Jerry Stackhouse makes Vanderbilt's case for NCAA Tournament

Vanderbilt’s exciting SEC tournament run, which followed up a wild regular season, is over. It was a great ride while it lasted, with the program enjoying its best season in nearly a decade. And Commodores head coach Jerry Stackhouse doesn’t want the ride to stop here. Following Vanderbilt’s 87-75 loss to Texas A&M in the semifinal round, Stackhouse made his case for Commodores to earn a bid to NCAA Tournament and keep the ride going.

“I think we have. Again, it’s not up to us,” said Stackhouse. “I think we handled our part of it. We’ve done all that we could do as far as playing the game I think the right way, playing hard, tough. I think as the kids just said, in the best conference. There’s no doubt about it in my mind that we play in the best, toughest conference.

“When they talk about us getting eight or nine teams, there’s no way you’re going to tell me that we’re not one of the best eight teams in this league. We finished fourth in our league. We’ve done it in a number of ways. I think you take any first-team All-SEC player, defensive player of the year, any candidate that was up possible for the defensive player of the year or even a second-team SEC player, you take them out of the mix, do they still get where we are right now, still play with the same energy, effort and passion that these kids play for?”

It would be hard to argue that Vanderbilt was not, in fact, one of the top six teams in the SEC this season. The Commodores finished the year in a three-way tie for the fourth-best conference record at 11-7. And Stackhouse’s squad has a list of wins against quality opponents this season. That list includes the likes of Kentucky, Auburn, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

Although their season was filled with highs and lows — more highs than lows — Stackhouse believes his Commodores deserve at least a taste of the men’s NCAA tournament.

“Like I said, they deserve a taste, especially for our guys that have been here four years and labored through this rebuild. For us to get an opportunity to hear our name called tomorrow would be very, very rewarding to all of us, and especially to those guys.”

Stackhouse and Vanderbilt won’t wait too long to find out whether or not they’re going to the big dance. The Selection Sunday special will take place after the SEC’s championship game. Currently, ESPN’s bracketologist Joe Lunardi has Vanderbilt projected as one of his ‘first four teams out’ just missing the tournament. However, only time will tell whether or not that projection holds true or if Stackhouse and Vanderbilt get a crack at the men’s championship tournament.