Editor's note: Each week Bracketology Insider will take an in-depth look at teams headed for the NCAA Tournament ... or not.
Week in review
Vanderbilt (No. 23 RPI, No. 193 SOS) continued its string of blowout wins, battering Lehigh (No. 249 RPI, No. 291 SOS) and TCU (No. 166, No. 65 SOS) to wrap up non-conference play. On Tuesday, pre-season SEC Player of the Year choice Matt Freije led three Commodores in double figures with 15 points despite playing just 15 minutes in the 85-59 victory over Lehigh.
On Saturday, Vanderbilt matched the best start in school history (11-0) with a surprisingly easy 95-60 trouncing of TCU. It was Vandy's first road game of the season, but the Commodores jumped out to a 20-7 lead and were never threatened.
Vanderbilt's 11 wins already match last season's victory total.
Coming up
Those 11 wins might not amount to much if Vanderbilt staggers to begin SEC play. The good news might be that the first conference opponent, Auburn (No. 57 RPI, No. 189 SOS), also has played just once on the road (a 13-point loss at UNLV). The last time the Tigers visited Nashville, two yeas ago, Vanderbilt was a six-point winner.
The tests get much tougher on Saturday when Vandy goes to Rupp Arena to meet Kentucky (No. 8 RPI, No. 60 SOS). Last season the Commodores suffered an embarrassing 106-44 drubbing in Lexington, one of three double-digit losses to the Wildcats a year ago. Vanderbilt hasn't won at Kentucky since January 28, 1974.
"Planting Seeds"
The Commodores are No. 25 this week on The Bracketology Report national seeding chart. This makes Vandy a No. 7 seed.
Vanderbilt did all it could, going unbeaten in pre-SEC play and winning by an average margin of 22.3 points per game, albeit against a relatively weak schedule. Now it's on to the nightly slugfests of the SEC, where the Commodores know their season will be made or broken.
A win at Kentucky on Saturday would help keep Vanderbilt in the weekly projections for a long, long while.
Season breakdown (11-0, 0-0)
All RPI data through Tuesday, Jan. 6
Date Opponent Result Opp.RPI Opp.SOS
11/21 @Belmont 74-59 70 144
11/24 Indiana 73-60 80 55
11/29 Tennessee-Martin 94-60 141 9
12/3 IUPUI 86-68 84 104
12/6 Michigan 83-63 27 58
12/10 Tennessee State 85-64 285 67
12/13 Tennessee Tech 98-79 116 19
12/20 Wofford 90-59 250 75
12/22 Appalachian St. 63-48 144 95
12/30 Lehigh 85-59 249 291
1/3 @TCU 95-60 166 65
1/7 Auburn 57 189
1/10 @Kentucky 8 60
1/14 @Tennessee 82 292
1/17 Florida 14 21
1/24 @Arkansas 90 172
1/28 South Carolina 81 304
1/31 Kentucky 8 60
2/7 @Florida 13 21
2/11 Georgia 60 105
2/14 @South Carolina 81 304
2/18 @Alabama 14 8
2/21 LSU 28 112
2/25 @Mississippi 89 146
2/28 Mississippi State 32 225
3/3 Tennessee 82 292
3/6 @Georgia 60 105
3/11 SEC TOURNAMENT
Joe Lunardi's forecast (Jan. 6)
Chance of NCAA top seed: 5 percent
Chance of NCAA "protected" (1-4) seed: 20 percent
Chance of NCAA bid: 70 percent
Chance of NCAA at-large bid: 65 percent
Chance of NIT bid: 30 percent
Chance of missing post-season: 0 percent