Feb. 28, 2017
Event: SEC Tournament
Teams: No. 13-seed Vanderbilt (14-15) vs. No. 12-seed Alabama (17-12)
Day, Date: Wed., March 1
Tip-off time: 10 a.m. CT
Site: Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville, S.C.)
Radio: 560 AM / 95.9 FM
TV: SEC Network
Vanderbilt’s current streak: Lost one
Vanderbilt’s last five/10 games: 3-2/4-6
Vanderbilt game notes: Vanderbilt Game Notes (SEC) 
VANDERBILT ALL-TIME SEC TOURNAMENT INFO
All-time SEC Tournament record: 48-31
SEC Tournament titles: Six (2009, 2007, 2004, 2002, 1995, 1993)
SEC Semifinal appearances: 18
After putting together a late-season surge that included three wins in their final five games, the Vanderbilt women head into the SEC Tournament with confidence and optimism. The Commodores, who are the tournament’s No. 13 seed after posting a 4-12 SEC record, will face Alabama on Wednesday at 10 a.m. (CT) in the tournament’s opening game. This marks the third consecutive season in which Vanderbilt has been in action on the first day of the event. (The tournament’s No. 11-14 seeds play in the first round, while the No. 5-10 seeds get first-round byes, and the top four seeds receive double-byes). The Commodores have posted victories in each of the past two years on Day 1, including a victory over Alabama in the first round of the 2015 tournament and a win over Ole Miss in the first round last season. Wednesday’s game will be the second match-up of the season between Vanderbilt and Alabama after the Commodores posted an 87-80 victory over the Tide on Jan. 26. Here’s a closer look at Wednesday’s game:
l Update on the ‘Dores: Here’s the latest scoop on the Commodores as they head into Wednesday’s game:
* The Commodores, who suffered a road loss to LSU in the regular-season finale on Sunday, enter the SEC Tournament with two possible paths to the postseason: They can win an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning this week’s tourney or they can position themselves for a potential bid to the WNIT by winning two games this week.
* Vanderbilt has been one of the most accurate and most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the country throughout the season. The Commodores are ranked No. 3 in the nation in 3-point percentage at 39.1 percent (through Feb. 26) and are averaging an SEC-best 7.3 three-pointers per game. Vanderbilt has four players who are shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range.
* The Commodores have been visiting the foul line with great frequency this season, ranking fifth in the nation in free throws made (459) and 18th in free throws attempted (612) through Feb. 26. Vanderbilt has converted 120 free throws over the past six games (an average of 20.0 per game) and has attempted 157 free throws (26.1 per game) in that stretch.
* Vanderbilt’s touted freshmen class — Kayla Overbeck, Kaleigh Clemons-Green, LeaLea Carter, Cierra Walker, and Erin Whalen — is combining for 33.3 points, 16.3 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. They have accounted for 48.2 percent of Vanderbilt’s scoring, 41.6 percent of VU’s rebounds and 51.3 percent of the team’s assists. The numbers would likely be even higher if it weren’t for an injury to Cierra Walker that has caused her to be sidelined for most of the past six weeks.
l Studying the bracket: Thanks to the somewhat unusual format of a 14-team bracket, Vanderbilt enters the SEC tourney already aware of its potential opponents for the first three rounds of the event. If the Commodores advance from Wednesday’s first-round game against Alabama, they would face No. 5-seeded Tennessee in the second round. If the Commodores were to pull the upset in that match-up, they would face No. 4-seeded Kentucky on Friday. Vanderbilt posted a 1-4 record against those three potential opponents this season, with a victory over Alabama, a loss to Kentucky and a pair of losses to Tennessee.
l Explosive Erin: Freshman Erin Whalen is on a major roll as she heads into her first SEC Tournament. The 6-1 guard/forward — who was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team on Tuesday after being named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday — averaged 18.6 points per game over the final three games of the regular season. She scored a career-high 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the win over Ole Miss last Sunday, and followed that up with a 20-point effort — including making the game-winning free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining — in Thursday’s victory over Arkansas. She closed the regular season with 12 points in Sunday’s loss to LSU. Whalen has averaged a team-high 13.0 points and 3.8 rebounds over the past 11 games after averaging only 1.4 points and 0.8 rebounds in VU’s first five SEC games. She is shooting 92.9 percent from the foul line in the past 10 games, converting 26-of-28 attempts. Whalen is averaging a team-best 18.3 points per game in Vanderbilt’s four SEC wins.
l Scouting Alabama: Alabama is the SEC’s top rebounding team, averaging 42 rebounds per game. … The Tide ranks fifth in the nation in free throws attempted with an SEC-best 677. … Ashley Williams leads the conference in blocked shots with 68. … Hannah Cook leads the SEC in 3-point percentage (34.6) and 3-pointers (66). … The Tide’s leading scorer is Meoshonti Knight, who averages 11.3 ppg.
l Series History: Wednesday’s game will be the 47th all-time meeting between the teams, with Vanderbilt owning a 34-12 lead in the series. … Vanderbilt has won five straight match-ups against the Tide, including posting a 87-80 victory this season on Jan. 26 in Nashville (more on that game below). … The Commodores have won 17 of the last 18 games in the series and have posted a 30-6 record against the Tide since the start of the 1984-85 season. … Wednesday’s game will be the seventh time that Vanderbilt has played Alabama on a neutral floor, and the Tide owns a 4-2 lead in those games. … Vanderbilt and Alabama most recently played each other in the SEC tournament two years ago, when the Commodores posted a victory in the first round in Little Rock, Ark. … The Commodores own a dominating 18-1 record against Alabama at Memorial Gym. The Tide’s lone win at the historic venue came on Feb. 2, 2015, when Alabama pulled out a 66-62 victory.
l Walker slowed by injuries: Freshmen Cierra Walker continues to be slowed by stress reactions in both of her feet. She dressed out but did not play in Sunday’s game against LSU, and has now missed eight of the past 11 games. Walker has logged a total of just 16 minutes of playing time since Jan. 19.
l Star Power: The Commodores rank among the best in the SEC in numerous categories:
*Senior post player Marqu’es Webb ranks fifth in the SEC in rebounds per game at 9.0. She is fourth in the SEC in offensive rebounds (3.3 per game) and also ranks sixth on the conference’s career rebounding list among active players with 692.
* Freshman Kayla Overbeck ranks 10th in the conference in rebounds per game at 7.2.
* VU has three players who rank among the SEC’s top-10 in career 3-pointers: Rebekah Dahlman (seventh with 127), Christa Reed (eighth with 109) and Rachel Bell (10th with 106) through Feb. 22.
l Last Time Out: Playing their regular-season finale at LSU, the Commodores were limited to 18 field goals and suffered a 64-58 loss to the Tigers on Sunday afternoon. Vanderbilt (14-15, 4-12), which came into the day having won three of its past four games, struggled against LSU’s pressure and commited 24 turnovers in the loss. Rachel Bell scored a team-high 17 points, and Minta Spears added 13 points and a career-high nine rebounds for the Commodores, who have now dropped seven straight on LSU’s home floor. Vanderbilt hasn’t earned a victory at the Maravich Center since Feb. 19, 2004. Alexis Hyder and Raigyne Moncrief had 17 points apiece for the Tigers (19-10, 8-8), and Chloe Jackson added 15. Vanderbilt finished 18-of-43 from the floor, including 8-of-23 from 3-point range. LSU closed the third quarter with an 11-3 run to build a 44-40 lead, and the Tigers stayed in front throughout the final 10 minutes, never allowing VU to get closer than four points. Kaleigh Clemons-Green hit a 3-pointer from the corner that gave the Commodores their first lead of the game, 34-33, with 6:30 to play in the third quarter, but LSU soon answered with an 8-2 run to move back in front, 41-36.
l Most recent game vs. Alabama (Jan. 26, 2017): Combining a hot-shooting start with a determined finish, the Vanderbilt women snapped a nine-game losing streak with an 87-80 victory over Alabama, giving head coach Stephanie White her first SEC win, on Jan. 26, 2017. After building a 20-point lead in the second quarter, the Commodores withstood a furious third-quarter charge by Alabama to notch their first victory since a win over Tennessee Tech on Dec. 18. Vanderbilt improved to 19-1 all-time against the Tide at Memorial Gym. The Commodores went 8-of-10 from 3-point range in the first half and finished 11-of-19 from behind the arc. Erin Whalen, who made her first career start, scored a game-high 22 points, going 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Marqu’es Webb recorded her fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and 12 rebounds, including eight offensive boards. Rachel Bell and Christa Reed added 15 points each, and Kayla Overbeck had 10 points and eight rebounds. Hannah Cook led Alabama with 17 points and Shaquera Wade had 16. Vanderbilt raced out to a 36-16 lead with 4:01 to play in the second quarter, but Alabama outscored the Commodores 29-10 during the next 8½ minutes — closing the first half with a 12-3 run and opening the third period with a 17-7 spurt — to slice Vanderbilt’s lead to 46-45 with 5:29 to play in the third quarter. But the Commodores reversed the momentum with a quick 6-0 run, and stayed in front from there.
l UP NEXT: If the Commodores win on Wednesday, they would face No. 5-seeded Tennessee on Thursday in the second round.