Jan. 11, 2016
The Commodores return home to the friendly confines of Memorial Gym this Tuesday night when they play host to the Auburn Tigers. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPNU, with all of the action also available on the Vanderbilt IMG Sports Radio Network.
Vanderbilt and Auburn will meet for the 138th time on Tuesday night, with the Commodores holding an 86-51 advantage in the series and a 49-16 record in games played in Nashville. The Commodores have won 10 consecutive games against the Tigers and seven consecutive games at home against Auburn, dating back to the 2000 season. The first meeting between Auburn and Vanderbilt came in the 1920-21 season, a game the Tigers won, 27-7, in Nashville.
Vanderbilt dropped to 8-7 overall and 0-3 in SEC play after a 69-65 loss to #22 South Carolina Saturday afternoon in Columbia. Riley LaChance led the Commodores with a season-high 15 points Wade Baldwin IV scored 13 points, and Damian Jones tallied 12. Vanderbilt was limited to their lowest field goal percentage of the season from the floor and from three – 32.8% and 20.8%, respectively. The Commodores were 0-9 from three in the second half, and Vanderbilt’s 20 field goals made was a new season-low. South Carolina converted on 42.1% of its shots from the floor and only made 23.1% of its attempts from three.
Game 16/Vanderbilt (8-7, 0-3 SEC) vs. Auburn (7-7, 1-2 SEC)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 8 p.m. CT
TV: ESPNU
TV Talent: Rich Hollenberg (pxp), Dino Gaudio (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 83, XM 190
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Series Information
Series Record: VU leads, 86-51.
Last Meeting: VU win, 64-52, 1/6/15, in Nashville.
Record at Vanderbilt: VU leads, 49-16.
Record at Auburn: VU leads, 34-29.
Record at Neutral Site: Auburn leads, 6-3.
Coach Stallings vs. Auburn: Coach Stallings is 15-5 against Auburn
Quick Hitters
- Tuesday’s meeting will be the first of two meetings this season between the two schools.
- The Commodores will play two games at Memorial Gym this week, before hitting the road for two more games against Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively. Vanderbilt is 6-2 so far in home games this season.
- Two Commodores are averaging double figures on the season, with Baldwin leading the way with 14.6 ppg. Jones is also averaging 13.3 points per game.
- Baldwin has scored in double figures in 11 consecutive games.
- Seven of the team’s eight wins have come by 20 points or more.
- Ten players have scored in double figures in a game this season – Baldwin, Luke Kornet, Jones, Roberson, LaChance, Matthew Fisher-Davis, Cressler, Camron Justice, Josh Henderson, and Joe Toye.
- Fisher-Davis leads the SEC in 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (.485).
- Vanderbilt leads the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.280), and ranks eighth in the country.
- In SEC play, Damian Jones leads the SEC in field goal percentage (.720), is second in defensive rebounds (7.0), tied for third in blocks (2.0) and fifth in rebounding (8.3 per game).
- Head Coach Kevin Stallings, the school’s all-time winningest coach, is in his 17th season with the Commodores and 23rd overall as a head coach, and is now the dean of SEC coaches. Stallings has 321 career wins at Vanderbilt and 444 overall as a head coach. He has eight 20-win seasons in the last 12 seasons, with 11 total postseason appearances, six NCAA tournaments, 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.
- The Commodores have three players at seven feet or higher in their front court – Josh Henderson (7’0), Damian Jones (7’0), and Luke Kornet (7’1). LSU has two seven footers, and the rest of the league has one or fewer.
946
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 946 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.
Academic Success
Eight members of this year’s team were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll or the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll for 2014-15.
Non-Conference Tough
According to KenPom.com, Vanderbilt has had a difficult non-conference slate. The Commodores’ non-conference schedule is ranked 78th in the nation, but fourth among all Power Five schools. Only Florida (40), UCLA (58), and Wake Forest (66) have had a tougher schedule according to KenPom.
About Auburn
- Auburn enters Tuesday’s contest with a 7-7 overall record and a 1-2 mark in SEC play after dropping a 76-61 decision to Missouri Saturday in Columbia, Mo.
- Kareem Canty leads five Auburn players in double figures with 18.7 points per game. Tyler Harris (15.4), T.J. Dunans (12.4), Cinmeon Bowers (11.1), and Bryce Brown (10.2) also average double figures.
- Auburn is one of five teams Vanderbilt will play home and home this season in SEC play. The Commodores play at Auburn Arena on February 13.