Feb. 13, 2015
After a three game home stand at Memorial Gym, the Commodores hit the road for three out of their next four contests with the away-from-home festivities beginning Saturday at Alabama. The game tips off at 7 p.m. CT, and will be televised on ESPNU and can be heard on the Vanderbilt IMG College Radio Network throughout Middle Tennessee.
Vanderbilt dropped a heart-breaking, 76-73 overtime decision to Tennessee on Tuesday night at Memorial Gym in their last time out. Damian Jones led the Commodores with 16 points, while James Siakam added 14 points and Jeff Roberson a career-high 12. Wade Baldwin IV also added seven assists and two steals in a career-high 44 minutes.
Game 25/Vanderbilt (13-11, 3-8 SEC) vs. Alabama (13-9, 5-6 SEC)
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Coleman Coliseum – 7 p.m. CT
TV: ESPNU
TV Talent: Matt Stewart (pxp), Barry Booker (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 138, XM 191
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Series Information
Series Record: Alabama leads all-time series, 67-65, in Tuscaloosa.
Last Meeting: Alabama win, 68-63, on 1/7/14 in Tuscaloosa.
Record at Vanderbilt: VU leads 40-19.
Record at Alabama: UA leads 44-20.
Record at Neutral Site: VU leads, 5-4.
Coach Stallings vs. Alabama: Coach Stallings is 10-8 against Alabama.
About Alabama
Alabama enters Saturday’s game with a 15-9 overall record and a 5-6 mark in league play. The Crimson Tide won their most recent contest at Mississippi State on Tuesday, 55-51.
Levi Randolph leads the Crimson Tide with 14.8 points per game. Ricky Tarrant (13.1) and Rodney Cooper (10.3) also average double figures.
The Crimson Tide have won the last two meetings between the two teams – the only meeting last season came at Alabama on Jan. 7, 2014 (L, 63-68).
Alabama is one of five teams that the Commodores will face twice this season in SEC play. Other teams include Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi State, and Georgia.
LaChance leads all SEC Freshmen
Freshman Riley LaChance is the leading freshman scorer in the SEC at 12.5 points per game in all games and 11.9 points per contest in SEC Games. He also leads all SEC freshmen in three’s made per contest at 2.0 per game, which is fifth in the conference overall. LaChance recently won his third SEC Freshman of the Week honor for his play in two wins against Florida and South Carolina, when he averaged 17 points, 4.5 rebounds, and two steals in the two games. Earlier this year, he poured in two consecutive 26-point games against Purdue and Western Carolina, and has three 20+ point games this season. In all, he has scored in double figures in 17 contests.
Freshmen Leaders
Riley LaChance leads all SEC freshmen in scoring at 12.5 ppg, while Wade Baldwin IV leads all freshmen in assists with 4.4 per contest.
Damian Jones leads Commodores
Sophomore post player Damian Jones is having a stellar sophomore campaign, averaging 14.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in the first 24 contests. Jones, a preseason All-SEC First Team selection by the league’s coaches, has scored 20+ points in five games this year and is second in the SEC in field goal percentage (.540), eighth in the SEC in scoring, ninth in rebounding, 3rd in blocks (1.9), 9th in offensive rebs. (2.3), and 9th in defensive rebs. (4.4).
Baldwin now Vanderbilt Freshman Single-Season Assist Leader
Baldwin IV is now Vanderbilt’s all-time freshman single-season assist leader with 105, surpassing Atiba Prater, who had the all-time freshman single-season assist record with 103 in 1997. Shelton Mitchell is 8th on the list with 80. LaChance would be seventh on the freshman single-season scoring average list (12.5). Mike Rhodes is VU’s single-season freshman scoring average leader with 18.8 ppg, which came in the 1977-78 campaign.
Siakam Coming On
Senior James Siakam posted two straight double-doubles after posting a 16-point, 10-rebound effort in a win over South Carolina. In a win over Florida, Siakam had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Rebounding runs in the family – James is 27th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage, while his brother Pascal, who plays at New Mexico State, is ranked 21st in the same category.
More on Baldwin
Baldwin leads all freshmen in assists, and is 4th in the SEC in assists (4.4) in all games, 3rd in SEC games only (4.4) and 3rd in A/TO ratio (2.3) in all games. He is also 6th in steals in all games (1.6) and 2nd in SEC games only (2.0). Baldwin already has more steals (38) than last year’s season leader, James Siakam, who had 28 for the entire season. He also won his first SEC Freshman of the Week honor earlier this season.
Stallings wins 300 vs. Penn, now has 305 Vanderbilt wins
Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings won his 300th game at Vanderbilt against Penn, becoming one of five SEC coaches to win 300 or more games at one institution, joining Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp, Florida’s Billy Donovan, and LSU’s Dale Brown and Harry Rabenhorst.
Vanderbilt among SEC leaders
The Commodores lead the SEC in FG% with 46.9%, and have shot 50% or better in eight games this year. VU is also 1st in 3-Pt FG% (.368) and 3rd in assists (15.1).
Dores 2015 Recruiting Class Ranked 20th by ESPN
Head Coach Kevin Stallings recently signed four players to National Letters of Intent for next season – Djery Baptiste, a 6’11 center from Plano, Texas, Camron Justice, a 6’2 guard from Hindman, Kentucky, Samir Sehic, a 6’9 forward from Cypress, Texas, and Joseph Toye, a 6’7 wing from Chicago, each signed with the Commodores on the first day of the signing period on November 12. The quartet was recently named the 20th-best class in the nation according to ESPN.com.
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.
Young Commodores
According to KenPom.com, Vanderbilt is number 348 out of 351 Division I playing schools in terms of experience at 0.72 years. The average years of experience across the 351 schools is 1.67 years.
Three-Point Streak Still Intact
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 920 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.
Frontcourt Height
Vanderbilt’s starting frontline of 7-0, 6-10 & 6-6 is the second tallest in the SEC in terms of average height. Kentucky – 82.3 inches; Vanderbilt – 81.3 inches; LSU – 81.3 inches.