Vanderbilt (8-1, 0-0 SEC) at Butler (6-2, 0-0 Big East)
Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 • 6 p.m. CT
Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, Ind. • FloHoops.com
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics app • Live Stats • Game Notes
INDIANAPOLIS – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team heads north this Thursday to take on Butler in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. Tipoff against the Bulldogs is set for 6 p.m. CT and will stream live on FloHoops.com.
Starting Five
>> Vanderbilt heads into Indianapolis sporting an 8-1 overall record. The Commodores are coming off a 71-63 win over Louisiana Tech at Memorial Gymnasium this past Sunday. Junior Sacha Washington scored a career-high 33 points against the Lady Techsters and collected a career-best eight steals. Freshman Madison Greene came off the bench and scored a career-high 17 points in the victory.
>> With an 8-1 record, Vanderbilt is off to its best start to a season through eight games since the 2016-17 season. The Commodores opened the 2016-17 campaign with a 10-1 record through 11 games.
>> Vanderbilt and Butler will face off for just the third time, while it is their first matchup since the 1998-99 season. The Bulldogs won the first game, 91-88, back on Nov. 24, 1990, in Nashville. The Commodores were victorious in their last contest against Butler, winning 78-64 inside Memorial Gymnasium back on Dec. 28, 1998. Thursday’s game will be Vanderbilt’s first visit to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
>> The Commodores have won 11 of their last 12 games against nonconference teams. The lone loss during this stretch is an 8-point defeat at #5/10 NC State back on Nov. 29. Vanderbilt is 28-12 against nonconference opponents under head coach Shea Ralph.
>> On Tuesday, junior Sacha Washington was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Player of the Week. The 6-2 forward averaged 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.5 steals in a pair of games last week. Washington scored a career-high 33 points and posted a career-best eight steals in the win over Louisiana Tech.
Game Coverage
Thursday’s contest will stream live on FloHoops.com for a fee. Fans can also listen to the game on the Vanderbilt Commodores app or on 94.9 The Fan in the Nashville area.
NET Ranking
The first NET rankings of the 2023-24 season were released this week. Vanderbilt holds a NET ranking of 63, which is a 36-spot improvement from the Commodores’ final NET ranking of the 2022-23 season. The NET is an evaluation tool used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee to determine seeding and at-large bids.
30-Point Performance
Junior Sacha Washington posted her first 30-point performance at any level in the win over Louisiana Tech, as she scored a career-high 33 points. The 6-2 forward became the first Commodore to have a 30-plus-point performance since Ciaja Harbison’s 41-point effort against Texas A&M on Jan. 29, 2023. It is Washington’s sixth career game scoring 20 or more points, three of which have come this season. Washington leads Vanderbilt in scoring this season at 16.8 points per game.
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio
The Commodores’ assist-to-turnover ratio is 22nd best in NCAA Division I at 1.37. Graduate student Jordyn Oliver’s 2.80 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 30th nationally, while it is fourth-best in the SEC.
Sharing the Ball
The Commodores have been dishing out the assists this season. Vanderbilt’s 17.6 assists per game ranks second-best in the SEC, while it is 34th nationally. Graduate student Jordyn Cambridge’s 4.8 assists per game is the 63rd-best average in NCAA Division I.
Racking Up the Steals
Graduate student Jordyn Cambridge has collected at least one steal in each of her last 47 games. The Nashville, Tennessee, native is second in all of NCAA Division I in steals with 40, while her 4.44 steals per game ranks second nationally.
Moving Up the Steals List
Jordyn Cambridge’s 274 career steals are the fifth-most in program history. The guard needs four more steals to move past Cathy Bender (277; 1979-82) for fourth on the list.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Butler comes into Thursday riding a three-game winning streak that has put the Bulldogs at 6-2 overall this season. Butler is coming off a 59-51 win at Wisconsin this past Sunday. The Bulldogs are 4-0 at home this season and hold a NET ranking of 126.
Senior Caroline Strande leads Butler in scoring at 15.9 points per game. The 5-11 guard is shooting 45.4% from the field and 43.5% from behind the arc. Strande also leads the team in rebounding at 7.4 caroms per contest. Graduate student Rachel Kent is averaging 10.4 points per game and is coming off a 25-point performance at Wisconsin.
The Bulldogs are averaging 68.5 points per game this season. Butler is shooting 43.0% from the floor and 35.7% from behind the arc. The Bulldogs have been tough on teams defensively this season, as they are allowing 58.5 points per game. Opponents are shooting 40.4% from the field against Butler, while connecting on 29.4% on 3-point field goals.
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