Feb. 17, 2017
South Carolina Gamenotes 
| Vanderbilt Gamenotes
After a big 72-67 win over Texas A&M on Thursday night, the Commodore men’s basketball team gets right back at it when they take on nationally ranked South Carolina on Saturday night in Vanderbilt’s first Equality Weekend at Memorial Gym. 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.
Vanderbilt improved to 13-13 overall and 6-7 in the SEC after a 72-67 win over Texas A&M on Thursday night at Memorial Gym. Junior Matthew Fisher-Davis scored 14 points to lead four Commodores in double figures in the victory. Sophomore Joe Toye also tied his career high with 13 points, senior Luke Kornet added 12 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, and junior Riley LaChance chipped in 12 points.
The Commodores swept the season series with the Aggies after the victory.
Vanderbilt shot 10-26 (39%) from 3-point territory. It was the 13th game this season that the Commodores have knocked down 10 or more treys and the team owns an 11-2 record in those games.
The Vanderbilt defense held Texas A&M to just 3-16 (19%) from behind the arc, and Vanderbilt’s bench outscored Texas A&M’s by a 23-2 margin.
The Gamecocks will be the third ranked opponent of the season for the Commodores. Vanderbilt has a 1-1 record in those games, with one coming on the road and one at home. All-time, Vanderbilt has a 91-227 record against ranked opponents and a 62-75 mark at home.
Equality Weekend at Memorial Gym
The men’s and women’s teams will don special uniforms from Nike for Equality Weekend, when Vanderbilt Athletics will honor 21 Nashville Civil Rights Leaders on Saturday and Sunday at both the men’s and women’s games.
Vanderbilt (13-13, 6-7 SEC) vs. #21/19 South Carolina (20-6, 10-3 SEC)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 7:30 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
TV Talent: Matt Stewart (pxp), Barry Booker (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 136, XM 190
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
1,000 Milestone
Thursday’s game with Texas A&M was the 1,000th Vanderbilt game of record played in Memorial Gym. The SEC’s oldest basketball facility opened in the 1952-53 season.
Anchor Points
- Vanderbilt leads the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (38.3%), threes made (10.0) and free throw percentage (77.7%) in all games. In league games only, the Commodores are second in free throw percentage (75.9%) and first in threes made (10.3). As of February 17th, the Commodores rank 7th nationally in free-throw percentage and are 12th in 3’s made per game.
- As of February 17, the Commodores have the sixth toughest overall schedule and toughest non-conference schedule in the nation according to the NCAA RPI, and the number one non-conference strength of schedule.
- This will be the 56th meeting between the two schools, with South Carolina leading the series, 29-26. Vanderbilt leads the series, 16-10, in games played at Vanderbilt.
- Saturday is Equality Day at Memorial Gym – the Commodores will honor Nashville Civil Rights leaders with specialty uniforms designed by Nike.
- Kornet has scored in double figures in six consecutive games. Vanderbilt has a 4-2 record in those contests.
- Forward Jeff Roberson ranks fifth in the SEC in rebounding (7.5) in all games and sixth (7.1) in league games only, and is second in the league in defensive rebounding (5.4) in all games and fifth in league games only (5.0).
- In 13 SEC games, the Commodores have three players who are in the top 10 in three-point field goal percentage, with junior Riley LaChance leading the way for Vanderbilt at 43.5%, which ranks third. Kornet is seventh in the conference at 39.1% in league games only, while Matthew Fisher-Davis is 9th at 36.5% in league games only. Fisher-Davis is second in league games only in 3’s made (2.6), Kornet eighth (2.1), and LaChance ninth (2.1).
- Making three’s is not a new thing for this year’s Commodore team. Combined in their career, current players have made 808 career threes.
- Riley LaChance is shooting 49% from three this season and is one three shy of the minimum two threes per game to be ranked in the SEC. He is fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1), seventh in the league in assists (4.0), and ninth in three’s made (2.1) in all games.
- Fisher-Davis is 10th in the SEC in scoring in all games and is second in the league in three’s made (2.7) and third in 3FG% (.396) in all games.
- Sophomore Joe Toye has now started in three consecutive games and four in his career. Against Texas A&M, he tied a career best with 13 points. He also set new career highs for free throws made (6) and attempted (7).
Series Information
Series Record: SC leads 29-26.
Last Meeting: SC win, 69-65, on 1/9/16 in Columbia.
Record at Vanderbilt: VU leads, 16-10.
Record at SC: SC leads, 14-12.
Record at Neutral Site: SC leads, 2-1.
Coach Drew vs. SC: Coach Drew has never faced South Carolina.
About South Carolina
- South Carolina enters Saturday’s game with a 20-6 overall record and a 10-3 mark in Southeastern Conference play, and ranked in both national polls.
- Point guard Sindarius Thornwell is the team’s leader in scoring (21.2) and rebounding (7.4) heading into the game. PJ Dozier (13.8), Duane Notice (10.3), and Chris Silva (10.0) also average double figures.
- The two teams last met in Memorial Gym in 2015 in a game Vanderbilt won, 65-50. The Commodores own a 16-10 record over South Carolina in games played at Vanderbilt.
Dores Have Nation’s Toughest Non-Conference Schedule
The Commodores have the sixth-toughest overall schedule and the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation according to the NCAA RPI and Jerry Palm.
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 Moving Up Blocks List
Senior Luke Kornet is now second on the Vanderbilt all-time block list with 189 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 1.58 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).
Kornet NCAA leader in 3’s made by a seven-footer
Kornet is now the NCAA career three-pointers made leader with 138, surpassing Vanderbilt’s own David Przybyszewski, who has 131 career threes. Only two other seven footers have more than 100 – Derek Silvig of Montana (106) and Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin (103).
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 703-691.
990
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 990 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.
Cressler goes for 20
Senior Nolan Cressler scored a season-high 20 points in a win against Iowa State on January 28, his most as a Commodore in two seasons of action after transferring from Cornell. Cressler’s previous high was 14 points, which occurred three times in the 2015-16 season.
Fisher-Davis in Top 10 for 3’s
Matthew Fisher-Davis now has 213 threes in his Vanderbilt career and is in ninth place in career threes made on the Commodores’ all-time list.
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.