Dec. 4, 2015
The #16/13-ranked Commodores hit the road to face a ranked opponent this Sunday when they travel to Waco, Texas, to take on #25/23 Baylor. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. CT and be televised on ESPNU. All of the action can also be heard on the Vanderbilt IMG Sports Radio Network with Joe Fisher and Tim Thompson on the call.
Vanderbilt defeated Detroit, 102-52, on Wednesday night at Memorial Gym to improve to 6-1 on the season. Seven Vanderbilt players scored in double figures against the Titans – Wade Baldwin IV (20), Mathew Fisher-Davis (12), Damian Jones (10), Riley LaChance (10), Nolan Cressler (14), Joe Toye (10) and Josh Henderson (11).
The Commodores out rebounded the Titans, 53-34, and outscored Detroit, 18-0, in 2nd chance points. The 53 rebounds was the most by a Vanderbilt team this season. VU also had 11 blocks on the night, a season-high.
The 102 points scored marked the first time Vanderbilt has scored 100+ points since on Feb. 16, 2012 in Oxford, Miss. against Ole Miss (102). It was the first time the Commodores have scored more than 100 points at home since Dec. 5, 2006, when Vanderbilt knocked off ETSU, 104-62 win.
Sunday will be Vanderbilt’s second trip to Baylor – the Commodores knocked off the Bears, 84-81, on Dec. 8, 1984.
Game 8/#16/13 Vanderbilt (6-1) vs. #25/23 Baylor (5-1)
Waco, Texas – Ferrell Center – 7 p.m. CT
TV: ESPNU
TV Talent: Ted Emrich (pxp), Reid Gettys (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Series Record: VU leads, 8-2.
Last Meeting: Baylor win, 66-63, on 12/4/14 at Memorial Gym.
Record at Vanderbilt: 5-1.
Record at Baylor: 1-0.
Record at Neutral Site: 2-1.
Coach Stallings vs. Baylor: Coach Stallings is 0-1 all-time against Baylor.
Quick Hitters
- The #16/13 Commodores defeated Detroit, 102-52, on Wednesday night at Memorial Gym to improve to 6-1 on the season. Seven Vanderbilt players scored in double figures against the Titans – Wade Baldwin IV (20), Mathew Fisher-Davis (12), Damian Jones (10), Riley LaChance (10), Nolan Cressler (14), Joe Toye (10) and Josh Henderson (11).
- The Commodores out rebounded the Titans, 53-34, and outscored Detroit, 18-0, in 2nd chance points. The 53 rebounds was the most by a Vanderbilt team this season. VU also had 11 blocks on the night, a season-high.
- The 102 points scored marked the first time Vanderbilt has scored 100+ points since on Feb. 16, 2012 in Oxford, Miss. against Ole Miss (102). It was the first time the Commodores have scored more than 100 points at home since Dec. 5, 2006, when Vanderbilt knocked off ETSU, 104-62 win.
- Sunday will be Vanderbilt’s second trip to Baylor – the Commodores knocked off the Bears, 84-81, on Dec. 8, 1984.
- Vanderbilt went 2-1 in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational and finished second in the Thanksgiving-week tournament, with the Commodores posting a 92-55 win over St. John’s and an 86-64 win over Wake Forest before dropping a 70-63 decision to #4/6 Kansas in the tournament final.
- Vanderbilt has an overall record of 88-222 in games versus ranked opponents, and a 19-132 record in road games. Vanderbilt’s last win over a ranked opponent came on March 11, 2012, against number one Kentucky to win the SEC Tournament in New Orleans, and the Commodores have lost nine consecutive games against ranked opponents. VU’s last win on the road came against #13 Marquette on Dec. 29, 2011 (74-57).
- Two Commodores are averaging double figures on the season, with Baldwin leading the way with 14.4 ppg. Jones is also averaging 12.0 points per game.
- Ten players have scored in double figures in a game this season – Baldwin, Kornet, Jones, Jeff Roberson, LaChance, Fisher-Davis, Cressler, Camron Justice, Henderson, and Toye.
- For the season, Vanderbilt is shooting 49.5% from the floor and 39.4% from three, outrebounding opponents by a +6.9 margin, and have a +4.0 turnover margin.
- Vanderbilt has 108 assists against only 67 turnovers for the season. Opponents have 95 turnovers and only 43 assists on the year.
- On the season, the Commodores are averaging 85.7 points per game and limiting opponents to 59.4 points per game.
- The Commodores have 47 blocks on the year, an average of 6.7 per game. Opponents have only blocked a combined 13 blocks.
- From the field, Vanderbilt has six players that are shooting 50% or better on the season – Baldwin (.523), Jones (.559), Roberson (.571), Justice (.500), Henderson (.500), and Toye (.619).
- Head Coach Kevin Stallings, the school’s all-time winningest coach, is in his 17th season with the Commodores and 22nd overall as a head coach, and is now the dean of SEC coaches. Stallings has 319 career wins at Vanderbilt and 442 overall as a head coach. He has eight 20-win seasons in the last 12 seasons, with 11 total postseason appearances, six NCAA tournaments, and two Sweet 16’s (2004 and 2007). He is also one of five SEC coaches to win 300 or more games at one institution, joining Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp, Florida’s Billy Donovan, and LSU’s Dale Brown and Harry Rabenhorst, and is now in 6th place all-time on the SEC wins list.
- This is the fourth consecutive week Vanderbilt has been ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press and Coaches Polls. The Commodores check in at number 16 in the AP poll, their highest in-season ranking in the poll since March 1, 2010, when Vanderbilt was 13th. Prior to the 2011-12 season, Vanderbilt had a preseason ranking of seventh by the Associated Press.
- The Commodores have three players at seven feet or higher in their front court – Josh Henderson (7’0), Damian Jones (7’0), and Luke Kornet (7’1). LSU has two seven footers, and the rest of the league has one or fewer.
Vanderbilt and the SEC
The Commodores lead the SEC in scoring margin (+26.3), field goal percentage defense (.338), three-point field goal percentage defense (.277), blocks (6.7), defensive rebounds (31.4), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6), and second in scoring defense (59.4), turnover margin (+4.0), and three-point field goals made (8.7). Individually, Luke Kornet leads the SEC in blocks with 3.0 per game, and Riley LaChance leads the conference in assist to turnover ratio at 4.7. Wade Baldwin is fourth in free throw percentage (.846), Damian Jones is ninth in blocks (1.7), and LaChance is also 10th in assists (4.0).
Texas Dores?
Sunday’s matchup in Waco will be one of three trips to the state of Texas for the Commodores this season, with other trips slated for Austin (at Texas in Big 12/SEC Challenge, January 30) and College Station (at Texas A&M, 3/5). Additionally, five players on the Vanderbilt roster played high school basketball in the state of Texas – Luke Kornet (Lantana, Liberty Christian), Jeff Roberson (Houston, The Kinkaid School), Djery Baptiste (Plano, Prestonwood Christian Academy), Carter Josephs (San Antonio, Tom C. Clark), and Samir Sehic (Cypress, Cy Woods).
938
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 938 consecutive games, a streak which began at the inception of the 3-point line in 1986-87. The Commodores rank second only to UNLV for the longest streak in Division I basketball. Vanderbilt, UNLV and Princeton are the only three schools in college basketball to have made at least one 3-pointer in every game played since the 3-point line was implemented.
About Baylor
- Baylor enters the game Sunday with a 5-1 record and ranked #25 in the AP poll and #23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
- Sunday’s matchup is the first of a home-and-home agreement. The two teams did play last year in the Big 12/SEC Challenge at Memorial Gym, with Baylor winning on 12/4/14, 66-63.
- Al Freeman leads the Bears in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game. Johnathan Motley (14.7), Taurean Prince (14.3), and Rico Gathers (13.3) also average double figures.
