Nov. 26, 2014
Vanderbilt Gamenotes 
| Rutgers Gamenotes
The Commodores will hit the road for the first time of the 2014-15 season when they travel to Brooklyn, N.Y., to take on Rutgers at the Barclays Center Classic. The game will be televised on the NBC Sports Network, and can be heard on the Vanderbilt IMG College Radio Network throughout Middle Tennessee.
Vanderbilt moved to 4-0 on the season after a 63-53 win over Norfolk State Tuesday at Memorial Gym. The Commodores are 4-0 on the season for the first time since the 2007-08 season, when Vanderbilt started the year 16-0. Wade Baldwin IV led four Vanderbilt scorers in double figures with 13 points and also added six rebounds, six assists, and two steals and only one turnover in 26 minutes. Matthew Fisher-Davis’ 11 points was a new career high, and James Siakam scored a season-high 11 points and grabbed a season-high seven rebounds. Vanderbilt held Norfolk State to only 32.1% from the floor and 15.8% from three, while the Commodores shot 44.0% from the floor, 40.9% from three, and 55.6% from the free throw line. Vanderbilt had 19 assists on 22 made baskets, and only committed nine turnovers, a season-low.
Game 5/Vanderbilt (4-0) vs. Rutgers (2-2)
Brooklyn, N.Y. – Barclays Center – 6 p.m. CT
TV: NBC Sports Network
TV Talent: Terry Gannon (pxp), Ben Howland (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: David Shumate (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Series Information
Series Record: Vanderbilt and Rutgers have never met.
Coach Stallings vs. Rutgers: Coach Stallings has never faced Rutgers.
About Rutgers and Commodore Ties
Rutgers enters the game Friday with a 2-2 overall record after dropping a 68-50 decision to Saint Peters on Tuesday night. Myles Mack leads all Rutgers players in scoring with 15.3 points per game. Kadeem Jack also averages double figures (11.5).
Commodore guard Wade Baldwin IV is from Belle Mead, N.J., a 14 mile trip from the Rutgers campus.
New York, New York
Friday will be the first game played in the state of New York for Vanderbilt since participating in the Carrier Classic at Syracuse Dec. 3-4, 1993. VU defeated Princeton (61-43) and lost to host Syracuse (78-62).
Jones Leads Dores
Sophomore post player Damian Jones is off to a great start to his sophomore campaign, averaging 16.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in three early contests. 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. He is also the SEC leader in field goal percentage (.658) and second in blocks (2.8).
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. Baldwin, Fisher-Davis, and LaChance have scored in double figures this season, with LaChance leading the group with 11.8 points per game.
Strong Early Perimeter Play
The freshman trio of Wade Baldwin IV, Riley LaChance, and Shelton Mitchell have combined for 54 assists and only 18 turnovers in their first four games.
More Assist Numbers
The Commodores are doing an outstanding job distrubiting the basketball, and in the last two games, the statistics show it. Vanderbilt has 43 assists on 50 made baskets in the last two contests, with Wade Baldwin IV (16) and Shelton Mitchell (13) leading the team in dimes during that span.
Baldwin Wins SEC Freshman of the Week
Guard Wade Baldwin IV won his first SEC Freshman of the Week honor for his performance in wins over Lipscomb and Tennessee 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.
More on Baldwin
The freshman is the only player in the SEC averaging double-digit points and at least five rebounds and five assists.
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. He tied the Memorial Gym record for FG% held by Jeffrey Taylor, who was also 10-11 from the floor vs. Tenn. State on Dec.19, 2009.
Three-Point Streak Still Intact
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 900 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.
Preseason Tournaments
Vanderbilt has been quite successful in preseason tournaments, winning three preseason tournaments since 2007 – in 2007, the Commodores won the South Padre Island Invitational, in 2008, the Cancun Challenge, and in 2012, the TicketCity Legends Classic in New Jersey.
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 296 career wins at Vanderbilt and 419 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, he won his 200th career game at Memorial Gym.
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.
Commodores vs. the Big Ten
The Commodores have an all-time record of 25-32 against schools that currently comprise the Big Ten. Vanderbilt will also face Purdue on December 13 at Memorial Gym (8 p.m., SEC Network).
Vanderbilt vs. other Barclays Center Classic Teams
Vanderbilt has faced LaSalle on one occasion (100-95 win, 12/17/66, Memorial Gym), and Virginia six other times. The Commodores have a 5-1 record against the Cavaliers, with the last meeting coming at Virginia on December 5, 1995, in a Vanderbilt win, 61-48. In the summer of 2014, Vanderbilt’s baseball team knocked off the Cavaliers to claim the 2014 NCAA Baseball Championship at the College World Series in Omaha.