For the third straight year, the Commodores were one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.

For some reason, Vanderbilt only jacked up 13 three-points shots against Richmond’s zone defense.

The Commodores made six of them, so they were shooting a high percentage, and usually aren’t afraid to fire away.

Vanderbilt outrebounded Richmond, but they will certainly regret their nine missed free throws. 

All season long, the Vanderbilt Commodores showed flashes of being a power in the Southeastern Conference. At times, the Commodores looked like a .500 squad.

So in a way, it’s fitting that both sides of Vanderbilt showed themselves in the Commodores’ NCAA tournament opener on Thursday. And at the end, it wasn’t enough.

The Commodores, the fifth seed in the Southwest regional, were upended by 12 seed Richmond, 69-66. For the Commodores, it was a bitter end to an inconsistent season that still resulted in 23 victories.

Vanderbilt had a chance down three points in the final seconds, but could not get off much of a shot. It’s the third consecutive first-game defeat for the Commodores, the past two coming against No. 13 seeds.

John Jenkins and Festus Ezeli each scored 21 points to lead Vanderbilt.

—30—

Turnovers are usually a major problem for the Commodores, but they took care of the ball in this game, only giving it away six times.

Instead, it was the team’s miserable performance from behind the three-point line that came back to haunt them.

Vanderbilt is a very streaky team from the outside, and it showed in this one. The Commodores were only 6-33 from three-point range.

In contrast, they allowed the Gators to shoot 11-21 from three-point range, and that was clearly the difference in the game.

All season, the Vanderbilt Commodores have been one of the more dangerous teams in the nation. But part of the danger is the inconsistency that comes with whether the Commodores are able to put the ball in the basket.

Ranked No. 27 in the nation in points per game (76.7), the Commodores rely heavily on their outside shooting. The inside presence of Festus Ezeli, one of the most improved players in the nation, has helped balance the Vanderbilt attack somewhat.

But certainly, any hopes No. 20-ranked Vanderbilt have of winning in the SEC tournament starting Thursday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, rest on the perimeter. Guard John Jenkins leads the SEC in scoring at 19.4 points per game and is one of the nation’s top threats from the outside.

Vanderbilt isn’t playing well coming into the postseason, though. The Commodores lost their final two regular-season games, falling 68-66 on Tuesday at No. 23 Kentucky and losing at home Saturday 86-76 to No. 14 Florida.

Saturday’s loss knocked Vanderbilt from finishing second in the SEC East. Finishing second would have given the Commodores a bye in the opening round of the conference tournament.

—30—

Four Vanderbilt starters finished in double figures and a reserve also managed to reach that mark.

Jeffrey Taylor lead the club with 20 points while star and likely SEC Player of the Year John Jenkins poured in 17.

The Commodores were down two at halftime to hapless LSU but made sure there would be no major upset.

Vanderbilt poured in 10 three-pointers and shot nearly 55 percent from the field to pull away for the win.

Vanderbilt’s five-game winning streak came to an end, and top scorer John Jenkins had just two points in the second half.

The loss means that Vanderbilt was swept by Tennessee this year, which won’t sit well in this heated rivalry.

Head coach Kevin Stallings lamented foul trouble and being outhustled in the second half as reasons for the loss.

Jenkins admitted that his team got comfortable, especially with a big lead early in the game, and that came back to haunt them.

Vanderbilt still had a chance to tie or win the game, but a three-pointer from John Jenkins came up way short.

Head coach Kevin Stallings wasn’t amused after the game, saying that Jenkins doesn’t shoot too many air balls.

Reading between the lines, Stallings thought Jenkins was fouled. The closest Florida player actually agreed with him.

Stallings was also called for a technical in the second half, so he couldn’t say too much to the officials the rest of the way.

The Commodores turned to Franklin after their top choice, the offensive coordinator at Auburn, decided to remain with the Tigers.

Franklin was due a $1 million buyout next season if he was not named head coach at Maryland.

With Ralph Friedgen suddenly intent on staying at Maryland for years to come, it was unlikely Franklin would get the job.

Vanderbilt is certainly going to be a very tough job, as they will have to somehow overcome the other powers of the SEC.

The head coach said that there was nothing that caused him to retire other than he just lost his passion for the game.

Johnson said that coaching is so time consuming that he wanted to do other things before it was too late.

This puts Vanderbilt in a very difficult position because there aren’t any quality coaches just sitting around waiting for a call.

The 59-year old said it was a very difficult decision, and the school did their best to try and convince him to come back for another season.

Ogilvy has also decided to hire an agent, which will not allow him to withdraw from the draft and return for his senior season.

The center must have took some bad advice from someone because he is a second round pick at best.

He is certainly a talented player, but lacks the ability to take over a game and is often considered to be soft.

Ogilvy’s height and mobility will help him draw attention, but he is going to have to show more toughness.