Vanderbilt Stays Perfect, Punches Ticket to Atlantis Final

Well, it wasn’t always pretty, but when the final buzzer sounded in paradise, No. 24 Vanderbilt was still dancing. The Commodores shook off a pesky VCU squad, 89-74, in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals, and boy, does 7-0 look good on them.

This is the kind of start that has folks in Nashville whispering about the good old days. You have to rewind the tapes all the way back to the 2007-08 season to find a Vanderbilt team that came out of the gates this hot. That squad started a sizzling 16-0. Are we saying this team is that team? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but they’re sure making it fun to watch.

Commodores’ Balanced Attack Sinks the Rams

Leading the charge was Duke Miles, who seems to be enjoying the Bahamian sunshine. After dropping 28 in the opener, he put up a cool 20 points today, living at the free-throw line and knocking down 10-of-11. He was joined by a couple of Tylers who decided to have a day. Tyler Nickel was a flamethrower from deep, splashing four 3-pointers on his way to 16 points. Not to be outdone, freshman Tyler Tanner also dropped 16 and dished out a team-high 5 assists, looking more like a seasoned vet than a kid playing in his seventh college game.

And let’s not forget the big fella, Jalen Washington. The man was a walking Swiss Army knife, contributing 11 points, grabbing eight boards, and dishing four assists. It was a complete team effort that had the VCU defense spinning.

A Tale Of Two Halves

Early on, it looked like Vanderbilt was going to run VCU right out of the gym. The Commodores burst out to a 20-3 lead, and it felt like the Rams might need to call for a life raft. VCU started the game shooting like the rim had a lid on it, missing 12 of their first 14 shots. But you can’t count out a tough VCU team.

They clawed, they scratched, and they went on a massive 18-6 run to close the half, trimming a blowout into a nail-biter at 43-41. How’d they do it? By practically setting up a tent at the charity stripe, hitting 21 of 24 free throws in the first half alone.

Just when VCU thought they had all the momentum, Vanderbilt came out of the locker room with a point to prove. The Commodores put on a second-half clinic, shooting a blistering 60.9% from the field. The game-changing moment came when Nickel hit a three to spark a 7-0 run, pushing the lead back to double digits.

A few possessions later, Washington sent a shot into the third row, leading to a Tanner layup. It was an 11-0 haymaker that put the game on ice, leaving VCU scoreless for over four excruciating minutes.

For VCU, it was a valiant effort that just fell short. Nyk Lewis led the Rams with 16 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Vanderbilt’s firepower and a tough shooting night (36% from the field).

What’s Next In Paradise?

Vanderbilt now gets to play for the championship trophy here in Atlantis. They’ll face the winner of the Virginia Tech vs. Saint Mary’s showdown. Grab your popcorn for that one.

VCU, meanwhile, heads to the third-place game, where they’ll look to bounce back against the loser of that same semifinal. It’s not the game they wanted, but a chance to leave the Bahamas with a win is still on the table.