A day after ESPN turned them into rock stars du jour, Vanderbilt basketball players returned to the business of preparing for what the previous night?s 65-63 win against Wichita State had afforded them ? a date with Memphis at the FedEx Forum in tonight?s quarterfinal round of the NIT.
Coach Kevin Stallings? phone still rang off the hook from well-wishers wanting to talk of Jason Holwerda?s full-court precision pass into the waiting hands of Corey Smith, who lofted in a lay-up with 0.7 seconds remaining to stave off overtime against the Shockers.
?The phone rang all night and most of today,? Stallings said before his team?s practice Tuesday. ?It was amazing that they were able to get the rebound and put-back to tie it and it was amazing we went the length of the floor to win it. Unfortunately, I had to ignore most of [the phone calls] to get some work done.?
Some of that work was to no doubt prepare a quick speech for his team regarding their less-than-a-second heroics from the previous night.
?It?s done, over,? he said. ?That game is history. We have to be completely ready to play against Memphis and if we?re not, we?ll get run out of the gym. If you?re still thinking about [Wichita State] then you?re setting yourself up for failure.?
Memphis would certainly like to stamp the ?F? on Vandy?s report card and send their coach John Calipari back to his old stomping grounds of New York City for the NIT?s semifinal round at Madison Square Garden. According to the Tigers Web site, Calipari and his family are helping the students? cause, purchasing 400 tickets to give to students for today?s game. After suffering a 75-74 loss to Louisville in the Conference USA championship game, the Tigers have gone on to rout Northwestern, 90-65, and Virginia Tech, 82-63, in the first two rounds of the NIT.
?They are very athletic, rebound and defend well,? Stallings said of Memphis, which last beat Vandy 65-56 in Memphis during the 1999 season.
The Tigers have also grown accustomed to scoring ? in bunches. Four players are pouring in double figures including high-flying forward Rodney Carney (15.6), Darius Washington (15.2), Sean Banks (14.5) and Anthony Rice (10.7).
Enter Vanderbilt guard Mario Moore. The junior stepped up against the Shockers to post a career-high 31 points, setting a school record for 3-pointers by tossing in nine. That, along with the good vibes that can?t help but linger around the squad following the Wichita State win, have Vandy feeling as if they are on the cusp of resurrecting a season that was deflated by a loss to Auburn during the first round of the SEC tournament.
?We have the feeling that we can win this tournament,? Moore said. ?It?s a great feeling to be here, but we know Memphis is a great team and we?re just going to have to come out and play.?
Also long gone is the second-class posture the ?Dores involuntarily adopted when they were left off the guest list for the Big Dance.
?We?ve got something to play for,? Holwerda said. ?I think when we found out initially we were going to the NIT, we were all a little heartbroken, but we expected it after the loss to Auburn. But we?ve found some emotion now and we?re here, so we might as well embrace what we have left to do.?
Coach Kevin Stallings? phone still rang off the hook from well-wishers wanting to talk of Jason Holwerda?s full-court precision pass into the waiting hands of Corey Smith, who lofted in a lay-up with 0.7 seconds remaining to stave off overtime against the Shockers.
?The phone rang all night and most of today,? Stallings said before his team?s practice Tuesday. ?It was amazing that they were able to get the rebound and put-back to tie it and it was amazing we went the length of the floor to win it. Unfortunately, I had to ignore most of [the phone calls] to get some work done.?
Some of that work was to no doubt prepare a quick speech for his team regarding their less-than-a-second heroics from the previous night.
?It?s done, over,? he said. ?That game is history. We have to be completely ready to play against Memphis and if we?re not, we?ll get run out of the gym. If you?re still thinking about [Wichita State] then you?re setting yourself up for failure.?
Memphis would certainly like to stamp the ?F? on Vandy?s report card and send their coach John Calipari back to his old stomping grounds of New York City for the NIT?s semifinal round at Madison Square Garden. According to the Tigers Web site, Calipari and his family are helping the students? cause, purchasing 400 tickets to give to students for today?s game. After suffering a 75-74 loss to Louisville in the Conference USA championship game, the Tigers have gone on to rout Northwestern, 90-65, and Virginia Tech, 82-63, in the first two rounds of the NIT.
?They are very athletic, rebound and defend well,? Stallings said of Memphis, which last beat Vandy 65-56 in Memphis during the 1999 season.
The Tigers have also grown accustomed to scoring ? in bunches. Four players are pouring in double figures including high-flying forward Rodney Carney (15.6), Darius Washington (15.2), Sean Banks (14.5) and Anthony Rice (10.7).
Enter Vanderbilt guard Mario Moore. The junior stepped up against the Shockers to post a career-high 31 points, setting a school record for 3-pointers by tossing in nine. That, along with the good vibes that can?t help but linger around the squad following the Wichita State win, have Vandy feeling as if they are on the cusp of resurrecting a season that was deflated by a loss to Auburn during the first round of the SEC tournament.
?We have the feeling that we can win this tournament,? Moore said. ?It?s a great feeling to be here, but we know Memphis is a great team and we?re just going to have to come out and play.?
Also long gone is the second-class posture the ?Dores involuntarily adopted when they were left off the guest list for the Big Dance.
?We?ve got something to play for,? Holwerda said. ?I think when we found out initially we were going to the NIT, we were all a little heartbroken, but we expected it after the loss to Auburn. But we?ve found some emotion now and we?re here, so we might as well embrace what we have left to do.?
