Dec. 14, 2017
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Setting the Scene
-The Commodores open a four-game homestand with Saturday’s matchup with Memphis. The Commodores and Tigers will tip off at 6 pm from Memorial Gym. Saturdays’ game is the first of three matchups with teams from Tennessee in the next four outings with the lone exception being a matchup with NC State on Dec. 19.
Last Time Out
-Vanderbilt dropped a 79-57 road contest to No. 4/5 Louisville at the KFU Yum! Center on Thursday Dec. 7. Rachel Bell led the Commodores with 21 points while Chelsie Hall added 16 points for her fourth consecutive game in double figures.
-The Commodores had one of their best starts to a game against the No. 4/5 Cardinals, owing a 24-20 lead after the first quarter on the strength of 16 first quarter points from Rachel Bell. Bell and Hall led the way with a combined 28 of Vanderbilt’s 33 first-half points.
-The Louisville game was the first of seven matchups with teams currently ranked in the top 25 of either the AP or the Coaches Poll.
Scouting Report
-Memphis enters Saturday’s game with a 2-8 record after earning a 64-62 win over UAB on Saturday Dec. 10. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Tigers.
-Cheyenne Creighton leads the Memphis offense with a team best 15.2 points per game while Brea Elmore is adding 12.6 points per game. Creighton also leads the rebounding efforts with a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game.
-The Commodores and Tigers have one common opponent in Tulane. The Dores dropped a road contest to Tulane and the Tigers will face the Green Wave during conference play.
With A Win
-The Commodores will move to 4-7 on the season and will have won three of their last four outings, with the lone loss coming at the hands of No. 3/4 Louisville.
-Move Vanderbilt to 12-4 in the all-time series with Memphis and make them winners of nine of the last 10 meetings between the teams.
Big RPI Opportunities on Tap for the Dores
The Commodores are going to have several opportunities to move up the RPI rankings in its next four games. Vanderbilt, who’s RPI is currently 98 nationally, will have two opportunities against top 75 opponents in NC State (52) and Belmont (72). Additionally, the Commodores will open SEC action at LSU who is currently No. 90 in the RPI rankings. According to RealTimeRPI, the Commodores strength of schedule is No. 19 and atop the SEC with South Carolina coming in just behind Vanderbilt at No. 21.
Home Sweet Memorial
The Commodores will be back in the friendly-confines of Memorial Gym for its next four home games starting with Saturdays’ matchup with Memphis. The upcoming four game home stretch will be the longest of the season although the Dores will have a three-game homestand in SEC play in mid-January when they host Missouri, Kentucky and South Carolina. Vanderbilt is quite successful at Memorial Gym sporting a 468-120 all-time record with only one sub-.500 home record, during the 1982-83 season in 40 seasons played at Memorial.
Dores Hit the Books, Then the Hardwood
After a nine-day game layoff for exams, the Dores will hit the hardwood often next week providing plenty of opportunities to see the Commodores. The Memphis game on Saturday opens up a stretch of three games in six days before the team breaks for the holiday. The Dores will have two similar stretches in SEC play with three games in seven days in mid-January and the end of February.
Tennessee Foes on Tap
Saturday’s matchup with Memphis will be the first of three matchups with foes from Tennessee in the next four games. Vanderbilt has already squared off with Middle Tennessee to open the season and will face three other Tennessee foes including two games with Tennessee in SEC action. When the non-conference is all set and done, the Dores will have played three teams from the Middle Tennessee are in Middle Tennessee, Belmont and Lipscomb.
Bell Fast Approaching 1000
Senior guard Rachel Bell is just 30 points from hitting the 1,000-point milestone. Bell, who will become the 37th member of the club, is Vanderbilt’s leading scorer with 14.4 points per game. She will be the first to reach the 1,000-point mark since the 2012-13 season. Jeff Roberson on the Vanderbilt men’s team is also approaching the milestone and sits just 40 points away heading into their game at Arizona State on Sunday.