Siena vs. Vanderbilt fast break
Woof.
Here are few details and tidbits to get you up to speed before the Saints' NCAA tournament game tonight.
(Tip time is scheduled for 7:10 pm. CBS6 will have the game on TV.)
+ Siena is the #13 seed in the Midwest bracket. Vanderbilt is the #4 seed.
+ Vandy's two best players are Shan Foster and A.J. Ogilvy.
+ Foster is a very good three point shooter who's close to 2000 points for his college career. Oh, and "Shan" is pronounced "Shane". (Somebody needs to buy a vowel.)
+ Ogilvy is a freshman center from Australia who averaged 17 points and almost 7 rebounds a game.
+ Vandy's a good three point shooting team overall, so the game may hinge on Siena's ability to keep the Commodores from lighting it up from downtown. Watch for Edwin Ubiles to cover Foster. Ubiles has the athleticism to keep up. But Foster been seeing guys like Edwin all season and he still managed to average 20.5 points a game.
+ A lot of experts are picking Siena to upset Vanderbilt and the Commodores have started to grumble about it.
+ One reason people are picking the Saints: Vandy hasn't been very "efficient" away from home this season -- but Siena has. (Efficiency is a measure of how well a team turns possessions into points.)
+ Even so, Vanderbilt is a good team. It knocked off then-#1 Tennessee earlier this year.
+ Siena has a big win of its own this year. The Saints beat Stanford back in November. Stanford is now a #3 seed in the tournament.
+ Siena point guard Ronald Moore's brother, Chuck, played two seasons at Vanderbilt.
+ Siena forward Josh Duell played for Vermont when, as a #13 seed, it knocked off #4 seed Syracuse in 2005.
+ Would this be the biggest win in Siena basketball history? Not quite. In 1989's NCAA tournament, #14 seeded Siena upset #3 seed Stanford (you think they're sick of the Saints, yet?). But make no mistake, a win tonight against Vandy would be huge for the Siena.
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Comments
Congrats to the Saints.
Just don't expect Mr. Fisher to go 6-for-6 from behind the three-point line in the second round. Those who live from Downtown die from Downtown.
The Saints limited Vandy's Shan Foster, the SEC Player of the Year, to just 14 shots and 13 points - his second lowest offensive output of the season - and nearly matched the Commodores on the windows, grabbing 29 total rebounds to 31 for Vandy. Defense and rebounding determine victory.
Take away Mr. Fisher's 18 perfect points from behind the arc, and the Saints' margin of victory is a mere three. Don't expect Villanova or Clemson, Siena's opponent in the second round, to allow Mr. Fisher to roam freely beyond the half-court line without an escort.
A great victory, to be sure. Just keep things in perspective.
... said Mark on Mar 22, 2008 at 12:25 AM | link