If you’re looking for a positive in Vanderbilt’s 5-3 start to the season, well, Vanderbilt is playing a bit of defense this season. The Commodores currently rank 65th in defensive efficiency according to KenPom, and if this keeps up, Vanderbilt will rank in the top 100 in that statistic for the first time since 2016-17 — which also happens to be the last time Vanderbilt made the NCAA Tournament. Seven of Vanderbilt’s eight opponents have averaged under a point per possession; the lone exception was SMU on Saturday.
The bad news: the offense has fallen off.