March 11, 2007
Free Audio: Listen to Interview with Derrick Byars
Free Audio: Listen to the Official Press Conference
NCAA Basketball Post-Season Ticket Information
BAND TOGETHER: Wear White During NCAAs
2007 NCAA Tournament Central at VUcommodores.com
Official Press Conference Quotes
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Making their first appearance since 2004, the sixth-seed Vanderbilt Commodores (20-11) will face the 11th-seed George Washington Colonials (23-8) in a first-round NCAA Tournament East Regional match-up on Thursday, March 15 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif.
The selection marks the second NCAA Tournament appearance for the Commodores under eighth-year head coach Kevin Stallings – the 2007 Southeastern Coach of the Year. Vanderbilt also was a No. 6 seed in the Phoenix Regional in 2004 when the Commodores posted wins over Western Michigan (71-58) and N.C. State (75-73) to advance to the school’s first Sweet 16 showing since 1993. Vanderbilt then lost to eventual national champion Connecticut (73-53) in the regional semifinal.
The 2007 Commodores are led by Southeastern Conference Player of the Year Derrick Byars, who averages 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Byars, along with fellow wing player Shan Foster (15.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and guard Dan Cage (11.2 ppg, 45.9 percent from 3-point range) have helped spark Vanderbilt’s turnaround season. The Commodores rebounded from a 1-3 start — that included a 70-62 home loss to Furman on Nov. 28 – to post more wins since the start of December (19) than any SEC team besides defending national champion Florida (22).
Vanderbilt finished 10-6 during SEC play, posting double-digit league wins for the first time since 1993 when the Commodores were 14-2 and claimed the overall conference crown. The 2007 Commodores defeated six teams ranked in the Associated Press Poll during the regular season, including then-No. 1 Florida, 83-70, on Jan. 31 at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville.
The Commodores rank atop the SEC in four categories entering the NCAA Tournament: 3-pointers per game (9.23), assists per game (16.97), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.35-to-1) and free throw shooting (72.7 percent). Vanderbilt is second in 3-point shooting (37.7 percent) and third in scoring (76.6 points per game) and turnover margin (+3.23).
Thursday’s game marks Vanderbilt’s ninth appearance at the NCAA Tournament. The Commodores are 7-9 at college basketball’s premier event, having advanced to the Sweet 16 three times (1988, 1993 and 2004) since the tournament expanded to as many as 64 teams.
Vanderbilt and George Washington have met only once before with the Commodores earning a 76-74 win on Dec. 1, 1990 in the championship game of the Apple Invitational hosted by Stanford.
Thursday’s Vanderbilt-George Washington winner will battle the victor of the Washington State-Oral Roberts contest on Saturday, March 17.
EAST BRACKET
Sacramento, Calif.
First Round
March 15, 2007
6 Vanderbilt (20-11)
11 George Washingtom (23-8)
3 Washington State (25-7)
14 Oral Roberts (23-10)
POST-SEASON NCAA TICKET INFORMATION
Vanderbilt’s ticket allotment for the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament will be divided between National Commodore Club members, students, team/parent needs and a small number to key university administrators. There will be no public sale of these tickets.
The Commodore women have clinched an automatic NCAA berth on the strength of their championship in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
They will learn their placement and seed Monday, March 12.Tickets for their games will be available by calling the Athletic Ticket Office (615-322-GOLD) or the National Commodore Club (615-322-4114) as soon as possible.
Orders will be taken over the phone but all tickets will be at the Will Call window at the NCAA host site; no tickets will ever reach McGugin Center due to the tight turn-around. No shortage of tickets is anticipated for the early rounds of the women’s tournament.
“The Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament has become so successful over the years that the participating schools receive a limited number of tickets, regardless of which site your team is assigned,” says Athletic Ticket Manager Eric Jones.
“We will receive fewer tickets to this tournament than we used for the Southeastern Conference Tournament so allocating them is a difficult task for all participating schools.”
Endowed donors and other major donors with the highest lifetime giving point totals were offered the opportunity to purchase tickets and that process continued until the tickets were sold.
“We say that “Your Membership Matters” in our communications and that is the case with this tournament,” says Jeff Ulmer, Executive Director of the National Commodore Club. “When we have a bigger demand than we have a supply, we believe we should reward those who have been willing to help us reach our goals.”