(RV/RV) Vanderbilt (16-2, 3-1 SEC) vs. (RV/–) Auburn (12-5, 1-3 SEC)
Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 • 2 p.m. CT
Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, Tenn. • SEC Network+ • Tickets
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Notes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team looks to get back into the win column this Thursday, as the Commodores host Auburn for the annual We Back Pat game. Tipoff against the Tigers is set for 2 p.m. and will stream live on SEC Network+.
Starting Five
>> Vanderbilt enters Thursday’s We Back Pat game holding a 16-2 overall record, while the Commodores are 3-1 in SEC play. Vandy is coming off a 65-63 loss to Missouri at Memorial Gymnasium this past Sunday. Freshman Khamil Pierre recorded the first double-double of her collegiate career with a 16-point, 12-rebound performance against the Tigers.
>> The Commodores’ 3-1 start in SEC play marks Vanderbilt’s best SEC start since the 2013-14 season. Vandy enters the week in a three-way tie for second place with No. 10/7 LSU and Tennessee in the SEC standings.
>> Vanderbilt’s 16-2 start this season is tied for the second-best start to a campaign in school history, matching the 2006-07 team’s start. Only Vanderbilt’s 1992-93 Final Four team has had a better start to a season through the first 18 games, as that Commodore squad held a 17-1 record.
>> Thursday’s matchup between the Commodores and Tigers will be the 56th meeting all-time between the two schools. Vanderbilt holds the all-time lead at 30-25, though Auburn has won three of the last four games.
>> Vandy is 15-9 against Auburn inside Memorial Gymnasium. The Commodores have won each of the last two home games against the Tigers. The last time Vanderbilt rolled off three-straight home wins against Auburn came between the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons.
Game Coverage
Thursday’s contest will stream live at 2 p.m. on SEC Network+. Fans can also listen to the game on the Vanderbilt Commodores app or on 94.9 The Fan in the Nashville area.
We Back Pat
Thursday’s contest at Memorial Gymnasium will be Vanderbilt’s annual We Back Pat game. SEC member institutions will support The Pat Summitt Foundation during their home basketball games starting January 18. During the week, various efforts will be made to increase awareness of The Pat Summitt Foundation.
The Pat Summitt Foundation Fund was launched on November 27, 2011, by Pat Summitt after her diagnosis of early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type at the age of 59.
Picking Up Top 25 Votes
Vanderbilt received votes in both major college women’s basketball polls this week. The Commodores picked up 16 votes in this week’s USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll, as Vanderbilt fell out of the poll after being ranked No. 24 last week. The Dores earned eight votes in this week’s Associate Press poll.
NET Ranking
Vanderbilt holds a NET ranking of 47 coming into Thursday’s game. The Commodores have the sixth-best NET ranking in the SEC entering conference play. The NET is an evaluation tool used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee to determine seeding and at-large bids.
Collecting the Wins
Vanderbilt’s 16 wins this season are tied for the third-most in the nation. The Commodores are one of five NCAA Division I schools that have won 16 games this season. Vandy’s 88.9% winning percentage is currently tied for the 12th-best winning percentage in NCAA Division I.
SEC Freshman of the Week
On Jan. 16, Khamil Pierre was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the second time this season. Pierre averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in a pair of SEC contests against Kentucky and Missouri. The 6-2 freshman opened the week by scoring a career-high 16 points at Kentucky on Jan. 11. Pierre followed that up by matching her career high in points with 16 against Missouri and pulled down a career-best 12 rebounds to record her first career double-double.
Scouting the Tigers
Auburn comes to Nashville sporting a 12-5 overall record and a 1-3 mark in SEC play. The Tigers are coming off a win over then No. 7/4-ranked LSU, as Auburn knocked off the defending national champions 67-62 at home this past Sunday. The Tigers currently hold a NET ranking of 68 and they picked up five votes in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.
Senior Honesty Scott-Grayson, this week’s reigning SEC Player of the Week, paces the Tigers at 15.8 points per game. The 5-9 guard is shooting 40.8 percent from the floor this season, while she has scored double-digit points in 11-straight games coming into Thursday’s contest.
Auburn is averaging 67.2 points per game this season, while the Tigers are shooting 40.5 percent from the field. Auburn has made 61 3-pointers and holds a 28.5 percent success rate on 3-point field goals. Defensively, the Tigers are giving up 55.8 points per contest. Teams are shooting 37.1 percent from the floor against Auburn, while the Tigers are holding the opposition to 29.8 percent from behind the arc.
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