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"Sometimes people tend to focus on offensive productivity," Kevin Stallings said. "Just like John (Jenkins) bails us out on offense, Jeff bails us out on defense because of his athleticism and defensive tenacity. I don't think there's ever a situation where we have had to overcome him."

"(Festus) is the one that has taken charge of his free throws and gotten better at those," Stallings said. "Obviously, the improvement from last year is remarkable."

ESPNU airings: Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 5 p.m. CT; Friday, Feb. 18 at 2:30 p.m. CT; Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. CT; and Saturday, March 5, at 5 p.m. CT.

More teams that impressed us: Vanderbilt
"The Commodores don't like to do anything easy. In a span of three days, Vandy clipped Alabama and Kentucky at home, both coming down to the final possessions. Alabama coach Anthony Grant and Kentucky coach John Calipari looked exasperated at one point -- and that's what Memorial Magic will do to coaches."

Teams that should be in: Vanderbilt [18-6 (6-4), RPI: 15, SOS: 11]
"After Thursday night's thrilling home win over Alabama, the Commodores' at-large chances were already looking strong. After Saturday's win over Kentucky, those chances are such that it would take a massive February collapse for Kevin Stallings' team to miss the tournament. The one thing Vanderbilt really needed was a marquee win, and as far as the RPI is concerned, it's hard to do much better than beating Kentucky. Provided the Dores don't pile up too many egregious slip-ups the rest of the way -- Saturday's game at Auburn could be particularly dangerous and damaging -- they'll have no problem getting to the Big Dance."

Should be in: Vanderbilt [18-6, 6-4; RPI: 17, SOS: 13]
"The 'Dores got a hard-earned home sweep of Alabama and Kentucky by identical 81-77 scores to slip into second place in the East. If they can hold onto that spot, they'll get a first-round bye in the SEC tournament, which would be a nice bonus. It won't be easy, though. Four of the last six are away from Memorial Gym and the two home games are Tennessee and Florida."
GW: North Carolina (N), Saint Mary's, Kentucky
BL: Arkansas

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"The next month really is a time for us to start working on our program and our players here," Franklin said. "I'm excited because it gives me the opportunity to get to know the guys that are already on our roster ... We had our first morning workout (Wednesday) from 5:45 to 6:45, and it was like chaos. They responded really well to it. Now, we're breaking up offense and defense, putting our playbooks together, and getting organized for spring ball. It's really the specific, hands-on football development, and making sure everyone understands the message I want."

"We made plays at the end," Kevin Stallings said. "Tinsley made some huge plays for us. He just continues to be better and better."

"The thing that we've hung our hats on all year is our ability to defend, and we had a tough time [Thursday] defensively," Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. "Vanderbilt did a great job."

"I'm so proud of how much the team has learned," Melanie Balcomb said. "I kept thinking back to Kentucky when they made the same run and we fell apart. Our body language was just terrific and didn't change. I think we know and have the confidence that we've been looking for. We have an identity now and we are stronger."

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"I would say its 50-50 for me whether (Walker) plays on Thurs­day night or not," Stallings said.

"I think it's a wonderful honor and I think that I'm lucky. I tell my wife, Jean, that I feel special now. Now somebody else has made some kind of deduction about me," said Smith.

"It is great to get a little respect from the media and different people associated with college baseball," third baseman Jason Esposito said. "But you want to be No. 1, not fourth or fifth. That is what our sights are set on."

"I don't know if it could've went any better really," James Franklin said. "We filled a lot of our needs, especially at the quarterback position and on the offensive line, defensive back, defensive line. Really did some good things, and I think we got faster, which is something we really wanted to do."

"In the last 48 hours, it was exciting," Franklin said. "We got on a roll the other night and the commitments were coming, and the commitments kept coming. The coaches were flying around, yelling, screaming. As we all know, a lot of times you work hard but you don't always see the dividends."

"As proud as I am with what we have done this year, we've still got a long way to go,'' Franklin admitted. "I think every time you set a goal and have an expectation and you reach that goal, now you have to set a new goal, a new standard, a new expectation.

"If you don't want to be a competitor, this isn't the place for you. We are going to have the most competitive environment on this campus -- academically and athletically. If you're afraid of competition, don't come to Vanderbilt," Franklin said. "They understand that. Just like I told them next year I am going to recruit somebody to beat them out."

"I had to do what was best for me," Thourogood said. "That's what all of the coaches wanted, so I did what I had to do.

"At first, (Coach Beatty) was telling me that it would be a good school for me. But in the end, he said whatever is best for me. Him saying that meant a lot to me. I sat back and prayed about it and thought about it a lot. And at the end of the day, (prayers) told me to go to Vanderbilt."

"Vanderbilt offered me, I sat down, prayed about it and talked to my parents," Townsend said. "It's the (Southeastern Conference), it's close to home, it's a top-notch education."

" ... at the end of the day, you have to understand that this is not a four- to five-year commitment," Grady said. "At the end of the day it's a 40- to 50-year commitment."

"They have a very good academic background, a great coaching staff that wants to turn the program around, and the players are motivated," Franklin said. "They've got the right mindset to win, and I feel like it's a great group of guys who are a lot like me. We're going to work hard to get on top."

"I just felt it was the place for me," Hart said. "I met the new coach (James Franklin) two weeks ago, and I think he'll bring a lot of energy to the program. He said they were going to change the culture and that he still wanted me bad. The staff has great energy. They are a bunch of young guys who have great energy and they want to win. I definitely wanted to be a part of that.

"I'm excited to come in to a program and try to turn them around and get things going," Seymour said. "I made up my mind Wednesday and called up the coaches and told them. An opportunity to play in the SEC is something you just can't pass up."

"I fell in love with the city and it was where I was born," Valedon said. "It is the perfect place to live. It's the SEC and you can't beat that. Plus the academics are unparalleled."

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"I never felt like it was the balconies that I built, I felt like it was the balconies that we built," said Clyde Lee. "We had such a great team. It was very rewarding to be able play with those balconies and seeing them all sold out. We had a good team and it was nice the way the city accepted it."

"The team has needed me more for sure, but that's been a year-long thing," Lance Goulbourne said. "This year I'm more aggressive and assertive, and I'm being tougher. I'm embracing the fact I'm a junior now. My time is running out and it's really time to step up."

"We've weathered the storm in games honestly better than I thought we might. ... If we can get Fes and Steve closer to 100 percent health-wise, I'll feel good about our team going forward because then we'll have what we're used to," Kevin Stallings said.

"I feel like it helped me grow a lot as a person," Riley Reynolds said. "It helped me learn the work habits I need to have to get better, to not just be content with what I was at freshman year but to get better, and that you always have to work for what you want. You are never going to get handed anything."

"We are very excited about this talented group of players," said head coach Ian Duvenhage. "We can't wait for them to be part of our program in the fall."

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"Jay was hurt," said Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher. "We don't question his toughness. He's tough as hell. He's one of the toughest guys on our football team. He doesn't bitch, he doesn't complain when he gets hit. He goes out there and plays his [expletive] off every Sunday. He practices every single day. We don't question his toughness."

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"I am beyond excited," Anderson said. "Having my name hanging in the rafters at a school like Vanderbilt with such a rich tradition is the highest honor. It started with a goal freshman year before I ever played a college basketball game and I thank God for blessing me with so many wonderful people who helped make it happen. It really is amazing to me."

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"I think it is a mental thing, an individual thing. You've got to decide you are going to go rebound in the second half," center Festus Ezeli said. "I don't understand why there is such a big difference. We are the same team. They are the same team. We are going to get that right. Starting [Wednesday] it is going to get right."

"I'm seeing a sense of urgency with the team," Ole Miss forward Terrance Henry said of the Rebels' 0-3 start. "We were hoping for a good start to start in the SEC, but you know now that we haven't had a good start. We're feeling it and we've just got to do something about it."

"(Green Bay) did a great job three weeks ago of putting some pressure on us and taking us out of our rhythm offensively," Cutler said. "We have to go back and really take a look at that film and look at what they did to us because obviously they're going to do some of the same stuff."

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"There is nothing like sitting in the front row and watching your son play,"  Brad Tinsley's mother, Kathy, said. "I just can't even imagine how nerve-wracking it would be to only get to see him and not have that personal interaction afterwards, whether it is a good game or a rocky game. Just to be able to be with him, give him a hug when he needs it and a pat on the back. That is just so special."

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"I'm extremely pleased to make this announcement today," Franklin said. "All of these coaches want to be part of something really special. When I called, many of them said yes without even talking about money and titles. They simply want to help turn this program into a success."

"I believe in Coach Franklin and the vision he has for the program, the excitement he has generated," Hand said. "I want to be a part of it."

"You better make (Jenkins) put it on the floor. Because if you're late you're gonna get nailed," UT coach Bruce Pearl said. "But Vanderbilt's offense does not allow you to take one guy and just put him on (Jenkins). Their offense is too good.''

"I'm probably not the first quarterback that hasn't been to the playoffs in the first five years," Cutler said, "and I probably won't be the last. We're in a good situation now. We've just got to take advantage of it."

"I think we were ready tonight," Head Coach Melanie Balcomb said. "We had paid the price before on the road and didn't want that to happen again, and I felt like this was the right timing for us to get our first SEC win on the road."

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"We're hungry, we're still mad about that (South Carolina) game," center Festus Ezeli said. "We still have a bad taste about that one because we didn't play to our abilities."

"I think coaches know (about Festus Ezeli)," Kevin Stallings said. "I don't think he is really going to sneak up on anyone."

"I think we will be more focused this time (on the road)," guard Jasmine Lister said. "I felt like we were playing like we didn't want to lose instead of winning on the road. Now, we are going to focus on winning.

"The Commodores will have one of the nation's better weekend rotations this season with Sonny Gray and others leading the way. Gray has had a fruitful campaign at Vandy and is expected to parlay a solid junior season into an even better first-round draft status."

"I probably know him better than y'all do," RB Matt Forte said. "I will tell you that he is probably the opposite of what you guys portray him to be. Jay is a good guy, and he comes to work every day to work hard."

"The only thing I will honestly say about (my time at Vanderbilt) and this is hard to believe, but its true," Fogler said. "I'm not sure why I left Vanderbilt. I really don't know. Now that sounds like bull, but why would I give you bull 17 years after the fact? I honestly do not know exactly what happened. Obviously, something went awry. I just decided to go to South Carolina."

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"I've recruited the West," Franklin said. "I've been to BCS bowl games, I've coached in the South, I've coached in the NFL, I have a master's degree, so there's nothing that could be on my resume that somebody could say, 'Oh we're an academic school, we need someone with a master's degree.' Well, I have that. I took opportunities and ran with them."

"It's not panic time at all. If we do that, we're going to be in bad shape," John Jenkins said.

"It's going to be a good game for us," Festus Ezeli said. "From a tough­ness aspect, they rebound very well and their big men are pretty good. So it's going to be a good inside-outside matchup for us."

"(Georgia's) pretty athletic," Lance Goulbourne said. "Travis Leslie is obviously a highlight reel. People know who he is. Trey Thompkins is a real good player. He was the preseason SEC player of the year. We are just looking forward to a challenge, getting back on the winning track and doing our best and coming out fighting."

"Coach (Franklin) truly knows the position, and really taught me how to be a college quarterback and what it meant to have that role," Maryland QB Danny O'Brien said. "Everything from watching film the proper way and leading our team to how I should carry myself, on and off the field."

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"I was glad to be winning again," Head Coach Melanie Balcomb said. "We'd lost two in a row so I'm glad we put two halves together. We did a lot of work since that last game and all I could focus on was trying to keep them focused on what their task was, and not focused on what happened the last two games."

COMMODORES AROUND THE WEB

Men's Basketball: Tough road awaits Dores with start of SEC play (City Paper)

"Every single one of the teams in this league is capable of beating anybody," guard Brad Tinsley said. "That is what is so great about the league -- home or away, anybody can beat anybody. So you can't take anybody lightly. That is definitely not what we are doing. We are going into a tough environment and we just have to play our game."

Men's Basketball: SEC East has all the power (Tennessean)

Men's Basketball: McClellan discusses redshirt (Tennessean)

"I just thought that given the depth of the ros­ter, it would be the best deci­sion for me to work on my skills and get bet­ter every­day out here with the team we have," McClellan said. "The deci­sion thus far has been great. I feel like I'm impro­ving at a rapid rate and I'm loo­king for­ward to next year."

Men's Basketball: Power Rankings- No. 19 Vanderbilt (ESPN.com)

Men's Basketball: Drama never far away in SEC (ESPN.com)

Men's Basketball: SEC might not be as bad as it looks (Lexington Herald-Leader)

Women's Basketball: Vanderbilt women finally hold a lead (Tennessean)

Baseball: Stan Ziomek receives honor from Babe Ruth Hall of Fame (MassLive.com)


IN THE PROS

NFL: Cutler excited about making NFL playoff debut (ChicagoBears.com)

"There are going to be some jitters," Cutler said. "I think if there are no jitters you don't care that much. Guys are going to have some pre-game jitters and stuff, but the good thing about having a young team is we're just going to go out there and play. We have nothing else to lose."

"Kansas is a really strong team that is very well coached," head coach Jeremy Organ said. "We do not know what to expect from the swimmers this week but we've been training hard. Erika Deardorf has looked great in the water lately so look to her to post some good times this weekend."

Bowling: Hamilton battling for Team USA Trials title

Women's Tennis: Dillon defends title in Ireland


VIDEOS OF THE DAY

Women's Basketball: Russian Bar Trio performance at halftime



Men's Basketball: Stallings previews South Carolina game

Women's Basketball: Vanderbilt-Mississippi State highlights

Women's Basketball: Balcomb, Holzer on VU win


SONG OF THE DAY

Alan Thicke "Sweaty and Hot"

I'll always remember Alan Thicke as Mike Seaver's dad on Growing Pains... or as the composer and singer of the theme for Diff'rent Strokes.

But his song "Sweaty and Hot" takes the cake. Canadian pop at it's finest.

Watch Video (Embedding disabled)


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FEATURED NEWS STORY

Football: The James Franklin era of Vanderbilt Football begins (Jim Patterson, Vanderbilt News Service)

"We may not make a bowl game next year and still feel the year is successful," Vice Chancellor David Williams said. "My hope is that we'll get to a place where not going to a bowl game is a disappointing season. "People may laugh at this, but my expectation is that within the next five years we'll play for the SEC championship. I think to compete for the SEC championship is the goal."

"Those guys have added a great dimension to our team," Head Coach Kevin Stallings said. "And when they get put in, there's not a tremendous drop-off in the play and the effort level and energy level. And that's all you can ask for as a coach."

"The positive is that we have been good for 20 minutes. It is not like we are a bad basketball team," Head Coach Melanie Balcomb said. "The negative is you have to learn how to win with a lead. You have to learn how to play with a lead when people come, when they put it in another gear. We haven't responded well."

"It's hard, especially to get a bye in the playoffs," Jay Cutler said. "Some guys make the playoffs every year, some guys never make the playoffs. I have a good understanding of how hard it really is to get in the playoffs. I've been close a few times, but it's been a fun ride so far on this team."