March 6, 2015
Vanderbilt Gamenotes
| Ole Miss Gamenotes
Vanderbilt will close the 2014-15 regular season this Saturday in Oxford, Miss., when the Commodores take on Ole Miss at the Tad Smith Coliseum. 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 improved to 18-12 on the season and 8-9 in SEC play with the 66-56 win over Mississippi State in Vanderbilt’s regular season home finale in their last time out. Vanderbilt has won four consecutive games and seven of their last nine and have assured themselves of not playing in a play-in game next Wednesday at the SEC Tournament. Vanderbilt can be ranked as high as the seven seed in the SEC Tournament and as low as 8th. If the tournament started tomorrow, the Commodores would be the eighth seed.
The Commodores shot 55.3% from the floor against the Bulldogs, the 10th time this year Vanderbilt has shot 50% or better in a game. VU has a 9-1 record in those games. Riley LaChance led four Vanderbilt players in double figures with 15. James Siakam added 12 points, and Wade Baldwin IV and Damian Jones each added 11. The Commodores out rebounded the Bulldogs, 27-19, including 9-4 on the offensive glass. Vanderbilt was 8-17 from beyond the arc for a 47.1% clip. In the last four games, the Commodores are 42-85 (49.4%).
Game 31/Vanderbilt (18-12, 8-9 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (20-10, 11-6 SEC)
Oxford, Miss. – Tad Smith Coliseum – 8 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
TV Talent: Dave Baker (pxp), Daymeon Fishback (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 113, XM 191
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Series Information
Series Record: Vanderbilt leads, 74-43.
Last Meeting: Ole Miss win, 65-62, on 3/8/14 in Oxford.
Record at Vanderbilt: VU leads, 48-9.
Record at OM: OM leads, 29-22.
Record at Neutral Site: OM leads, 5-4.
Coach Stallings vs. OM: Coach Stallings is 11-8 against Ole Miss.
About Ole Miss
Ole Miss enters the game with a 20-10 overall mark and an 11-6 record in league play.
Stefan Moody leads the Rebels with 16.7 points per game. Jarvis Summers (12.2) and LaDarius White (10.9) also average double digits.
The Rebels have won four straight in the series, dating back to the 2012-13 season. Ole Miss leads the all-time series in Oxford, 29-22. Prior to the four-game Rebel win streak, Vanderbilt had won 11 of 12 against Ole Miss.
Three-Point Barrage
In Vanderbilt’s last four victories, the Commodores have combined to make 42-85 from beyond-the-arc (49.4%). Luke Kornet has made 12 (12-17, 70.6%), Wade Baldwin IV 11 (11-19, 57.9%), Matthew Fisher-Davis 11 (11-30, 36.7%), Riley LaChance 5 (5-14, 35.7%), Jeff Roberson 2 (2-2, 100%), and James Siakam one (1-1, 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 38.6%, and have five players that are shooting above 38% for the season – Baldwin (42.0%), Roberson (42.9%), Kornet (40.7%), Fisher-Davis (39.1%), and LaChance (38.8%).
Halftime Deficits
The Commodores have trailed at the half in its last three games, and have come back to win all three games. In those three games, VU has outscored opponents 134-83 (+51) in the process in the 2nd half. Vanderbilt is 7-7 in games in which they have trailed at the half, and the seven wins is the most by a Commodores team when trailing at the half since the 2010-11 team won eight games.
Stallings Now Has 310 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 310 career wins at Vanderbilt and 433 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 at Memorial Gym.
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 (4.4) in all games, 5th in SEC games only (4.5) and 3rd in A/TO ratio (2.3) in all games. He is also 7th in steals in all games (1.5) and is fourth 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 four games, Baldwin is averaging 13.0 ppg. Vanderbilt is 10-2 in games in which he scores in double figures.
Damian Jones leads Commodores
Sophomore post player Damian Jones is having a stellar sophomore campaign, averaging 14.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game this season. 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 (.551), 3rd in blocks (2.0), and 10th in scoring.
LaChance leads all SEC Freshmen
Freshman Riley LaChance is the leading freshman scorer in the SEC at 12.3 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 has won three SEC Freshman of the Week honor for his play this season. 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 21 contests.
Siakam one of SEC’s most effective
There are 65 players in the SEC who have played in 650 minutes or more, and James Siakam is tied at the top of the list with Texas A&M’s Courtney Roberson for the league’s most efficient. Siakam’s offensive efficiency rating is currently 63.3% (FGM + .5 (3FG)/FGA), with most of his makes coming around the basket and on offensive putbacks. Against Mississippi State Wednesday, the senior had more offensive rebounds (5) than the entire Bulldog team, and also made the first three of his career. Siakam has 14 double-digit point games and three double-doubles this season.
Baldwin now Vanderbilt Freshman Single-Season Assist Leader
Baldwin IV is now Vanderbilt’s all-time freshman single-season assist leader with 133, 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. Baldwin is nine assists away from cracking VU’s single-season top 10 list.
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.