00:00A team that started off really, really hot, but have cooled off a little bit, is Vanderbilt.
00:07Their season is still a win if you really look at what we were expecting of them before the season
00:11started.
00:12But the momentum has shifted on this team.
00:14Early on, this team played connected basketball.
00:17They defended with purpose.
00:19They valued possession.
00:20And they closed games by doing the small things right.
00:24That's what you have to do when you're a team that not a lot of people had a lot of
00:27expectations for.
00:29Recently, that edge hasn't been as sharp.
00:31But let's be honest, the team that they're playing have also stepped up on their non-conference slate.
00:37The biggest concern is late game control.
00:40Turnovers have crept in.
00:41Defensive rotations have been a half-step slow.
00:43And when the offense stalls, Vanderbilt hasn't consistently generated clean looks late in the shot clock.
00:49That's survivable in November.
00:52It's dangerous when you get to the month of February in the SEC.
00:56The remaining schedule allows for, really doesn't allow for any resets.
01:02You know, look at this schedule with Texas A&M, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia.
01:06But there's also road trips to Kentucky and Tennessee, which are pressure environments where mistakes can snowball a team quickly.
01:14And not even listening to those games there.
01:16Or how about the home games they have left with, Alabama and Florida, who bring size, who bring pace, and
01:22physicality that punish you on both ends of the floor.
01:28For Vanderbilt, the formula is still pretty clear at this point, right?
01:32They got to defend the ball.
01:34You know, they got to rebound.
01:35And they got to make free throws.
01:37When they control tempo and protect possessions, they look like a solid NCAA tournament team.
01:45When they speed themselves up, they look very vulnerable.
01:49The rest of the season is about discovering the identity they had early in the year, not reinventing it.
01:55Now, Vanderbilt isn't broken.
01:58But if they don't tighten up late-game situations and execution now, March will expose every flaw they've been hiding
02:05or trying to hide all season long.
02:09Let's head to the women's side.
02:11And let's look at the Duke Blue Devils.
02:14The Duke Blue Devils team that right now is undefeated in the ACC.
02:20They've been the master class of this league all season.
02:23Like I said, undefeated in conference play.
02:25They've been posed their will with defense, with depth, with balance, jumping on teams early, and rarely letting games turn
02:34chaotic.
02:35That's where their sip rate is their versatility.
02:38They don't rely on one score, one action, or one tempo.
02:41They defend multiple looks.
02:42They rebound across all their positions.
02:44And they wear opponents out over the course of four quarters.
02:47That's why they've avoided letdown games so far.
02:50But the back of the schedule has real tests.
02:52They have Florida State and North Carolina that bring physicality, rivalry, energy, and uncomfortable possessions, especially on the road.
03:00Those games won't be decided by depth alone.
03:03That unanswered question is pressure.
03:06Duke hasn't lived up to many one-possession games a season.
03:09They've struggled early on to get strong along non-conference play.
03:12March basketball demands that moment.
03:14The last two minutes, neutral floor, seeds on the line.
03:18If Duke handles stressor, not just undefeated, they're dangerous.
03:22If Duke can finish ACC play undefeated, the target on the back won't be hype.
03:28It will be earned.
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