Vanderbilt puts takeaway-heavy defense up against Austin Peay

Vanderbilt brings a four-game winning streak into its next-to-last tune-up for Southeastern Conference play with Austin Peay on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.

The Commodores (10-1) come off their most lopsided win of the season, a 105-53 victory over The Citadel on Wednesday. That victory gave Vanderbilt one more win that it had all last season.

The Governors (4-7) -- who'll travel about an hour southeast for this game -- have lost five in a row, four of those by double digits.

Vanderbilt is considered large favorites. With a brutal SEC schedule ahead -- the Commodores, ranked 41st in the NCAA's NET rankings, will play 11 games against teams currently ranked inside the top 25 of the NET -- this is a contest they can't afford to lose.

Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington was pleased with the way his team played Wednesday, the end of a 10-day break that spanned final exams.

"They had a business-like approach, but with great energy and focus," Byington said.

The Commodores rank 100th in KenPom.com's adjusted defensive efficiency (100 spots higher than last year's team) and use defense to create offense.

Vanderbilt ranks second in the country in KenPom.com's steal rate (15 percent of possessions) and 22nd in turnovers forced (16.1).

Five Commodores average more than one steal per game: Tyler Tanner (2.5), Grant Huffman (1.6), AJ Hoggard (1.5), Chris Manon (1.5) and Jason Edwards (1.2).

The easy buckets those steals create are a big reason Vanderbilt ranks ninth nationally in 2-point percentage (60.7).

Edwards (19.2 ppg) ranks second in the SEC in scoring. He's reached double figures every game this season, getting at least 19 in each of his last five games despite coming off the bench the last four.

Austin Peay prefers a slow pace (348th nationally in adjusted tempo) and counts on big games from its three double-digit scorers: LJ Thomas (18.1), Sai Witt (14.3) and Isaac Haney (11.0).

Thomas transferred to Austin Peay from NC State, where he was a consensus top-100 recruit when he signed with the Wolfpack in 2022.

"LJ is a bully guard," second-year Austin Peay coach Corey Gipson told Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook this summer. "He's a guy that has the ability to bully the ball, not just from a mindset, but from a physical standpoint."

The Governors, who went 19-16 last year, were picked second in the Atlantic Sun's preseason coaches' poll and third in the league's media poll, with Haney and Witt both named to the league's 10-man preseason all-conference team.

--Field Level Media