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Vanderbilt

Mark Byington breaks down final play of regulation vs. Missouri, worry about foul-up-3 strategy

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•about 16 hours•

ChandlerVessels

mark byington
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington wanted his team to get the ball up the court fast. There was four seconds remaining in regulation and, with the Commodores trailing 81-78 against Missouri, this could be their only shot at staying alive.

Byington wasn’t sure whether the Tigers would try to foul, but he stayed prepared to the possibility. He told point guard AJ Hoggard to get the ball up the court as quickly as possible then decide whether to pull up or pass to a shooter.

Hoggard did as he was told and, after driving down the lane, kicked it back out to Nickel for a 3-pointer, which he drilled at the buzzer and sent the contest to overtime.

“When you’re up three, you’re sometimes worried about the other team fouling,” Byington said postgame. “What I told AJ is to push the ball with great pace. I thought they might foul him, but on the wings we had Jason (Edwards) and we had Tyler Nickel. As he crossed half court, I was like, ‘Get a 3.’ I didn’t know where it was going to come or who it was going to come to, but we didn’t want a two in that situation. AJ described it perfectly that he drew the defense and then Tyler Nickel found the window there. As soon as it got into his hands, I think we were all confident.”

Vanderbilt would go on to win by a score of 97-93 in OT and earn a much-needed victory for its NCAA Tournament resume. The triple was one of three on the day for Nickel and Hoggard finished with 21 points to go along with six assists. Chris Manon led the team with 23 points and 11 rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting.

Had Missouri been able to get a foul in on the final possession, who knows what would have happened. Vanderbilt would then be faced with the dilemma of whether to intentionally miss the second free throw and try to score off the rebound to tie.

The Commodores were able to get a shot off, however, and it saved the game for them. They are now in a solid position with one week to go in the regular season, coming in as a No. 8 seed according to On3’s latest bracketology projections.

That’s the product of a three-game winning streak, with all those victories coming against top 25 foes. Mark Byington will hope to keep Vanderbilt hot when it next faces Arkansas at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday.