanderbilt: the inability of the defense to avoid fouling. Yes, a number of calls seemed suspect and the product of very light contact. However, when referees use a tight whistle, players have to adjust accordingly. One can rip the calls made against VU's defense yet still note that Commodore players didn't adjust to the way the game was being officiated. Making that adjustment is something players must learn, much as players must also be able to switch from playing up-tempo USC on Sunday to slow-tempo Virginia on Thursday.

Being able to focus on particular needs and specific challenges on the given day is something Bryce Drew clearly wants his players to learn -- the crafting of the schedule was intended to instill that lesson in the first place. The way the USC game ended -- with VU players not adjusting to the officiating or shutting off a three-point shot in the final 35 seconds -- reinforces the need for the Dores to be vigilant in specific situations, and to always meet the needs of the present.

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Let's now look at Virginia's lineup:

Kyle Guy: Guy is the obvious go-to scorer for the Cavaliers. Continuing his hot shooting from last season, Guy is hitting 50 percent of his threes, taking just over three per game, and averaging 18 points. He has active hands on defense, already with 10 steals (he had 13 all of last season). Kyle ditched the man bun he wore last season and doesn’t exactly crash the glass with just four total boards through four games. He has also taken nearly 25 percent of the team’s shots thus far. He will be the team's main crunch-time scoring option.

In the small sample size world, most of Guy’s shot attempts have come as the ballhandler in screening situations and off jump shots. He won’t attack the basket much. On defense, opponents have shot only 21 to 23 percent in various games with Guy as the primary defender.

Isaiah Wilkins: The 6-foot-7 forward is the consummate role-playing starter. He won’t win games by scoring, but he does the grunt work in the post. He’s tough and disciplined, moves well on his feet and, for the most part, will stay down on fakes instead of leaving his feet and getting called for shooting fouls. Wilkins leads the team with 29 rebounds and taken just 16 shots through four games. He’s not on the floor to be an offensive threat. Wilkins primarily guards the opposing team’s four-man (power forward) and finds success on defense, holding opponents to just nine points in 21 possessions in one-on-one situations.

Devon Hall: This is Virginia’s secondary go-to player on offense. Hall is one of the more versatile offensive threats for the Cavaliers. While Guy likes jumpers, Hall can score in a variety of ways, be it in transition, attacking the paint, jumpers, off cuts, or on other plays. It’s harder to prepare for Hall since he has different ways to get buckets.

As the wing, players have been able to have some success scoring against him, but it’s Virginia -- the Cavaliers are team-oriented on defense. Hall’s length has been his best asset on defense and is light on his feet.

Ty Jerome: Jerome is a mystery guy for the Cavaliers. A decent role player last year, the sophomore is being asked to do more. He’s taken the second-most total shots (40) and three-point shots (17), shooting 40 and 35 percent, respectively. Unlike Hall, while he has the ball in his hands more, he’s been hit or miss in the first few games of the season. He has yet to take a free throw this season and taken just three shots around the basket.

Teams have found success on offense when putting Jerome into pick-and-roll situations. He’ll get beaten off the dribble and if the ballhandler can make a quick decision (to shoot, drive or kick) off the screen, the Virginia defense has to cover up and must go into scramble mode.

Jack Salt: Salt is the fifth starter, but he doesn’t play as much as other starters. For example, he averages about 20 minutes per game and picked up 13 fouls in four contests. At 6-foot-10, he’s the prototypical big-man starter mainly to show that Virginia has a big man. It’s a classic move from Tony Bennett.

There’s not a lot to write home about with Salt. He’s a big body who is put on the floor for some size. He has just nine shots and 13 rebounds on the year so far. His numbers, both offensively and defensively, rank pretty low, so when he’s in the game, teams would be wise to attack him whenever they can.

About the Bench: Virginia has gone eight deep in its regular rotation for three games and nine deep for four. Everybody’s played at least two games via blowouts, but the rotation is pretty much the five starters, De’Andre Hunter, Nigel Johnson, Jay Huff (missed one game) and Mamadi Diakite. Hunter’s the name to watch -- he put up 23 points in Virginia's win against Monmouth on Sunday.

What can be said about the keys to this game?

Let's start with the need for Vanderbilt to minimize lapses and generally inattentive stretches of play. Mistakes will happen, but the final 3:33 of the first half against USC -- with no field goals attempted -- can't recur. Five guys on the floor need to know that if they produce two really bad possessions, that next
(third) possession needs to be crisp and disciplined. Self-correcting on the fly is a necessary part of basketball. Coaches can call timeouts to stop big runs, but they don't have an endless supply of timeouts. Players will have to play through difficult periods, and VU didn't do that well before halftime against USC. Minimizing bad segments will matter more against a defense-first team such as Virginia than it would against an offense-first team.

A second fundamental key is that Vanderbilt has to get in the right positions on defense, fully squaring up with UVA's offensive players. Reaching or leaning got called for fouls against USC. Virginia, by nature and structure, forces defenses to stay attentive throughout the shot clock, counting on the possibility that one lapse will provide the opening the Cavaliers need to get an easy basket. Vanderbilt has to be ready for a low-scoring rock fight. Brushing up on defense is a necessity, not a luxury, for VU in this game.

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