Dec. 2, 2016
Vanderbilt Gamenotes 
| Minnesota Gamenotes
The Commodores will travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., for their first game ever in the state of South Dakota when they take on Minnesota at the Sanford Pentagon Saturday evening. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. CT and will be televised online on ESPN3, with the action also being heard across the Vanderbilt IMG Radio Network and online at vucommodores.com.
Vanderbilt improved to 4-3 on the season after an 83-59 win over an undefeated Tennessee State team on November 29. Matthew Fisher-Davis scored 22 points to lead the Commodores, with Jeff Roberson (13), Luke Kornet (12), and Riley LaChance (12) also scoring in double figures. Fisher-Davis scored 20 or more points for the second time this season. He has also been to the charity stripe 32 times this season (27-32, 84.4%) – last season, Fisher-Davis went to the free-throw line 36 times. The Commodores shot a season-high 54.3 percent (25-46) for the game, and Vanderbilt won the rebounding battle against the Tigers, 39-20. It is the fewest rebounds the ‘Dores have given up this season along with the largest rebounding margin (+19) of the year. Tennessee State entered the game having outrebounded their opponent in every game. The Commodores also hit 10 shots from behind the arc Tuesday night. It was the third game this season they have hit 10 or more threes and second in a row. The Commodores made a season-high 15 threes vs. Santa Clara in Las Vegas on November 25.
Media Information
Vanderbilt (4-3) vs. Minnesota (6-1)
Sioux Falls, S.D. – Sanford Pentagon – 7 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN3
TV Talent: Wayne Randazzo (play by play), Mac McCausland (Color)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 132, XM 202
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Anchor Points
- Kornet and Roberson have scored in double figures in five games, LaChance in four.
- LaChance is shooting 18-26 from three on the season (69.2%). He has 23 assists and only two turnovers in the last four games and has made nine threes in his last two games.
- The Commodores made 15 threes against Santa Clara for the first time since making 17 against Ole Miss on January 15, 2013.
- Fisher-Davis leads the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game, while Kornet adds 14.0 points, Roberson 10.6, and LaChance 10.3.
- Freshman guard Payton Willis made his second career start vs. Tennessee State. Against Santa Clara, Willis had a career-high eight assists. It was the most by a Commodore since Wade Baldwin IV had eight assists against Tennessee State on March 10, 2016. Willis scored a career-high 17 points vs. Butler.
- Saturday’s game with Minnesota will be Vanderbilt’s 59th meeting with a current member of the Big Ten Conference. The Commodores have a 26-32 all-time record against the Big Ten.
- Saturday’s game will be Vanderbilt basketball’s first appearance in the state of South Dakota. In 2015, Vanderbilt defeated South Dakota State, 92-77, in the second round of the NIT in Nashville.
- This will be Vanderbilt’s fourth neutral site game of the season, joining the season opener vs. Marquette (Veterans Classic, Annapolis, Md.) and the two games at the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational (Butler, Santa Clara).
- The Commodores have three players shooting 45% or better from three, with the group led by LaChance, who is 18-26 from three so far this season (69.2%). Fisher Davis is shooting 45.0% (18-40) and Nolan Cressler is shooting 50.0% (6-12).
- As a team, Vanderbilt is shooting 76.9% from the free throw line this season, which ranks second in the Southeastern Conference.
- Kornet had four blocks against Norfolk State, the 15th time in his career that he has posted four or more blocks. He led the SEC in blocks a year ago and was tied for third nationally, averaging 3.0 per contest.
- Head coach Bryce Drew takes over the Vanderbilt program after spending five seasons as the head coach of his alma mater, Valparaiso, where he posted a 124-49 record. Drew was a three-time Horizon League Coach of the Year and two-time NABC District 12 Coach of the Year with Valparaiso, where he averaged 25 wins a season, won four regular season championships, and made four postseason appearances, two in the NCAA Tournament and two in the NIT, with the Crusaders.
Series Information
Series Record: Minn. leads, 4-0
Last Meeting: Minnesota win, 72-59, on 12/5/59 at Memorial Gym.
Record at Vanderbilt: Minn. leads, 2-0.
Record at Minnesota: Minn. leads, 2-0
Record at Neutral Site: NA
Coach Drew vs. Minnesota: Coach Drew has never faced Minnesota.
About Minnesota
- Minnesota enters the game with a 6-1 overall record after losing their most recent game at Florida State, 75-67, in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
- Amir Coffey leads four Minnesota players in double figures with 14.6 points per game. Nate Mason (12.7), Dupree McBrayer (11.4), and Jordan Murphy (10.1) also average double figures.
- Saturday’s meeting will be the fifth in the series between the two schools, with the Gophers holding a 4-0 lead. However, the two teams have not met since December 5, 1959, in a game Minnesota won at Memorial Gym, 72-59.
- Although this game will be played in Sioux Falls, both teams play their home games in two of the more iconic buildings in college basketball. The Gophers’ Williams Arena was built in 1928, while Memorial Gym was built in 1952 and is the oldest basketball arena in the SEC.
Other News and Notes
Notes from Tennessee State Game
- Vanderbilt is now 9-0 all-time in its series against Tennessee State
- The Commodores are now 2-0 this season against OVC opponents. They defeated Belmont 80-66 earlier this month.
- Vanderbilt shot a season-high 60.9 percent (14-23) from the floor in the first half against Tennessee State.
- The Commodores ended up shooting a season-high 54.3 percent (25-46) for the game.
- The ‘Dores had four players score in double-figures for the third time this season.
- The Commodores won the rebounding battle 39-20. It is the fewest rebounds the ‘Dores have given up this season along with the largest rebounding margin (+19) of the year.
- The Commodores hit 10 shots from behind the arc Tuesday night. It was the third game this season they have hit 10 or more threes and second in a row. The Commodores made a season-high 15 threes vs. Santa Clara.
- Vanderbilt shot 23-of-30 (76.7 percent) from the free throw line, marking its sixth-consecutive game shooting 75 percent or better.
- The Commodores recorded a season-high 22 second chance points off of 13 offensive rebounds against Tennessee State.
- The ‘Dores also tallied a season-high in steals with six against the Tigers.
- Matthew Fisher-Davis scored a game-high 22 points for the Commodores. It is the second game this season Fisher-Davis has eclipsed the 20-point plateau.
- Fisher-Davis set a career high in free throws made and attempts after going 8-for-11 from the charity stripe against Tennessee State.
- Jeff Roberson scored a season high 13 points in the win. All 13 points came in the first half.
- Roberson also tied a career high in steals with two, a mark he has set six different times.
- Luke Kornet recorded 12 points and six rebounds Tuesday night. It is his fifth game this season with double-digit points and has hauled in at least five rebounds in every game this season.
- Nolan Cressler tallied five points and five rebounds coming off the bench. It is the third game this season he has had five rebounds or more.
- Riley LaChance scored 12 points and dished out five assists, his fourth double-figure scoring game this season and fourth straight game with at least five assists.
VU Staff Can Score
The Vanderbilt men’s basketball staff has combined to score a total of 5,486 collegiate points, with head coach Bryce Drew leading the way with 2,142 points. Here’s a breakdown of the staff’s scoring totals.
Head Coach Bryce Drew, Valparaiso=2,142
Asst. Coach Casey Shaw, Toledo=1,562
Assoc. Head Coach Roger Powell, Jr., Illinois=1,178
Asst. Coach Jake Diebler, Valparaiso=586
Total=5,468
Kornet Excels in Classroom
Senior center Luke Kornet has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in the three years he has played at Vanderbilt, and also been named a CoSida All-District Academic Selection in his sophomore and junior seasons. Recently, he was named to the NABC Good Works Team for his work in the Vanderbilt and Nashville communities.
Kornet is double majoring in computer science and mathematics.
Four with 25+ threes
Four returning Commodores made 25 or more threes a year ago, with Matthew Fisher-Davis leading the way with 79. Riley LaChance (43), Jeff Roberson (30), and Luke Kornet (26) also eclipsed the 25 made three mark.
Returning for VU
57.3% of the team’s scoring returns from a year ago, along with six players who played 28 or more games and four players who made 19 or more starts.
Commodores vs. Big Ten
The Commodores have a 26-32 record all-time against members of the current Big Ten Conference. Minnesota is the only Big Ten conference team on this year’s regular season schedule.
971
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 971 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.
NBA Commodores
Vanderbilt was one of only three schools (Kentucky, Washington) with two first-round selections in the 2016 NBA Draft when Wade Baldwin IV was drafted 17th by the Memphis Grizzlies and Damian Jones was selected 30th by the Golden State Warriors. Baldwin IV and Jones became the sixth and seventh first-round picks, respectively, in the history of the program, joining Will Perdue in 1988 (11th, Chicago), Jeff Turner in 1984 (7th, New Jersey), Clyde Lee in 1966 (3rd, San Francisco), and John Jenkins (23rd, Atlanta), and Festus Ezeli (30th, Golden State) in 2012.
Memorial Gym close to 1,000
The matchup with Tennessee State was the 991st regular season game played at Memorial Gym.
2015-16 National Statistics
In 2015-16, the Commodores finished in a tie for third nationally in three-point field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to only 29.4% from three. Vanderbilt also finished fifth in field goal percentage defense (38.6%) and ninth in blocks per game (5.5). Luke Kornet tied for third nationally in blocks, averaging 3.0 per contest.
Commodore Postseason History
The Commodores have been named to 14 NCAA Tournaments and 12 NIT’s. Vanderbilt advanced to the Elite 8 in 1965 (field of 23), and the Sweet 16 in 1988, 1993, 2004, and 2007. The Commodores captured the NIT Championship in 1990 and finished runner-up in 1994.
Vanderbilt Coaching History
Bryce Drew is the ninth Commodore basketball coach of the modern era and the 27th all time.