Dores Challenge No. 14 Mississippi State

RV Vanderbilt (13-1, 1-0 SEC) vs. No. 14 Mississippi State (13-1, 1-0 SEC)
Tuesday, Jan. 7 • 8 p.m.

Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, Tenn. • ESPNU

AT THE TIP

• Vanderbilt seeks its first 2-0 SEC start since the 2016-17 season when the Commodores play host to No. 14 Mississippi State on Tuesday night.
• Vanderbilt is receiving votes in the latest AP and Coaches’ Top 25 polls.
• The contest with the Bulldogs will air on ESPNU with Kevin Fitzgerald and Pat Bradley on the call. Fans can also catch the game on 94.9 The Fan with Kevin Ingram and Tim Thompson.

STARTING SEC IN STYLE

• Vanderbilt earned an 80-72 win at LSU in head coach Mark Byington’s SEC debut.
• The Commodores were the only SEC team to win on the road in the opening day of conference action.
• Vandy’s win was its first in Baton Rouge since December 2016.
• The Dores outrebounded the Tigers 37-27, including 17-5 on the offensive glass, and capitalized with an 18-4 edge in second chance points.

HOGGARD TAKEOVER

• AJ Hoggard delivered in the clutch at LSU, scoring 12 of his team-high 17 points in the final 6:26 of the game.
• With LSU leading 56-55 with 6:34 to play, Hoggard scored nine of Vandy’s next 11 points to push the Dores in front by seven.
• Hoggard’s 12-point finishing stretch included a pair of threes and an and-1 jumper.

CAREY COMES THROUGH

• Sophomore Jaylen Carey put together his best performance in a Vanderbilt uniform at LSU to open SEC play.
• Carey went for 14 points while grabbing eight boards to help the Dores to victory in Baton Rouge.
• The 14 points marked a season best and matched Carey’s career high against DI opposition.
• He also notched a pair of assists, two steals and a block.

BALANCED O

• For the third time this season, five Dores scored in double figures in the win at LSU.
• AJ Hoggard led the way with 17, Jaylen Carey and MJ Collins finished with 14 each, Jason Edwards added 12 and Tyler Nickel 11.
• Vanderbilt also had five in double figures against The Citadel and Jackson State.

SERIES HISTORY

• Vanderbilt leads the all-time series 81-54 over Mississippi State.
• The Dores have dropped five of the last seven in the series dating back to 2019.
• Vandy holds an impressive 49-11 edge at home against the Bulldogs and earned a 77-72 win in the last matchup in Nashville.