Dec. 12, 2014
Vanderbilt returns to the Memorial Gym floor after final exams this Saturday evening when they face off against Big Ten member Purdue at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network, and can be heard on the Vanderbilt IMG College Radio Network throughout Middle Tennessee.
The Commodores are 5-2 on the young season after dropping a 66-63 decision on December 4th at Memorial Gym against Baylor in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Sophomore post player Damian Jones led Vanderbilt with 21 points, with fellow sophomore Luke Kornet adding 13 points and senior James Siakam chipped in 12 points. Jones leads the SEC in field goal percentage at 61.1% and Kornet leads the league in three-point percentage at 57.7%.
Game 8/Vanderbilt (5-2) vs. Purdue (8-2)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 8 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
TV Talent: Dave Baker (pxp), Sean Farnham (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Series Information
Series Record: Vanderbilt and Purdue have won one game apiece in the series.
Last Meeting: Vanderbilt win, 94-72, on 12/30/65.
Record at Vanderbilt: 1-0.
Record at Purdue: 0-1.
Record at Neutral Site: NA
Coach Stallings vs. Purdue: Coach Stallings has an 0-1 record all-time against Purdue.
Coach Stallings to Face Alma Mater
Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings played three seasons at Purdue under Coach Keady (1980-82) and helped lead the Boilermakers to the NCAA Final Four in 1980. He was also an assistant at Purdue under Keady from 1983-1988.
His only time facing Purdue came when he was the head coach at Illinois State in a 69-55 loss at Purdue on December 8, 1998.
About Purdue
Purdue enters the game with an 8-2 overall record after a win over Arkansas State on Wednesday night. Saturday’s game with the Boilermakers is the first of a home-and-home series. Vanderbilt will play at Purdue next season. Kendall Stephens leads four Purdue players averaging double figures with 12.4 points per game. Isaac Haas (11.4), Vince Edwards (10.9), and A.J. Hammons (10.1) also average double digits. Edwards leads the team in rebounding with 6.5 rebounds per game.
Damian Jones leads Commodores
Sophomore post player Damian Jones is off to a great start to his sophomore campaign, averaging 17.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in six early contests. Jones, a preseason All-SEC First Team selection by the league’s coaches, has scored 20+ points in four games this year and leads the SEC in field goal percentage (.611). Jones is 3rd in the SEC in scoring 4th in rebounding, 5th in blocks (1.7), 4th in defensive rebounding (5.1/game), and 7th in offensive rebounding (2.7).
Vanderbilt among SEC leaders
The Commodores lead the SEC in FG% with 49.3%. VU is 2nd in assists (17.3), and 3rd in scoring defense (58.0), and 3-Pt FG% (37.4%)
Assists Numbers
Vanderbilt has 121 assists against only 88 turnovers early in the 2014-15 season, and has two players in the top seven in the SEC in assists, with Wade Baldwin IV third (5.6) and Shelton Mitchell seventh (4.1). Vanderbilt is second in the league in assists (17.3/game). The Commodores have 121 assists on 155 made baskets, a 68.8% clip, the best in the SEC, and are 16th in the nation in assists per game with 17.3 per contest.
Freshman Contributing
The signing class of 2014, Wade Baldwin IV, Matthew Fisher-Davis, Riley LaChance, Shelton Mitchell, and Jeff Roberson all are contributing mightily to this year’s team. The freshman class has played 833 of a total of 1400 minutes for the team this season – 59.5% of the team’s minutes.
Baldwin Off To Fast Start
Guard Wade Baldwin IV won his first SEC Freshman of the Week honor for his performance in wins over Lipscomb and Tenn. State. The 6’3 guard from Belle Mead, N.J., averaged 9.5 points, 7.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in the two Vanderbilt wins. He also posted 10 assists in the win over TSU. Baldwin is 3rd in the SEC in assists (5.6) and 2nd in A/TO ratio (3.0).
SEC’s Youngest Backcourt
The Commodores’ freshman backcourt is the youngest in the SEC. In fact, Vanderbilt is the only school in the league to start three freshmen at the three guard spots.
Luke Kornet: En Fuego
7’0 sophomore forward Luke Kornet had a career-high vs. Lipscomb, posting a career-high 24 points on 10-11 shooting from the floor, and currently leads the SEC in 3-PT FG % at 57.7% (15-26). He is also tied for fourth in 3’s made (2.1), and has scored in double figures in all but one game this season.
Siakam Coming On
Senior forward James Siakam has started to come on as of late, averaging 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in the last four games coming off the bench. For the season, the Douala, Cameroon, native is averaging 7.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and is converting on 62.5% of his shots from the floor.
Three-Point Streak Still Intact
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 903 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.
Frontcourt Height
Vanderbilt’s starting frontline of 7-0, 6-10 & 6-6 is the second tallest in the SEC in terms of average height. Kentucky – 82.3 inches; Vanderbilt – 81.3 inches; LSU – 81.3 inches
Coach Stallings in 16th Year
Head Coach Kevin Stallings, the school’s all-time winningest coach, is in his 16th season with the Commodores and 21st overall as a head coach. Stallings has 297 career wins at Vanderbilt and 420 overall as a head coach. He has seven 20-win seasons in the last 10 seasons, with six NCAA tournament appearances and two Sweet 16’s (2004 and 2007). Against Tennessee State earlier this year, he won his 200th career game at Memorial Gym.
Commodores vs. the Big Ten
Vanderbilt is 25-32 all-time against teams from the Big Ten.
