15/14 Vanderbilt (9-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Central Arkansas (4-6, 0-0 ASUN)
Saturday, Dec. 13 • 5:30 p.m. CT
Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, Tenn.
SEC Network • 94.9 The Fan • Game Notes • Game Day Central
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No. 15 Vanderbilt hosts Central Arkansas on Saturday evening in Memorial Gymnasium following a 10-day break for final exams. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. on SEC Network with Kevin Fitzgerald and Rodney Terry on the call.
Fans can also listen to Kevin Ingram and Tim Thompson call the action on 94.9 The Fan and in the Vanderbilt Sports App.
CHALLENGE CONQUERED
- Vanderbilt rolled to an 88-69 victory over SMU in the ACC/SEC Challenge Dec. 3. The Dores took the lead with 17:19 to play in the opening half and never trailed again.
- Tyler Tanner was electric in a career performance, going for 26 points, six assists and five rebounds. The 26 points and five boards were both career highs.
- Four Dores scored in double figures, the eighth time this season at least four players have reached double figures in the same game.
- Vandy scored 54 points in the paint against SMU, the most for the Dores since 2019 against Buffalo (56).
- The Dores also produced 20 assists to just five turnovers in the win.
- Defensively, Vandy held SMU to a season-low 2-of-17 from the three-point line. The Dores also held SMU to 31 second half points, the fewest allowed by Vandy this season.
ABOUT THAT OFFENSE
- Vanderbilt’s vaunted attack is among the elite offenses in the country statistically and analytically.
- Vanderbilt leads the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.15 and ranks fourth in scoring (96.8).
- The Dores sit fifth nationally in field goal percentage (52.7) and sixth in effective FG% (61.2).
- Analytics agree with Torvik slotting Vanderbilt as the best offense in the country, EvanMiya second and KenPom third.
POLL + NET TALK
- Vandy is ranked 15th in the AP Poll and 14th in the Coaches. The highest rankings since the 2011-12 preseason poll. It’s Vandy’s best positioning in season since the 2009-10 season.
- The Commodores are ranked fifth in the NET heading into Saturday.
TANNER TERRIFIC
- Tyler Tanner dropped a career-high 26 points and grabbed a career-best five boards in the ACC/SEC Challenge win over SMU.
- Tanner finished 10-of-14 from the floor, becoming the first Commodore to hit 10 field goals since Devin McGlockton in the 2024-25 season opener.
- Tanner is ranked as the ninth-best player in college basketball this season according to EvanMiya with an 8.49 BPR.
- Tanner also added six assists against the Mustangs, his fourth game of five or more assists.
SERIES HISTORY
- Vanderbilt welcomes Central Arkansas to Memorial Gymnasium for the second time in three seasons.
- The Dores are 2-0 all-time against the Bears, including a 75-71 win in the last meeting in 2023.
- Central Arkansas is the third ASUN opponent for the Dores this season. Vandy has already defeated Lipscomb and Eastern Kentucky.
