Jan. 9, 2017
Vanderbilt Gamenotes 
| Kentucky Gamenotes
Vanderbilt returns home to Memorial Gym this week with two games against longtime SEC rivals beginning Tuesday, when the Commodores host Kentucky in the 188th overall meeting between the two universities. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN, with the action also being heard across the Vanderbilt IMG Radio Network and online at vucommodores.com.
The Commodores dropped to 8-7 overall and 2-1 in SEC play after the loss to the Crimson Tide. Luke Kornet added his second consecutive double-double and seventh of his career with 15 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. Kornet also blocked four shots for the second consecutive game. Vanderbilt limited the Tide to only 31.7% from the floor and 28.0% from three, but Alabama outrebounded the Commodores, 50-35, and 20-8 on the offensive glass. The Tide outscored VU, 18-8, in second-chance points.
Tickets are still available for Tuesday’s game by visiting vucommodores.com or by calling or visiting the McGugin Center Ticket Office. The number to call is 615-322-GOLD.
Vanderbilt (8-7, 2-1) vs. #6/6 Kentucky (13-2, 3-0)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 6 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
TV Talent: Brent Musberger (play by play), Sean Farnham (color), Kaylee Hartung (sidelines)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: XM 145, Sirius 190
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Anchor Points
- Vanderbilt made 10 threes in the game against Kentucky. The Commodores have made 10 or more threes in seven games this year. It was the first game Vanderbilt has lost this year when making 10 or more threes.
- Vanderbilt is averaging 13.3 made three’s per game in league play so far this season (total of 40 made).
- The meeting with Kentucky will be the 188th meeting in the series and the 90th meeting played in Nashville. The Wildcats own a 140-47 record against the Commodores and a 52-27 record in games played in Nashville.
- Vanderbilt is 4-10 against Kentucky with John Calipari at the helm of the Wildcat program.
- Matthew Fisher-Davis’ 33 points against Auburn on January 4 was the first time a Commodore scored that many points since March 4, 2009, when A.J. Ogilvy scored 33 points in a win over LSU.
- Fisher-Davis also knocked down seven 3-pointers, a new career-high against the Tigers. He was the first Vanderbilt player to make seven three’s in a game since John Jenkins made seven against Lafayette on December 21, 2011.
- The Commodores are in their 84th season of SEC basketball – Vanderbilt is one of the founding members of the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt’s next SEC win will be its 700th all-time league win.
- Vanderbilt leads the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (40.3%) and in threes made (10.2) and second in free throw percentage (77.4%).
- Fisher-Davis leads the team in scoring with 16.9 points per game, while Kornet adds 12.7 points.
- Making three’s is not a new thing for this year’s Commodore team. Combined in their career, current players have made 701 career threes. Fisher-Davis leads the way with 195. Cressler has 153, LaChance 141, and Roberson 111.
- Riley LaChance leads the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (58.2%) and is fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5). He is also seventh in the league in assists (4.2) and eighth in three’s made (2.1).
- Fisher-Davis is sixth in the SEC in scoring, second in the league in three’s made (3.0), and fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.421). Roberson ranks third in the SEC in defensive rebounding and is fifth in rebounding (7.2). Kornet is fourth in the SEC in blocks (2.1) and 9th in free throw percentage (.829).
- Luke Kornet registering double-digit rebounds is usually a good thing for the Commodores. Vanderbilt is 9-1 when he registers double-figure rebounds and 6-1 when he tallies a double-double. In fact, in the last four years, the Commodores are 18-2 when a player has double-digit rebounds.
- Senior guard Nolan Cressler, who transferred from Cornell after his sophomore season, is now only 3 points away from 1,000 in his career after scoring 10 points at Alabama.
- Freshman point guard Payton Willis scored 10 points at Alabama, his fifth game this year scoring in double figures. Willis has started the last 10 games at point guard.
- The game against Kentucky marks Vanderbilt’s first game against a ranked opponent this season, although the Commodores current RPI Strength of Schedule is ranked 10th in the nation. Vanderbilt’s overall record against ranked opponents is 90-226, and the Commodores have a home record of 62-74 all-time against ranked opponents.
Series Information
Series Record: UK leads, 140-47.
Last Meeting: VU win, 74-62, on 2/27/16.
Record at Vanderbilt: UK leads 52-27.
Record at Kentucky: UK leads 83-15
Record at Neutral Site: Tied at 5.
Coach Drew vs. Kentucky: Coach Drew has never faced Kentucky.
About Kentucky
- Kentucky enters the game with a 13-2 record and a 3-0 mark in SEC play.
- Freshman Malik Monk leads four UK players in double figures with 21.9 points per game. De’Aaron Fox (16.3), Isaiah Briscoe (15.2), and Bam Adebayo (13.1) also average double figures.
- Kentucky holds a 140-47 all-time series lead between the two schools, and a 52-27 mark in games played at Vanderbilt.
- Vanderbilt won the last meeting at Memorial Gym – a 74-62 win on Feb. 27, 2016. The two teams have met at Memorial Gym every year since 1953 except for one season (2015).
- Senior Luke Kornet was born in Lexington, Ky.
- Freshman Payton Willis and Wildcat Malik Monk both hail from the state of Arkansas. Monk was the top-ranked prospect coming out of the state in the class of 2016, with Willis ranked second.
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 Kentucky will be the 995th regular season game played at Memorial Gym.
The Commodores have a 778-216 record at the SEC’s oldest facility, a winning percentage of .782.
Kornet Moving Up Blocks List
Senior Luke Kornet is now second on the Vanderbilt all-time block list with 171 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 1.58 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).
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).
Commodores vs. SEC
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 699-685.
979
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 979 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.
First Time This Season
With the win over Chattanooga on December 17, Vanderbilt won its first game this season when: trailing at halftime, trailing with five minutes remaining, tied with two minutes remaining, in a game decided by 3 points or less, when outshot by an opponent, when outrebounded by an opponent, and when an opponent scores 70 points or more.
Fisher-Davis in Top 10 for 3’s
Matthew Fisher-Davis now has 195 threes in his Vanderbilt career and is in 10th place in career threes made on the Commodores’ all-time list. Fisher-Davis is two short of ninth place 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.
