No. 21 Vanderbilt missed 7-footer Luke Kornet in loss to Dayton
Vanderbilt played without one of its most experienced and hard-to-matchup-with players Wednesday night and struggled to find any kind of consistent offensive rhythm.
Of course, the 21st-ranked Commodores were playing host to an always scrappy and determined Dayton team that has won games in each of the past two NCAA Tournaments, but they made poor decisions and were sloppy with the ball and it cost them in a 72-67 loss to the Flyers.
[SMU hasn’t let NCAA tournament ban detract from its season so far]
Junior Luke Kornet is out for 4-6 weeks with a torn MCL in his knee suffered in practice this week and the Commodores are going to have to get used to playing without his offensive versatility and shot blocking. Both were sorely missed against Dayton, particularly during the first 10 minutes of the second half when Vanderbilt managed just 10 points and gave up an eight-point halftime lead.
Kornet is a 7-footer who can shoot from behind the 3-point line and also score in the paint. He has played in 73 games in his career and while that experience and the matchup problems he poses might not have made the difference Wednesday, the Commodores seemed less formidable without him.
“He’s probably the most physical guy on our team,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said noting that the Commodores missed Kornet’s toughness.
[Dwaun Anderson’s massive putback dunk wins game for Wagner]
Damian Jones and Wade Baldwin each scored 18 points but Vanderbilt was outrebounded by 10 and only scored on consecutive possessions in the second half in three instances. Kornet was averaging 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds before being injured.
This is a team that should be able to replace that production, but what won’t be easy to replace is how Kornet stretched opponents and created opportunities for his teammates just by being on the floor.
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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
