Feb. 24, 2017
Vanderbilt Gamenotes 
| Mississippi State Gamenotes
Winners of three straight contests for the first time this season, the Commodores will look to extend their winning streak to four when they welcome Mississippi State to Memorial Gym on Saturday afternoon. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPNU, with the action also being heard across the Vanderbilt IMG Radio Network and online at vucommodores.com.
Vanderbilt won their third consecutive game on Wednesday night at Tennessee after a 67-56 victory over the Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena and improved to 15-13 overall and 8-7 in Southeastern Conference play. It marked the first time since the 1955, 1956, and 1957 seasons since the Commodores have won three consecutive games in Knoxville.
Five Commodores scored in double figures, with junior Jeff Roberson leading the way with 15 points. Senior Luke Kornet tallied his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and a season-high seven blocks. Junior Matthew Fisher-Davis also scored 13 points, with senior Nolan Cressler adding 11 points and junior Riley LaChance 10 points.
The Commodores held Tennessee to 29.0% from the floor in the game, the lowest percentage by a Vanderbilt opponent this season. Tennessee was also only 3-17 from three in the game (17.6%). Opponents are 7-for-42 (16.7%) from beyond-the-arc in Vanderbilt’s last three games.
The Commodores converted on 36.8% of their shots from the floor, the lowest shooting percentage by a Vanderbilt team in a victory this season.
Vanderbilt committed a season-low five turnovers in the win.
The Commodores tallied their fifth road league win of the season, the most by a Vanderbilt team since winning six league road games in 2010.
Vanderbilt (15-13, 8-7 SEC) vs. Mississippi State (14-13, 5-10 SEC)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 3 p.m. CT
TV: ESPNU
TV Talent: Kevin Fitzgerald (pxp), Chris Spatola (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 139, XM 191
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Anchor Points
- Vanderbilt leads the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (38.0%), threes made (9.9) and free throw percentage (77.3%) in all games. In league games only, the Commodores are second in free throw percentage (75.5%) and first in threes made (10.1). As of February 23rd, the Commodores rank 12th nationally in free-throw percentage and are 15th in 3’s made per game.
- As of February 23, the Commodores have the third 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.
- Overall rankings according on February 23 – RPI – 47; KenPom – 51; ESPN BPI – 54.
- In SEC play, Kornet is ranked in seven different categories – rebounding (9th, 6.7), free-throw percentage (3rd, 86.7%), 3FG% (T-8th, .385), 3FG made (T-9th, 2.0), blocks (3rd, 2.3), defensive rebounding (T-5th, 4.9), and minutes played (7th, 33.4).
- Forward Jeff Roberson ranks seventh in the SEC in rebounding (7.2) in all games and eighth (6.9) in league games only, and is fourth in the league in defensive rebounding (5.3) in all games and fifth in league games only (4.9).
- In 15 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 42.9%, which ranks second. Kornet is eighth in the conference at 38.5% in league games only, while Matthew Fisher-Davis is 10th at 36.6% in league games only. Fisher-Davis is second in league games only in 3’s made (2.6), LaChance and Kornet ninth (2.0).
- Making three’s is not a new thing for this year’s Commodore team. Combined in their career, current players have made 825 career threes.
- Riley LaChance is shooting 49.1% from three for the season and two threes shy of reaching the minimum to lead the SEC. He is fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1), seventh in the league in assists (4.1), and 10th 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.
Series Information
Series Record: VU leads 77-48.
Last Meeting: Miss. St. win, 75-74, on 2/16/16 in Starkville.
Record at Vanderbilt: VU leads 45-9.
Record at Miss. St.: MSU leads 33-24.
Record at Neutral Site: VU leads 8-6.
Coach Drew vs. Miss. State: Coach Drew has never faced Miss. State.
About Mississippi State
- Mississippi State enters the game with a 14-13 overall record and a 5-10 mark in SEC play.
- Quinndary Weatherspoon leads three Bulldog players in double figures with 16.6 points per game. Lamar Peters (11.5) and Mario Kegler (10.4) also average double figures.
- This will be the 126th meeting between the two schools, with the first meeting coming in the 1921-22 season.
- Vanderbilt leads the all-time series, 45-9, in games played at Vanderbilt.
Dores Have Nation’s Toughest Non-Conference Schedule
The Commodores have the third-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 198 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 1.65 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 141, 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 705-691.
992
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 992 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 223 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.