Feb. 3, 2017
Vanderbilt Gamenotes 
| Ole Miss Gamenotes
Winners of their last two games, the Commodores return home to Memorial Gym to take on Ole Miss in an important SEC contest Saturday afternoon. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPNU, with the action also being heard across the Vanderbilt IMG Radio Network and online at vucommodores.com.
The Commodores won their second consecutive game and their third in last four games after a 68-54 win at Texas A&M on Tuesday night and are now 11-11 overall and 4-5 in SEC play. The win was also Vanderbilt’s third on the road in league play so far this season.
The Commodores had five players score in double figures – Luke Kornet (12), Matthew Fisher-Davis (12), Jeff Roberson (11), Joe Toye (11), and Nolan Cressler (10). Clevon Brown tied a career-high with six points.
The 54 points scored by Texas A&M is the second-lowest by an opponent this season (Norfolk State, 52) and it was the Aggies’ lowest-scoring output of the season.
Vanderbilt converted on 47.5% of its attempts from the field and 33.3% of its shots from three. The Commodores only attempted three free throws (and made all three), the fewest shot in a game since attempting three in a game against Chaminade on November 24, 2009 in the 2009 Maui Invitational.
First 5,000 fans receive T-shirt
The first 5,000 fans in attendance on Saturday will receive a free “Who Ya With” T-shirt. T-shirts will be available at all gates of Memorial Gym.
Fill out a Valentines Day card for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital
Fans can fill out a Valentines Day card for for patients at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in the Southeast Lobby prior to the game with Ole Miss.
Vanderbilt (11-11, 4-5 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (12-9, 4-5 SEC)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 2 p.m. CT
TV: ESPNU
TV Talent: Kevin Fitzgerald (play by play), Chris Spatola (color)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: XM 113, Sirius 192
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Anchor Points
- Vanderbilt leads the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (38.8%), threes made (9.9) and free throw percentage (78.0%) in all games. In league games only, the Commodores are first in free throw percentage (76.0%) and threes made (10.2). The Commodores rank seventh nationally in free-throw percentage and are tied for 14th in 3’s made per game.
- The Commodores have the third-toughest schedule in the nation according to the NCAA RPI and Jerry Palm. KenPom.com has Vanderbilt’s schedule ranked eighth. Vanderbilt has played the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation according to the NCAA RPI and Jerry Palm.
- In nine SEC games, the Commodores have three players who are in the top 10 in three-point field goal percentage, with senior center Luke Kornet leading the conference at 46.7%. Junior Riley LaChance is second (.452), and junior Matthew Fisher-Davis is 10th (.348). Fisher-Davis is third in league games only in 3’s made (2.6), Kornet fifth (2.3), and LaChance eighth (2.1).
- Making three’s is not a new thing for this year’s Commodore team. Combined in their career, current players have made 766 career threes.
- Riley LaChance is shooting 51.2% from three this season and is one three shy of the minimum two threes per game to be ranked in the SEC. He is fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2), seventh in the league in assists (4.1), and ninth in three’s made (2.0) in all games.
- Fisher-Davis is ninth in the SEC in scoring in all games and seventh in SEC games only (15.7). He is second in the league in three’s made (2.6) and fifth in 3FG% (.393) in all games.
- Fisher-Davis now has 209 career threes and is currently ninth on Vanderbilt’s all-time career three’s made list.
- Roberson ranks third in the SEC in defensive rebounding (5.6) and is fourth in rebounding (7.5) in all games. In SEC games only, he ranks fourth in rebounding (7.4) and in defensive rebounding (5.4).
- The Commodores are in their 84th season of SEC basketball – Vanderbilt is one of the founding members of the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt recently won their 700th league game at Florida and now have 701 SEC wins.
- Cressler and Kornet combined for 41 points against Iowa State, the second-most points scored by a senior duo in the SEC this year (South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice’s combined 46 points against Auburn is first).
- Cressler’s 20 points against Iowa State marked a career-best for him in a Commodores uniform. His previous season-best was 11 points on two different occasions, and his previous best as a Commodore was 14 points, which occurred three times in 2015-16. Cressler scored 34 points in a game for Cornell against Brown on Feb. 22, 2014 before transferring to Vanderbilt.
Series Information
Series Record: Vanderbilt leads, 75-44.
Last Meeting: OM win, 85-78, on 2/6/16 in Oxford.
Record at Vanderbilt: VU leads, 48-9.
Record at OM: OM leads, 30-23.
Record at Neutral Site: OM leads 5-4.
Coach Drew vs. Ole Miss: Coach Drew has never faced Ole Miss as a head coach.
About Ole Miss
- Ole Miss enters the game with a 13-9 overall record and a 4-5 mark in SEC play.
- Deandre Burnett leads Ole Miss in scoring with 16.9 points per game. Sebastian Saiz averages a double-double with 15.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, while Terence Davis (12.9) also averages double figures.
- Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew made “The Shot” against Ole Miss in the 1998 NCAA Tournament when he played for Valparaiso. The Crusaders defeated the Rebels, 70-69, in Oklahoma City on a last-second buzzer beater in route to the Sweet 16 that season.
- This will be the 120th meeting between the two schools, with the first meeting coming in the 1924-25 season. This will be the 58th meeting in Nashville on Vanderbilt’s campus – the Commodores hold a 48-9 series lead in those games, although the Rebels have won the last two meetings at Memorial Gym.
VU Staff Can Score
The Vanderbilt men’s basketball staff has combined to score a total of 5,486 collegiate points, with head coach Bryce Drew leading the way with 2,142 points. Here’s a breakdown of the staff’s scoring totals.
Head Coach Bryce Drew, Valparaiso=2,142
Asst. Coach Casey Shaw, Toledo=1,562
Assoc. Head Coach Roger Powell, Jr., Illinois=1,178
Asst. Coach Jake Diebler, Valparaiso=586
Total=5,468
Memorial Gym close to 1,000
The matchup with Ole Miss will be the 999th regular season game played at Memorial Gym.
The Commodores have a 779-219 record at the SEC’s oldest facility, a winning percentage of .781.
Kornet Moving Up Blocks List
Senior Luke Kornet is now second on the Vanderbilt all-time block list with 177 career blocks and only trails Festus Ezeli on the list. Ezeli, who currently is on the Portland Trail Blazers roster, is the all-time blocks leader with 204 career blocks. Kornet is also third on the blocks per game list with 1.54 in his career. Kornet trails Ezeli and Damian Jones, who currently plays for the Golden State Warriors, on the list (each at 1.69 per game).
Kornet NCAA leader in 3’s made by a seven-footer
Kornet is now the NCAA career three-pointers made leader with 132, surpassing Vanderbilt’s own David Przybyszewski, who has 131 career threes. Only two other seven footers have more than 100 – Derek Silvig of Montana (106) and Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin (103).
Dores Drain Threes
Vanderbilt made 19 threes against High Point on December 6, which set a new school record for threes in a game, surpassing an 18-three performance at Tennessee on January 8, 2005.
The Commodores also set a new record for most 3-pointers made at Memorial Gym, passing the old mark of 16 that was set on Jan. 8, 1994 vs. South Carolina and then matched on Feb. 11, 1995 vs. Arkansas. The Commodores hit 12 of their 19 3-pointers in the first half.
VU Makes Gamewinner
The Commodores made their first game-winning basket in almost four years against Chattanooga on December 17, when Luke Kornet made a three with 2.9 seconds remaining to give VU the 76-74 win over the Mocs.
The game-winner was the first since Kevin Bright made a 15-footer from the baseline on February 27, 2013, to defeat Georgia, 63-62, at Memorial Gym.
Neutral Site Dores
Vanderbilt has played in four neutral site games already this season – against Minnesota in Sioux Falls, S.D., the season opener vs. Marquette (Veterans Classic, Annapolis, Md.) and the two games at the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational (Butler, Santa Clara).
700th SEC Win
Vanderbilt is in its 84th SEC season and is a charter member of the league. All time against current members of the conference, Vanderbilt is 701-689.
986
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 986 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.
NBA Commodores
Vanderbilt was one of only three schools (Kentucky, Washington) with two first-round selections in the 2016 NBA Draft when Wade Baldwin IV was drafted 17th by the Memphis Grizzlies and Damian Jones was selected 30th by the Golden State Warriors. Baldwin IV and Jones became the sixth and seventh first-round picks, respectively, in the history of the program, joining Will Perdue in 1988 (11th, Chicago), Jeff Turner in 1984 (7th, New Jersey), Clyde Lee in 1966 (3rd, San Francisco), and John Jenkins (23rd, Atlanta), and Festus Ezeli (30th, Golden State) in 2012.
Cressler goes for 20
Senior Nolan Cressler scored a season-high 20 points in a win against Iowa State on January 28, his most as a Commodore in two seasons of action after transferring from Cornell. Cressler’s previous high was 14 points, which occurred three times in the 2015-16 season.
Fisher-Davis in Top 10 for 3’s
Matthew Fisher-Davis now has 209 threes in his Vanderbilt career and is in ninth place in career threes made on the Commodores’ all-time list with Mario Moore, who played from 2003-06.
Commodores make 16 3’s vs LSU
Vanderbilt made 16 of 32 threes in route to a 96-89 win over LSU on December 29, the Commodores third game this season making 15 or more threes.
On December 29, the two teams combined to make 33 three pointers, which set a new SEC record for combined threes in a game.
