Vanderbilt University Memorial Gymnasium - Nashville, TN
Tip-off: Sunday, 8:00 pm ET
Line: N/A, Total: N/A

Vanderbilt will be hoping for an early boost to their tournament resume with a home victory over #10 USC on Sunday.

USC and Vanderbilt will be meeting in one of the more high profile matchups of the weekend on Sunday. The Trojans are the main draw here, as head coach Andy Enfield is now in charge of the most talented team he’s ever had. Enfield did some of his best work for Florida Gulf Coast University, but he has completely turned around this USC program in just a few years now. The Trojans went 11-21 in his first year with the team, but they were 21-13 in 2015-16 and then went 26-10 last year. They were eliminated in the Round of 32 a year ago, but this team is definitely thinking Final Four or bust this year. The Trojans have a ton of good players and now is the time for them to put it all together. As for Vanderbilt, things are a bit different this year. The Commodores are retooling a bit right now, but that doesn’t mean that this team isn’t thinking about making it to the tourney. Expectations are higher with head coach Bryce Drew in town, and the fans in Nashville aren’t going to accept a lousy season.

The Trojans are hoping to have a special season and they really do have the talent to make sure that happens. Two guys that stand out more than others are F Bennie Boatwright and G Jordan McLaughlin. Both guys are gifted scorers and they can each shoot the ball extremely well. Look for both of them to space the floor in this one, and don’t be surprised if Boatwright really goes off here. The Commodores have struggled defensively at times this season, so Boatwright’s ability to get buckets should shine in a game like this. On the inside, F Chimezie Metu will do his work on both ends of the floor. Metu is a guy that can finish around the rim, but he can also protect it on defense. He’ll make sure that nothing comes easy for Vanderbilt in this one, but he must avoid foul trouble. That hasn’t necessarily been an issue for him in the past, but it’s just crucial that he is able to stay on the floor. It’s worth noting that Metu is trying to expand his range to the three-point line. He has had some success with that already, but it’s probably not a shot that USC wants him taking very often. As for other players to keep an eye on, Gs Elijah Stewart, Jonah Bolden and Derryck Thornton are all very good at what they do. Each of them can have an impact in this one, so don’t be surprised if any of the three changes this game.

Vanderbilt lost a lot of its best players from last season, but the team still has some familiar talent on campus. The three most recognizable names on this roster would definitely be F Jeff Roberson, G Riley LaChance and G Matthew Fisher-Davis. All of these players played a huge role on last year’s team and they’ll need to be even better this year. Roberson is a guy that scores from inside and out, and he is very active on both ends of the floor. He’ll likely be tasked with stopping Boatwright in this game, so it’s important that he is ready for a battle here. LaChance, meanwhile, is a tough, savvy guard. He is capable of hitting the outside shot, but he can also drive the ball to the hole. He’ll need to be on his game on Sunday, too. The Trojans have some serious talent in their backcourt, so Vanderbilt will need everything that LaChance has to offer. Fisher-Davis, meanwhile, is a sniper from the outside. The senior has hit more than two threes per game in every one of his years with Vanderbilt. He averaged 13.9 PPG last year and the Commodores will likely need him to average even more this season.