Commodores Travel To Texas A&M Saturday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Commodores hit the road for their only trip to the state of Texas this season when they take on Texas A&M in College Station Saturday evening.  The game will begin at 5 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network. Commodore fans can also tune into the game on the Vanderbilt IMG Radio Network with Joe Fisher and Tim Thompson on WLAC 1510 AM and 98.3 FM, and online on vucommodores.com and the vucommodores app.

Vanderbilt fell to 9-19 overall and 0-15 in SEC play after dropping a 71-55 decision to Florida Tuesday evening at Memorial Gym.  Sophomore Saben Lee led three Commodores in double figures with 15 points.  Freshman Simisola Shittu and sophomore Matthew Moyer also added 10 points apiece.

Vanderbilt Basketball Quick Hitters

  • Aaron Nesmith was named the Co-SEC Player of the Week two weeks ago after averaging 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals in games against Florida and Auburn.  The honor is the third by a Vanderbilt freshman after Darius Garland and Simisola Shittu captured the honor earlier this season.
  • Vanderbilt and Kentucky are the only two teams in the SEC that have had three different players named as Freshman of the Week.  This year is also the first time the Commodores have had three different players selected as Freshman of the Week in one season.
  • Lee leads the Commodores in scoring with 12.8 points per game and Shittu in rebounding with 6.8 rebounds per contest.  Nesmith is the team’s leading scorer in SEC games only (14.4 points).
  • This will be the Commodores’ only meeting with Texas A&M in the regular season this year.
  • This will be the 12th career meeting between the two schools.
  • Vanderbilt, an inaugural member of the Southeastern Conference, is in their 86th season of SEC competition. Vanderbilt has won two SEC Tournament titles (1951, 2012) and three regular season titles in 1965, 1974, and 1993.  This is the 67th SEC season in Memorial Gym for the Commodores.
  • The Commodores enter the game as the 302nd-most experienced team in the country according to KenPom.com. Vanderbilt’s leading top three leading scorers are two freshmen, Aaron Nesmith and Simisola Shittu, and sophomore Saben Lee.  
  • Shittu is the league’s freshman leading rebounder with 6.8 rebounds per game in all games.  His current rebounding average is the fourth-highest by a Vanderbilt freshman in the history of the program.  Nesmith’s 5.9 rebounds per game ties him for seventh with Ted Young (1980) among all Commodore freshmen all time.
  • Vanderbilt freshman guard Darius Garland declared for the NBA Draft on Jan. 22.
  • Vanderbilt’s average height is 78.5 inches (6 feet, 5 inches) and ranks 14th nationally according to KenPom.
  • The Commodores have marched to the charity-stripe 651 times this season, which ranks fourth in the SEC.  Vanderbilt is fifth in the SEC with 443 free throw makes.  22.6% of the team’s points comes from free throws (20th nationally).
  • Vanderbilt also ranks in the top five in the SEC in 3FG Attempts (3rd, 637) and 3FG percentage defense (5th, 33.3%).
  • Individually, Lee is ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in assists per game (8th, 3.9), free throw attempts (3rd, 178) and free throws made (3rd, 125).  Matt Ryan is ranked in 3FG attempts (7th, 172), and total 3FG made (9th, 58), Shittu is ranked in defensive rebounds per game (8th, 5.14), free throw attempts (7th, 137), rebounds per game (9th, 6.8), and total rebounds (8th, 191), while Nesmith is ranked defensive rebounds (9th, 4.79).
  • Lee’s 110 assists ties him for seventh on Vanderbilt’s single-season assist list for a sophomore.  He is currently tied with Frank Seckar (1994).
  • Vanderbilt won their 800th career game at Memorial Gym against Arizona State on December 17.  Memorial Gym, which opened in 1952, is the oldest basketball arena in the SEC.
  • The Commodores signed a pair of four-star prospects in the early signing period.  Austin Crowley, a 6’4 shooting guard from West Point, Miss. who attends Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kansas, and Dylan Disu, a 6’8 power forward from Pflugerville Texas who attends Hendrickson High School, each signed a letter of intent with the Commodores in November.  

About Texas A&M
Series Record: 
Vanderbilt leads, 8-3
Last Meeting:  Texas A&M win, 89-81, on 2/24/18 at Memorial Gym
Record at Vanderbilt:  Vanderbilt leads, 5-1
Record at TAMU:  Tied at 2
Record at Neutral Site:  Vanderbilt leads, 1-0
Coach Drew vs. TAMU:  Coach Drew is 3-1 against Texas A&M

  • Texas A&M enters Saturday’s game with a 12-15 overall record and a 5-10 mark in SEC play.
  • Wendell Mitchell leads the Aggies in scoring with 13.4 points per game.  Savion Flagg (12.4) and TJ Starks (12.3) also average double figures.
  • Commodores Maxwell Evans (Houston) and Clevon Brown (San Antonio) each hail from the state of Texas.  2019 signee Dylan Disu also calls Texas home (Pflugerville).
  • The overall series between the two schools is tied at two in games played in College Station.   Vanderbilt won their last meeting at Reed Arena on January 31, 2017 (68-54).

Vanderbilt (9-19, 0-15) vs. Texas A&M (12-15, 5-10)
College Station, Texas – Reed Arena – 5 p.m. CT
TV:
SEC Network
TV Talent: Mike Morgan (pxp), Pat Bradley (analyst)
Radio:  Vanderbilt Radio Network from Learfield/IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio:  XM 391
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates:  @VandyMBB

Three Point U
The Commodores are one of only three schools (UNLV and Princeton) to have made a three-point basket in every game since the inception of the three-point line in the 1986-87 season.

With a made three against Texas A&M, Vanderbilt will move to 1,060 consecutive games with a three-pointer.

Freshmen Leading the Charge
The Commodores are one of only 10 programs (Duke, UNC Asheville, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Kansas, Kentucky, Mount St. Mary’s, Rice, and UTEP) in the nation to have three separate freshman score 20 points or more in a game (Darius Garland, Aaron Nesmith, Simisola Shittu)

Commodores in 86th SEC Season
Vanderbilt is now in its 86th SEC season and is a charter member of the league.  All time against current members of the conference, Vanderbilt is 716-723.