Rucker: Vandy's tougher when it plays Tennessee. Any win is a good win.

When covering Tennessee is the job, you should spend a majority of your time discussing the Vols. Any time Tennessee plays Vanderbilt in basketball these days, a fair percentage of thoughts drift toward the Commodores.

Tennessee beat Vanderbilt for the 10th consecutive time. The Vols are ranked fifth in the Associated Press poll and second nationally. They have won all seven games against Jerry Stackhouse's team. Vandy has won just half of its 16 games this season. The next game is on February 8 in Nashville. It will probably be a fight. That's what the Vol's tend to do against Vandal teams in most sports. In this case, it's probably going to be the case. Tennessee is coming together well. Vanderbilt is struggling. Its team is 8-8 in mid-January. If you can get more open shots than anyone else against a defense as nasty and technically proficient as Tennessee’s, you shouldn't be 8.8.