Dec. 1, 2009
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Vanderbilt returns home after four games away from Memorial Gym for a nationally televised game against Big 12 member Missouri. The game can be seen live on ESPNU, with Rob Stone and Jay Williams on the call. The action can also be heard live on the Vanderbilt-ISP Radio Network, vucommodores.com, and XM Radio Channel 191, with Joe Fisher and Tim Thompson courtside calling all of the action.
The Commodores take on Missouri after posting a 3-1 record on the Western swing, and a 2-1 mark at the 2009 EA Sports Maui Invitational. Vanderbilt dropped its opener in Maui to Cincinnati, 67-58, but rallied to win their last two games against Chaminade and Arizona to finish the tournament in fifth place. Senior guard Jermaine Beal led four players in double figures in the three games in Maui, averaging 14.7 points per game. Junior center A.J. Ogilvy averaged 13.0 points, sophomore forward Jeffery Taylor added 11.0 points, and true freshman guard John Jenkins chpped in 10.7 points per contest.
Beal is the only Vanderbilt player to score in double digits in every game so far this season and leads the team in scoring with 15.4 points per contest. Taylor pours in 14.4 points per game, while Ogilvy adds 10.8 points. Both Ogilvy and Taylor lead the team on the glass, averaging 6.8 rebounds apiece.
This will be the fourth career meeting between the two schools, with Vanderbilt holding a 2-1 edge in the overall series. This will be the second meeting at Memorial Gym, with the first coming on December 23, 1961. The Commodores won that matchup, 77-65. Ironically, the last time the two teams met was at the 1986 Maui Invitational, a game VU won 69-54 en route to the tournament title. Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings has never faced the Tigers.
Missouri enters the game with a 4-1 overall record after dropping a 59-52 decision in the finals of the South Padre Invitational to the University of Richmond. Sophomore guard Kim English comes off the bench averaging 16.4 points per game to lead the team. Sophomore forward Laurence Bowers also averages double figures at 11.0 points per contest. The Tigers, known for “The Fastest 40 Minutes In Basketball”, force 22.4 turnovers per game, has a turnover margin of +7.4 for the season, and averages 14.2 steals per game.