Jan. 23, 2017
Vanderbilt Gamenotes 
| Arkansas Gamenotes
After defeating nationally ranked Florida on the road on Saturday afternoon, the Commodores return home to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at Memorial Gym on Tuesday night. The game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on the SEC Network, with the action also being heard across the Vanderbilt IMG Radio Network and online at vucommodores.com.
The Commodores improved to 9-10 on the year and 3-4 in SEC play with a 68-66 win over #19/22 Florida on Saturday in Gainesville. Vanderbilt had four players score in double figures, led by Matthew Fisher-Davis, who tallied 19 points. Luke Kornet and Riley LaChance added 11 points, and Nolan Cressler chipped in 10 points. The win was the Commodores’ first win over a ranked Florida team in Gainesville since 2001.
Vanderbilt, who won the 2016 meeting, also won in back-to-back years in Gainesville for the first time since 1990 and 1991. The Commodores also won their first road game against a ranked opponent since Dec. 29, 2011, in a win at Marquette (74-57).
Vanderbilt made 10 threes for the ninth time this year – the Commodores are now 8-1 on the season when making 10 or more threes.
Vanderbilt (9-10, 3-4 SEC) vs. Arkansas (15-4, 4-3 SEC)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 7:30 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
TV Talent: Mike Morgan (play by play), Dane Bradshaw (color)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: XM 145, Sirius 380
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Anchor Points
- Vanderbilt won their first game this year when scoring 70 points or less (1-6) against the Gators.
- Vanderbilt leads the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (39.0%), threes made (9.8) and free throw percentage (77.5%) in all games. The Commodores rank eighth nationally in free-throw percentage and are 16thth in 3’s made per game.
- VU’s current RPI strength of schedule is 6th, and its non-conference schedule is ranked 3rd.
- The meeting with Arkansas will be the 34th between the two schools and the 15th meeting at Vanderbilt.
- The Commodores lost a 90-85 overtime contest last season against the Razorbacks, on Jan. 5, 2016, in Fayetteville.
- In SEC play, Kornet is ranked in the top 10 in eight eight categories (Rebounding, FG%, 3FG%, 3FG Made, Blocks, Off. Rebounding, Def. Rebounding, Minutes Played).
- Riley LaChance leads the SEC in three-point field goal percentage in all games (56.9%) and in SEC games only (53.1%). He is fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3) and seventh in the league in assists (4.1) in all games. In three’s made, LaChance ranks fifth in all games (2.2) and sixth in SEC games only (2.4).
- Matthew Fisher-Davis leads the team in scoring with 16.4 points per game, while Kornet adds 13.4 points, with Roberson (10.3) and Riley LaChance (10.2) each adding double figure scoring.
- Fisher-Davis is eighth in the SEC in scoring in all games and fifth in SEC games only (17.4), and second in the league in three’s made (2.8) in all games and first in league games only (2.9). He shoots 39.0% from three in all games, which is sixth in the SEC.
- Fisher-Davis now has 203 career threes and is currently ninth on Vanderbilt’s all-time career three’s made list.
- Roberson ranks third in the SEC in defensive rebounding and is fourth in rebounding (7.3) in all games. In SEC games only, he ranks sixth in rebounding (7.0), seventh in free-throw percentage (83.3%), fourth in defensive rebounding (5.1), and seventh in minutes played (32.9).
- Senior guard Nolan Cressler, who transferred from Cornell after his sophomore season, eclipsed the 1,000 point barrier against Tennessee after scoring 10 points. He now has 1,030 points in his career after scoring 10 points at Florida. Cressler has scored in double figures in six of his last eight games, and has started the last two contests.
- The Commodores are in their 84th season of SEC basketball – Vanderbilt is one of the founding members of the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt recently won their 700th league game at Florida.
- Making three’s is not a new thing for this year’s Commodore team. Combined in their career, current players have made 735 career threes.
Series Information
Series Record: Arkansas leads 22-11.
Last Meeting: Arkansas win, 90-85, on Jan. 5, 2016, in Fayetteville.
Record at Vanderbilt: VU leads 8-6.
Record at Arkansas: Ark. leads 12-2.
Record at Neutral Site: Ark. leads 3-1.
Coach Drew vs. Arkansas: Coach Drew has never faced Arkansas.
About Arkansas
- Arkansas enters the game with a 15-4 overall record and a 4-3 mark in SEC play.
- Daryl Macon leads the Razorbacks with 14.1 points per game. Dusty Hannahs averages 13.9 points per game and Moses Kinsley adds 12.3 points per contest.
- Arkansas leads the series 22-11 overall, but the Commodores lead the series in Nashville, 8-6.
- Vanderbilt freshman guard Payton Willis hails from Fayetteville, Arkansas, the Commodores’ first player from the state of Arkansas since Ralph Childs (1955-56). Overall, Willis is Vanderbilt’s third player from Arkansas.
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
Memorial Gym close to 1,000
The matchup with Tennessee was the 996th regular season game played at Memorial Gym.
The Commodores have a 778-218 record at the SEC’s oldest facility, a winning percentage of .782.
Kornet Moving Up Blocks List
Senior Luke Kornet is now second on the Vanderbilt all-time block list with 175 career blocks and only trails Festus Ezeli on the list. Ezeli, who currently is on the Portland Trail Blazers roster, is the all-time blocks leader with 204 career blocks. Kornet is also third on the blocks per game list with 1.56 in his career. Kornet trails Ezeli and Damian Jones, who currently plays for the Golden State Warriors, on the list (each at 1.69 per game).
Dores Drain Threes
Vanderbilt made 19 threes against High Point on December 6, which set a new school record for threes in a game, surpassing an 18-three performance at Tennessee on January 8, 2005.
The Commodores also set a new record for most 3-pointers made at Memorial Gym, passing the old mark of 16 that was set on Jan. 8, 1994 vs. South Carolina and then matched on Feb. 11, 1995 vs. Arkansas. The Commodores hit 12 of their 19 3-pointers in the first half.
VU Makes Gamewinner
The Commodores made their first game-winning basket in almost four years against Chattanooga on December 17, when Luke Kornet made a three with 2.9 seconds remaining to give VU the 76-74 win over the Mocs.
The game-winner was the first since Kevin Bright made a 15-footer from the baseline on February 27, 2013, to defeat Georgia, 63-62, at Memorial Gym.
Neutral Site Dores
Vanderbilt has played in four neutral site games already this season – against Minnesota in Sioux Falls, S.D., the season opener vs. Marquette (Veterans Classic, Annapolis, Md.) and the two games at the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational (Butler, Santa Clara).
700th SEC Win
Vanderbilt is in its 84th SEC season and is a charter member of the league. All time against current members of the conference, Vanderbilt is 700-688.
983
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 983 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.
First Time This Season
With the win over Chattanooga on December 17, Vanderbilt won its first game this season when: trailing at halftime, trailing with five minutes remaining, tied with two minutes remaining, in a game decided by 3 points or less, when outshot by an opponent, when outrebounded by an opponent, and when an opponent scores 70 points or more.
Fisher-Davis in Top 10 for 3’s
Matthew Fisher-Davis now has 203 threes in his Vanderbilt career and is in ninth place in career threes made on the Commodores’ all-time list with Mario Moore, who played from 2003-06.
Commodores make 16 3’s vs LSU
Vanderbilt made 16 of 32 threes in route to a 96-89 win over LSU on December 29, the Commodores third game this season making 15 or more threes.
On December 29, the two teams combined to make 33 three pointers, which set a new SEC record for combined threes in a game.