ESPN Men's Basketball

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – His nickname is “Dolla Beal.”

And sure enough, Jermaine Beal was money Wednesday night in No. 23 Vanderbilt’s 85-76 victory over 14th-ranked Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Or better yet … straight cash.

His coach, who’s not one to unnecessarily gush, called him spectacular and the ultimate security blanket, among other things.

“It’s one of the first things I said to the team after the game,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings recounted. “When your senior plays like a senior, things get a lot easier. And he certainly played like one tonight.

“He was awesome, really awesome.”

Indeed, Beal shot holes in the Vols’ defense and took over in the second half on his way to 25 points. He played 38 minutes and didn’t have a turnover. He made all three of his 3-point attempts in the second half. He was simply the best player on the court.

“He was the difference,” Tennessee senior guard Bobby Maze said. “And what made him so terrific was that he was able to knock down shots.”

Nobody needed to tell Beal that this was his last shot in Knoxville after some horrific shooting performances against the Volunteers the last couple of years, particularly in this building.

A year ago, Beal was 1-of-10 from the field for three points in a 69-50 loss in Knoxville. He missed both of his 3-pointers. He wasn’t much better in the game in Nashville, going 1-of-7 from the field in a 76-63 loss to the Vols. He missed all five of his 3-pointers in that game.

And two years ago in Knoxville, Beal was 1-of-5 from the field in an 80-60 loss to Tennessee.

So when the game was hanging there in the balance in the second half Wednesday, Beal never blinked.

“I haven’t won here forever,” said Beal, who scored eight straight points to turn a six-point game into a 74-60 runaway with 4:57 remaining. “My only chance to win here was tonight. The main thing was to go out and play hard and leave everything out there, and I feel like we did that.”

As a result, the 23rd-ranked Commodores (16-3, 5-0) extended their winning streak to 10 straight games. It was also their third straight road win in the SEC. The last time they won their first three away from home in the league was the 1964-65 season.

It’s a given these guys are pretty good in Memorial Gym with the funky setup and the benches at the end of the court. They’re a tough out at home and always have been.

But the makeup of this team makes you think the Commodores are going to be a tough out no matter where they play or who they play the rest of the way.

You name it, and the Commodores have it. They have depth, size, shooters and a senior point guard who knows when to take charge.

And when things got testy Wednesday, Vanderbilt proved to be the tougher, more physical team.

“We have a physical team,” Stallings said. “A year ago, we were not physical, and we could be taken advantage of in games like that. We are more physical this year. I don’t know that we’re the most physical, but we’re more physical than we’ve been.”

Getting Andre Walker back from his knee injury last season has been huge. His stat line every night is usually the same. He had nine points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks against the Vols.

The emergence of sophomore post players Festus Ezeli and Steve Tchiengang has been equally important, and Stallings said 6-11 junior A.J. Ogilvy is in better shape.

“Our big guys do a decent job of giving us a presence in that lane area, and that’s a big key for our team,” Stallings said.

And when the Commodores shoot the ball the way they did against the Vols (15-4, 3-2), they can make a case for being the most complete team in the SEC.

Freshman John Jenkins has been a terror shooting the 3-pointer off the bench. His 3 at the 7:39 mark to answer Maze’s jumper was one of the biggest shots of the night.

The trio of Brad Tinsley, Jenkins and Beal was a combined 8-of-12 from 3-point range for the game.

“I think it’s the most complete team I’ve played on, definitely,” said Ogilvy, who scored 12 points and took advantage of an ailing Wayne Chism, who had 16 rebounds, but had trouble scoring after hyper-extending his knee Saturday at Georgia.

“We’re bigger and stronger and a lot more athletic than any team I’ve played on and have the ability to shoot the ball. We have every piece of the puzzle, really.”

Where it goes from here for the Commodores in the short term remains to be seen. They get Kentucky on Saturday in Lexington and then Mississippi State at home next Wednesday.

But if everyone stays healthy, this is a team built for a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

Don’t tell that to Stallings -- not yet anyway. He can’t see past the next practice.

“If you get to a point where you think you’ve arrived, then you’ve got some problems,” he said.

True enough.

But right now, these Commodores are full of answers.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- After hanging around for much of the game, Vanderbilt was at its best Wednesday when it counted most.

The Commodores hit every big shot and made every key play in the final 10 minutes. They extended their winning streak to 10 games and handed 14th-ranked Tennessee its first home loss of the season.

The 85-76 win by Vanderbilt was Kevin Stallings' first over Bruce Pearl at Thompson-Boling Arena. More importantly, the Commodores (16-3, 5-0) won for the third time this season on the road in the SEC.

There's still a lot of basketball left to be played, but this is shaping up to be perhaps Stallings' best and most complete team.

The Commodores go nine deep with very little drop-off. They have good size, and have a senior point guard who can lead them where they want to go.

Jermaine Beal was sensational Wednesday with a game-high 25 points. He triggered the decisive run with eight straight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers, to turn a 66-60 game into a 74-60 runaway with 4:57 remaining.

Vanderbilt made its run with Tennessee's Wayne Chism on the bench. Chism hyperextended his knee in the loss to Georgia last weekend.

The Vols (15-4, 3-2) have now lost two straight after winning seven in a row. They went cold from 3-point range in the second half and couldn't answer the Commodores' charge.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- If Tennessee is going to hold off Vanderbilt, the Vols are going to have to do it despite major foul trouble.

Both Scotty Hopson and Kenny Hall picked up their fourth fouls in the early minutes of the second half. J.P. Prince came back a few minutes later and picked up a pair of technical fouls.

The Vols were able to build a lead as large as six points, but they're going to have to play a large chunk of this second half without some of their key players.

Senior center Wayne Chism has been awfully quiet. He's rebounding well, but has yet to score a field goal. The Vols, leading 51-47, are going to need him offensively these last 12 minutes.

With all this foul trouble, you keep thinking that Vanderbilt will be able to exploit Tennessee inside. But so far, that hasn't happened.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Bruce Pearl’s orange jacket was loud enough.

But the loudest roar of the first half Wednesday came just before the buzzer when Pearl’s son, Steven, flew in for a nifty reverse layup on a fast break to give Tennessee its biggest lead of the half, 35-31, over Vanderbilt.

Neither team was able to get into much of an offensive flow. The lead changed 10 times until the Vols’ flurry to close the half.

Ironically enough, Tennessee was able to sprint out front thanks to a couple of 3-pointers. Scotty Hopson connected and then J.P. Prince (who was 1-for-7 from 3-point range coming in) followed with another one from long distance.

That’s after the Vols started 1-for-4 from 3-point range.

Hopson, as he’s done on occasion, sort of drifted in and out of the game. The Vols desperately need him to be more assertive.

Historically, Tennessee’s Wayne Chism has gotten the best of his Vanderbilt post counterpart, A.J. Ogilvy. But in the first half Wednesday, neither player was much of a factor.

Ogilvy had two points, no rebounds, two fouls and three turnovers, while Chism went the entire half without a field goal and managed just one free throw in the final minutes.

Tennessee started slow on defense, but picked it up as the first half wore on.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- It's an orange jacket game for Bruce Pearl, which means either Kentucky or Vanderbilt must be in town.

In this case, it's the red-hot Commodores, and it's Pearl's way of paying homage to former Tennessee coach Ray Mears.

Pearl has never lost to Vanderbilt in Thompson-Boling Arena, but that streak will be put to the test Wednesday night.

The 21st-ranked Commodores have won nine straight games, and according to Pearl, are playing as well as anybody that's come to Thompson-Boling Arena this season. And that includes Kansas.

Vanderbilt is 4-0 in SEC play for the first time in the Kevin Stallings' era. It's also a team that doesn't go quietly even if you get it down by double digits. The Commodores trailed by as many as 16 points in their last game against Auburn, but rallied to win 82-74.

With a trip to Kentucky looming on Saturday, this is a critical game for the Commodores if they're going to keep their momentum going.