March 3, 2015
Vanderbilt will take the Memorial Gym floor for one final time in the 2014-15 regular season when the Commodores play host to Mississippi State on Wednesday night. The game tips off at 8 p.m. CT, and will be televised on the SEC Network and can be heard on the Vanderbilt IMG College Radio Network throughout Middle Tennessee.
The Commodores won their third consecutive game in their last time out Saturday in a 73-66 win over Alabama at Memorial Gym. Vanderbilt swept the season series between the two schools after the Commodores made 11 threes in the game against Alabama. The Commodores have now made 34 threes in the last three games (34-68, 50%). The Commodores were 11-19 from beyond the arc in the game (57.9%). Four Commodore players scored in double figures, with Wade Baldwin IV leading the way with 15 points. Baldwin made a career-high four threes on the day. Matthew-Fisher Davis (13), James Siakam (12), and Luke Kornet (11) also scored in double figures.
Seniors to Be Honored
Vanderbilt will honor senior players Josh Henderson, Shelby Moats, and James Siakam along with senior manager Rafi Goldman prior to tip off Wednesday night.
Game 30/Vanderbilt (17-12, 7-9 SEC) vs. Mississippi State (12-17, 5-11)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 8 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
TV Talent: Dave Baker (pxp), Jon Sundvold (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 92, XM 191
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Series Information
Series Record: Vanderbilt leads, 76-47.
Last Meeting: MSU win, 57-54, on 1/17/15 in Starkville.
Record at Vanderbilt: VU leads, 44-9.
Record at Miss. St.: MSU leads, 32-24.
Record at Neutral Site: VU leads, 8-6.
Coach Stallings vs. MSU: Coach Stallings is 10-11 vs. Miss. State.
About Mississippi State
Mississippi State enters the game with a 12-17 overall record and a 5-11 mark in SEC games.
Craig Sword (10.4) and Gavin Ware (10.1) are Mississippi State’s leading scorers on the season. Ware is the team’s leading rebounder with 7.3 per game.
Mississippi State won an earlier meeting between the two teams, 57-54, on January 17.
Three-Point Barrage
In Vanderbilt’s last three victories, the Commodores have combined to make 34-68 from beyond-the-arc (50%). Luke Kornet has made 11 (11-15, 73.3%), Wade Baldwin IV 10 (10-15, 66.7%), Matthew Fisher-Davis 9 (9-25, 36%), Riley LaChance 2 (2-9, 22.2%), and Jeff Roberson 2 (2-2, 100%). LaChance is sixth in the SEC in three’s made (1.9), while Fisher-Davis is seventh (1.9).
More Three News
The Commodores lead the SEC in three-point field goal percentage at 38.3%, and have five players that are shooting above 38% for the season – Baldwin (42.9%), Roberson (42.9%), Kornet (40.6%), Fisher-Davis (39.1%), and LaChance (38.0%).
Halftime Deficits
The Commodores have come back from two 11-point halftime deficits in the last two games, outscoring Tennessee and Alabama 100-63 in the process. Vanderbilt is 6-7 in games in which they have trailed at the half, and the six wins is the most by a Commodores team when trailing at the half since the 2010-11 team won eight games.
Stallings Now Has 309 Vanderbilt Wins, Moves Past Tubby Smith For Sixth On Wins List
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 309 career wins at Vanderbilt and 432 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). He is also 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, and is now in 6th place all-time on the SEC wins list after surpassing Tubby Smith after the Alabama win.
Against The Grain
Vanderbilt won its first game of the season when being outshot by an opponent against Alabama in its last time out. VU shot 41.2%, while the Crimson Tide was 44.8% from the field. The Commodores are now 1-8 in those contests.
Close Losses
The Commodores’ largest margin of defeat in league play was a 12-point decision at Arkansas. Two of the losses have come in overtime (LSU, Tennessee), and three others have come by three points or less (Georgia, at Miss. State, at Florida). Vanderbilt is six points away from a seven-game win streak (OT loss vs. Tenn., 76-73; 50-47 loss at Florida).
Baldwin Playing Well
Wade Baldwin leads all SEC freshmen in assists, and is 5th in the SEC in assists (4.3) in all games, 5th in SEC games only (4.3) and 4th in A/TO ratio (2.2) in all games. He is also 8th in steals in all games (1.6) and is tied for second in SEC games only (1.8). Baldwin already has more steals (45) than last year’s season leader, and as of late, has been scoring the ball. In his last three games, Baldwin is averaging 13.7 ppg.
Damian Jones leads Commodores
Sophomore post player Damian Jones is having a stellar sophomore campaign, averaging 14.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in the first 29 contests. Jones, a preseason All-SEC First Team selection by the league’s coaches, has scored 20+ points in six games this year and is second in the SEC in field goal percentage (.544), 3rd in blocks (2.0), and 10th in defensive rebounds (4.3).
LaChance leads all SEC Freshmen
Freshman Riley LaChance is the leading freshman scorer in the SEC at 12.2 points per game in all games. He also leads all SEC freshmen in three’s made per contest at 1.9 per game, which is sixth in the conference overall. LaChance 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 20 contests.
Baldwin now Vanderbilt Freshman Single-Season Assist Leader
Baldwin IV is now Vanderbilt’s all-time freshman single-season assist leader with 126, 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 86. LaChance would be seventh on the freshman single-season scoring average list (12.2).
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 347 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 926 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.