Dec. 16, 2017
Vanderbilt Gamenotes 
| Arizona State Gamenotes | Zac Ellis: Dores Looking For Answers
The Commodores return to the floor after an 11-day final exam break to face their fourth ranked opponent of the season, with the #5/6-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils next up for the Vanderbilt five on Sunday afternoon. Tip time is set for 1 p.m. CT, with the game airing live on the Pac 12 Network, on the radio with Joe Fisher and Tim Thompson on the Vanderbilt IMG Radio Network, and online on vucommodores.com.
Jeff Roberson is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 14.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Roberson leads the SEC in double doubles with five, and is third in the SEC in rebounding and second in defensive rebounding. Riley LaChance pitches in 12.2 points per game and Matthew Fisher Davis adds 12.0 points per game.
Most Ranked Opponents in Non-Conference Play since 1988
The Commodores have already played three ranked opponents this season in USC (#10/#10), Virginia (RV/#25), and Seton Hall (#20/#20), and will play a fourth in their trip to Tempe. The four ranked non-conference opponents is the most by a Commodore team since 1988, when Vanderbilt also played four (11/22 – # 2 Michigan, L, 66-91; 11/27 – #16 Ohio State, L, 82-97; 11/30 – #13 Louisville, W, 65-62; 12/7 – #8 North Carolina, L, 77-89).
According to KenPom.com, Vanderbilt has the 38th toughest schedule so far in the nation and the fourth-toughest among Power Five schools (Wisconsin 8th, Arkansas 23rd, USC 27th).
Media Information
Vanderbilt (3-6) vs. #5/6 Arizona State (9-0)
Tempe, Ariz. – Wells Fargo Arena – 1 p.m. CT
TV: Pac 12 Network
TV Talent: Daron Sutton (pxp), Eddie House (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 108, XM 197
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Series Information
Series Record: ASU leads, 3-0.
Last Meeting: ASU win, 87-68, at Las Vegas Invitational on 11/27/04.
Record at Vanderbilt: NA
Record at ASU: ASU leads 2-0.
Record at Neutral Site: ASU leads 1-0.
Coach Drew vs. Arizona State: Coach Drew has never faced Arizona State.
More information on the Arizona State series
- Arizona State enters the game Sunday with a perfect 9-0 record, with their recent win coming at number two Kansas on December 10.
- The Sun Devils are ranked number five in the AP and number six in the latest coaches polls, the Commodores’ fourth ranked opponent of the season, the most non-conference ranked opponents since 1988.
- Tra Holder leads the Sun Devils with 21.2 points per game, with Shannon Evans II (19.0), Romello White (16.1), and Kodi Justice (14.1) also adding double figures.
- Sunday will be the first game of a home and home series between the two teams and the third time Vanderbilt has played on the Sun Devils’ home floor (1994, Arizona State Tribune Classic; 1981, Fiesta Classic).
- The neutral site meeting between the two teams came in Las Vegas (Las Vegas Invitational, 2004).
- Vanderbilt is 0-6 all-time on home floors of current members of the Pac 12, with the last meeting coming in the NIT at Stanford on March 24, 2015 (L, 78-75).
A Commodore Win Would…
- Be the first win over Arizona State in four meetings between the two schools.
- Move Vanderbilt’s record against members of the Pac 12 to 12-13 and 1-1 against the Pac 12 in 2017-18. The Commodores’ last win over a Pac 12 school came on November 11, 2011, at home against Oregon (78-64).
- Be Vanderbilt’s first road win of the season and first away from Memorial Gym.
Jeff Roberson: Mr Double-Double
Jeff Roberson has five double doubles on the season, the most in a season by a Commodore since Damian Jones had seven in the 2015-16 season. Seven is also the most by a Commodore since Will Perdue had 10 in his junior season (1986-87) and 16 in his senior season (1987-88).
Vanderbilt vs. Top Five Opponents
The Commodores are 15-64 all-time against top-five foes, and have never won a true road contest against a top five team (0-39). Vanderbilt’s last win over a top five team came in the finals of the 2012 SEC Tournament in New Orleans, when the Commodores knocked off number one Kentucky, 71-64.
Vanderbilt Quick Hitters
- This season’s non-conference schedule features eight games against teams who played in the postseason a year ago. Five opponents, USC, Seton Hall, Virginia, Kansas State, and Middle Tennessee, all played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, with NIT participant Belmont, 2017 NIT Champion TCU, and CollegeInsider.com Tournament team UNC Asheville also on the challenging slate.
- Freshman Saben Lee, who played at Corona del Sol High School, returns home as the Commodores’ leader in assists.
- Commodore head coach Bryce Drew, now in his second season, led the Commodores to the NCAA Tournament in his first season in Nashville, marking the first time in the history of the program a first-year Vanderbilt coach led his team to the tournament. Overall, the Commodores made their 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their first back-to-back appearances since making three consecutive tournaments from 2010-12.
- Vanderbilt has two 1,000-point scorers on their roster – Riley LaChance and Matthew Fisher-Davis, with Jeff Roberson 41 points away from the 1,000-point mark. LaChance is 2nd in the SEC in career returning scorers while Fisher-Davis is third behind Georgia’s Yante Maten. There has been only one other class of Vanderbilt players to have three 1,000-point scorers – the vaunted “F Troop” – Butch Feher, Joe Ford, and Jeff Fosnes in 1976.
- The Commodores return eight letter winners and three of their top four scorers in 2017-18 that advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year – seniors Matthew Fisher-Davis (13.9), Jeff Roberson (10.8), and Riley LaChance (10.5). Junior Joe Toye, who started in 13 games a year ago, also returns after averaging 6.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. In all, Vanderbilt returns 70.5% of its scoring and six players who started at least one game in 2016-17.
- Vanderbilt had five top-25 wins, six top-50 victories and 11 top-100 RPI wins a year ago, the overall toughest strength of schedule and toughest non-conference schedule in the nation, and were the only SEC team to sweep Florida.
SEC Three-Point Leaders
Of the top 20 season 3 pt FG %’s in SEC history, Vanderbilt has 5 of them.
4. Billy McCaffrey (51.2%, 1993)
7. Barry Booker (50.0%, 1987)
T9. Riley LaChance (48.6%)
12. John Jenkins (48.3%, 2010)
16. Shan Foster (46.9%, 2008).
On the top 20 SEC career 3-point % list with at least 300 attempts, Vanderbilt has six guys.
2. Booker 46%
3. McCaffrey 44.6%
8. Scott Draud 43.8%
8. Jenkins 43.8%
14. Dan Cage 42.6%
19. Foster 42.1%
Career and Single-Season Lists
Matthew Fisher-Davis is fifth in 3’s made in a career with 251. Riley LaChance‘s 48.6% from three clip in 2016-17 was Vanderbilt’s 3rd-best all-time.
700th SEC Win
Vanderbilt is in its 85th SEC season and is a charter member of the league. The Commodores won their 700th league game at Florida, and all time against current members of the conference, Vanderbilt is 709-693.
1,008
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 1,007 consecutive games, a streak which began at the inception of the 3-point line in 1986-87. The Commodores rank third only to UNLV and Kentucky 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.