Mar 15, 2007, 16:10 GMT
Sacramento, CA - The sixth-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores and the 11th-seeded George Washington Colonials will do battle in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Sacramento. Awaiting the winner of this clash is a second round meeting with either third-seeded Washington State or 14th-seeded Oral Roberts on Saturday.
George Washington is appearing in its third straight 'Big Dance', the first time the team has accomplished that feat in the 93-year history of the program. Overall, the Colonials are making their 10th appearance, and their 4-9 record isn't particularly impressive. This season, GW is 23-8, including a current eight-game winning streak that includes an Atlantic 10 Tournament title run.
Vanderbilt earned an at-large bid out of the Southeastern Conference on the strength of its 20-11 record. The Commodores are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2004 and ninth in program history, and they are 7-9 all-time at college basketball's premier event. Their 10-6 SEC record during the regular season marked the first time since 1993 that the program reached double figures in league victories. Considering that the Commodores beat mighty Florida by 13 points back in January, it is obvious that they have the talent and confidence to knock off any team in this field.
Vandy won its only previous meeting with George Washington in a 76-74 final in 1990.
It is often said that strong guard play is the key to success in the NCAA Tournament. If that is the case, George Washington is in good hands with the duo of Maureece Rice and Carl Elliott. Rice, a junior, is netting 16.2 ppg on the strength of his 43.8 percent shooting from three-point range. As for Elliott, a senior, he checks in with 13.1 ppg. A tremendously versatile performer, Elliott is also contributing 5.1 rpg, 4.9 apg and 82 steals. The third and final double-digit scorer on the roster for the Colonials is Rob Diggs, as he is netting 10.7 ppg on 54.9 percent shooting from the field. Diggs has also blocked 60 shots to pace the club by a wide margin. George Washington is scoring 71.1 ppg while allowing 64.2 ppg to the opposition.
Vanderbilt is led by SEC Player of the Year Derrick Byars, who averages 16.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 3.4 apg. He is joined on the wing by Shan Foster, the other half of the team's dynamic duo. Foster checks in with 15.4 ppg, and the fact that both he and Byars can score in a number of ways makes this Vandy team difficult to defend. One player who is often overlooked but is critical to the success of the Commodores is Dan Cage, a 45.9 percent shooter from three-point range who benefits from all the attention paid to the team's two standouts. Vandy knocks down over nine three-pointers per game and is tops among all SEC teams in assist to turnover margin. The Commodores are also a strong free throw shooting team, and the efficiency from the foul line could very well come in handy in close NCAA Tournament games.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Your Talkback on this Story