Vanderbilt vs. Alabama: A Pivotal Game for Vandy's Tournament Resume

Vanderbilt travels to Tuscaloosa tonight to take on the Crimson Tide in its first match-up against one of the teams in the top five of the conference. This game is not a must-win at all, but it's a game that Vandy fans should be paying close attention to as it is a barometer of how far we've really come since the beginning of December.With the exception of throttling Marquette on the road, Vandy is sorely lacking in signature wins. They have a nice win over Davidson on the road, who is presently undefeated in the Southern Conference and is having a good season. That is probably not enough to be called a "signature" win. Aside from that, their next best win is over a decent N.C. State team. Vandy also only has one "bad" loss, that being to the rapidly declining Indiana State Sycamores. Cleveland State should be a serious contender to win the Horizon League, so that loss doesn't look as bad. Losing to Xavier and Louisville are not bad losses, though the...