Nov. 22, 2014
The last of three Nashville schools on the 2014-15 schedule visits Memorial Gym Sunday when Tennessee State makes the short trip across town for a 6 p.m. CT tip off against the Commodores. The game will be televised on FSN South, and can be heard on the Vanderbilt IMG College Radio Network throughout Middle Tennessee.
The Commodores moved to 2-0 on Thursday after a 72-62 win over Lipscomb at Memorial Gym. Sophomore center Damian Jones led the Commodores with 21 points on 8-15 shooting in the win.
He also added two blocks along with one steal and assist and was Jones’ second consecutive 20-point game, and 22nd career game in double-figures. Freshman Wade Baldwin IV had a solid stat line in his second game as a collegian, scoring 11 points, grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out five assists, and garnering three steals, all with no turnovers.
Game 3/Vanderbilt (2-0) vs. Tennessee State (2-1)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 6 p.m. CT
TV: FSN South
TV Talent: Bernie Guenther (pxp), Daymeon Fishback (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 holds a 7-0 overall series advantage against TSU.
Last Meeting: Vanderbilt win, 84-71, on 12/19/09.
Record at Vanderbilt: 7-0
Record at TSU: NA
Record at Neutral Site: NA
Coach Stallings vs. TSU: Coach Stallings has a 4-0 all-time record vs. Tennessee State.
About Tennessee State
Tennessee State enters the game with a 2-1 overall record after defeating Fisk, 75-60, on November 20. Jay Harris leads the Tigers in scoring with 16.7 points per game. Marcus Roper (12.7) and Xavier Richards (12.3) also average double figures. Tennessee State head coach Dana Ford is in his first season after being an assistant at Illinois State under former Commodore assistant coach, now Redbird head coach Dan Muller. Vanderbilt owns a 7-0 overall record against the Tigers, with the last meeting coming on December 19, 2009 – an 84-71 win at Memorial Gym. All seven previous meetings have been at Memorial.
Jones Leads SEC in Scoring
Sophomore post player Damian Jones is off to a great start to his sophomore campaign, averaging 22.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in two early contests. His point average leads the SEC in the early goings of the 2014-15 season. Jones, a preseason All-SEC First Team selection by the league’s coaches, tallied a career-high 24 points in the team’s season opener against Trevecca, and followed that up with a 21-point effort vs. Lipscomb. Jones is also tied for the lead in blocks (3.0), fourth in rebounding and third in field goal percentage (64.3%).
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 five combined players are averaging 7.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, with LaChance leading the group with 11.0 points per game.
Three-Point Streak Still Intact
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 898 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.
First Game of Barclays Center Classic
The Commodores will play two home games as a part of the Barclays Classic, with the first coming against the Tigers on Sunday and the second coming against Norfolk State on Tuesday. The final two games take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Friday and Saturday, when the Commodores take on Rutgers on Friday and then either Virginia or LaSalle on Saturday.
Coach Stallings in 16th Year
Head Coach Kevin Stallings, the school’s all-time winningest coach, returns for his 16th season with the Commodores and 21st overall as a head coach. Stallings has 294 career wins at Vanderbilt and 417 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). Stallings has the most 20-win campaigns in Vanderbilt history with seven. After the win over Lipscomb Thursday, Coach Stallings is now alone in ninth place on the all-time SEC wins list with 294 victories, surpassing former Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury.
Stallings’ Non-Conference Success
Coach Stallings has a 123-14 record at Memorial Gym in non-conference games (15 years).
Three is the Magic Number
The Commodores has started three true freshmen (Shelton Mitchell, Riley LaChance, Jeff Roberson) this season for the first time since the 2009 SEC Tournament against Alabama on March 12, 2009. In that game, Vanderbilt started true freshmen Brad Tinsley, Jeffery Taylor, and Steve Tchiengang.
Big Man Making Threes
Sophomore seven-footer Luke Kornet was one of only eight seven footers in the SEC in 2013-14, but was the only one who shot threes on a regular basis. Kornet finished 21-89 for the season, and was one of only two to have shot a three in 2013-14 (Darcy Malone, LSU, 3-7 in 2013-14). Against Ole Miss in Oxford last year, he scored a career high 13 points in a career-best 34 minutes of action, and most recently against Lipscomb, scored 11 points and tied his career high with three three’s made.