Lid-Lifter

Battle Ground

• This is the first meeting with the Trojans, but Vanderbilt fans are familiar with Little Rock, Arkansas, as the Commodores are 7-3 all-time in the SEC Tournament in Little Rock, including the 2009 SEC Championship.
• In 2009, second-seeded Vanderbilt defeated seventh-seeded Georgia (69-61), third-seeded LSU (61-47) and top-seeded Auburn (61-54) to win the SEC tournament title at then-Alltel Arena in North Little Rock. It is the most recent of the program’s six SEC tourney championships. 
• Vanderbilt’s most recent trip to Little Rock came at the 2015 SEC Tournament at now-Simmons Bank Arena.

Looking Astern

• Vanderbilt freshman Koi Love set a career-high with 26 points, but the Commodores turned the ball over 25 times and their season ended in a 77-67 loss to Auburn in the opening round of the SEC Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 4.
• Down 60-59 with 7:26 to go, Vanderbilt picked the worst time to go cold. The Commodores went 6:34 without a point—and Auburn took advantage with an 13-0 run to build a 73-59 lead.
• The Commodores also got 12 points each from Fasoula and junior guard Chelsie Hall in the loss.

Canceled Trio

• Due to a lack of available student-athletes as a result of quarantining individuals with positive COVID-19 tests and those designated as close contacts, along with injuries, the first three games of the season were canceled­—vs. Tennessee Tech (Nov. 25), at Middle Tennessee State (Nov. 29) and vs. Texas Tech (Dec. 2).

Full Steam Ahead

• Vanderbilt will return three of its five starters from the end of the 2019-20 campaign. Center Mariella Fasoula graduated but Koi Love, Chelsie Hall and Brinae Alexander will all return in 2020-21. Love was an All-SEC Freshman team honoree and Hall led the team with 117 assists.
• Alexander scored in double figures in all six games she started and finished last season, and was Vanderbilt’s leading scorer before her season-ending Achilles injury in the first quarter on Thanksgiving Day against Rutgers at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.
• In addition to two freshmen­—Bella LaChance and Emily Bowman—the Commodores will also add a pair of transfers in South Florida graduate transfer Enna Pehadzic, who is eligble immediately, and Florida transfer Brylee Bartram, who will sit out her transfer year in 2020-21.

Sick Bay

• Junior Jordyn Cambridge, who led the SEC in steals last season, was injured in Vanderbilt’s SEC Tournament game last season and will miss the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
• Between Golden (25), Alexander (23), Pearl (8), LeaLea Carter (4), Newby (3) and Sarah Gordon (3), the Commodores had a combined 66 missed games due to injury last season. 

Debriefing 2019-20

• Vanderbilt had four players average double figures (Alexander, Love, Fasoula, Hall). The last Vandy team to accomplish that was in 2011-12. 
• Vanderbilt out-rebounded 21 of its 30 opponents and was winless when being out-rebounded (0-9).
• Vanderbilt was 14-2 when holding opponents under 40 percent from the field (0-14 when not). 
• Vandy was 11-0 when scoring more than 70 points (3-16 when scoring fewer than 70).
• Vanderbilt went 13-9 against unranked opponents and 1-7 against the top 25. 
• Vandy matched its previous season’s win total (7) by Dec. 15 and last season’s SEC win total by Jan. 9. 
• Vanderbilt’s 10 nonconference wins matched the most in the Coach Stephanie White era (also went 10-3 in 2016-17). 
• Vanderbilt’s win at Washington (Dec. 21) was its first Pac-12 road win since 2012 at USC.

Home Port

• The Commodores finished 10-6 at Memorial Gym last season (had nine wins in two previous seasons combined) with five of those six losses to Top 25 opponents. 

Hall Pass

• Senior guard Chelsie Hall led the team with 117 assists last season, while Jordyn Cambridge finished with 105 assists. The last Commodore pair with 100 assists each was in 2010-11 when Jasmine Lister (103) and Jence Rhoads (140) accomplished the feat. 
• Hall’s 117 assists were the most since Minta Spears had 127 in 2015-16. 

Incoming Class

• For the first time since 2016, Vanderbilt has three top 100 recruits in same recruiting class by any publication. Kendal Cheesman (Tampa, Fla.), De’Mauri Flournoy (Carrollton, Ga.) and Iyana Moore (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) each signed their letters of intent to make West End home in the Fall of 2021. 
• Each signee has already reached 1,000 career points as they enter their senior seasons, and Prospects Nation has all three in its Top 100 recruits with Flournoy as the 51st-ranked player in the country, Cheesman is 78th and Moore is 84th.

Moving up the Ranks

• After four-year associate head coach Shereka Wright took the head coaching position at UT-Arlington, Stephanie White promoted former Commodores standout Marqu’es Webb to assistant coach.
• Webb was the Director of Player Personnel last season after two years of professional ball overseas.
• Webb graduated from Vanderbilt in 2017 with a degree in sociology.

Court Martial

• Jordyn Cambridge became the first Commodore to lead the SEC in steals since 1990. 
• Cambridge’s 2.83 steals per game ranked 14th in the nation and was the highest single-season average for a Commodore since Deborah Denton finished with 2.90 per game in 1989-90.
• Cambridge’s 85 steals in 2019-20 were the ninth-most in a season in school history and the most in a season for a Commodore since Jennifer Risper stole 91 in 2007-08.

On the (Cam) Bridge

• Only major conference player with 80+ steals, 100+ assists and 150+ rebounds during the 2019-20 regular season (five players total, nationally).
• Cambridge was the first Vandy player with 100+ assists (105) and 80+ steals (85) in a season since Jade Huntington had 100 and 87 in 1989-90. 
• Cambridge was first in the SEC and second among major conference players listed at 5-foot-9 or shorter with 14 blocks during the 2019-20 regular season (Burton had 17).
• Cambridge led all SEC players at 5-foot-9 or shorter with 157 rebounds and averaged 5.2 per game.

Experienced Commander

• Head Coach Stephanie White is one of six major conference coaches who have won an NCAA title as a player (one of 15 overall). 
• Coach White is one of three college coaches who also served as head coach in the WNBA, alongside Cynthia Cooper-Dyke (Texas Southern) and Nell Fortner (Georgia Tech), while White and Cooper-Dyke are the only two NCAA head coaches with playing and head coaching experience in the WNBA.

In the Community 

• Vanderbilt’s 2019-20 squad placed an emphasis on volunteering in the local Nashville community. Each team member was required to complete 10 hours of community service. Those hours did not include team mandated community events. 
• Among some of the team volunteering events, the Commodores spent an afternoon at the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Nashville where they helped stock shelves and move furniture. They also volunteered on Halloween at Vanderbilt’s Trick or Treat with the Greeks where they handed out candy and provided Nashville communities and children a fun, safe space for Halloween.
• The Commodores also sponsored, Gabee, 14, who suffered from craniostynosis, and are raised money for her and the Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
• Junior guard Chelsie Hall was named to the 2020 SEC Community Service team. 

A Vandy Win Would…

… be the second straight in a season opener.

… be the fifth in the last six games in the city of Little Rock, including the 2009 SEC tournament title.

A Vandy Loss Would…

… be the second straight in Little Rock, Arkansas, following the second round loss to Kentucky at the 2015 SEC Tournament (67-61).

… be the first-ever against Little Rock.

… be less good than a win.

On Deck

• Vanderbilt will open its home slate with a matchup against East Tennessee State on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
• Following a trip to Chattanooga on Dec. 13, the Commodores will wrap up the non-conference season with three straight home games between Dec. 17-28.