Loading

SEC/Big 12 Challenge and TCU await Dores Saturday

Jan. 26, 2018

Vanderbilt Gamenotes Get Acrobat Reader | TCU Gamenotes Get Acrobat Reader

The SEC/Big 12 Challenge comes to Memorial Gym on Saturday as the Commodores take a break from conference play to take on TCU out of the Big 12. The game begins at 3 p.m. CT, with the game airing live on ESPN2, on the radio with Joe Fisher and Tim Thompson on the Vanderbilt IMG Radio Network, and online on vucommodores.com.

Vanderbilt’s furious comeback was stopped short on Tuesday night in Knoxville, as Tennessee came away with a 67-62 victory at Thompson-Boling Arena. Senior Riley LaChance tallied a game-high 25 points, all of which came in the 2nd half, and senior Jeff Roberson also scored 21 points.

The Commodores trailed by 20 points with 14 minutes to go in regulation, but LaChance and Roberson led a Vanderbilt charge that cut the Volunteer lead to two on two occasions in the waning minutes, but Tennessee came away with the hard-fought win.

LaChance has averaged 25.5 points per game in Vanderbilt’s last two games. Roberson is averaging 20.5 points per game in that span.

Soles 4 Souls
Fans are encouraged to bring new or slightly worn shoes to the game on Saturday against the Horned Frogs for Soles 4 Souls.

Media Information
Vanderbilt (7-13, 2-6) vs. RV/RV TCU (15-5, 3-5)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 3 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN2
TV Talent: Dave Neal (pxp), Jon Sundvold (talent)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 137, XM 190
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB

Series Information
Series Record: VU leads 4-1.
Last Meeting: VU win, 78-55, on 12/18/04 at Memorial Gym.
Record at Vanderbilt: VU leads 3-0.
Record at TCU: VU leads 1-0.
Record at Neutral Site: TCU leads 1-0.
Coach Drew vs. TCU: Coach Drew has never faced TCU.

Roberson Leads Commodores
Jeff Roberson is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder in all games, averaging 15.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Roberson is second in the SEC in double doubles, fifth in the SEC in all games in rebounding (7.3), sixth in free throw percentage (.860), fifth in defensive rebounding (5.3), and 10th in scoring (15.4). In league games only, he is fifth in field goal percentage (.500).

Commodores Have Played Most Ranked Opponents in SEC
The Commodores have already played six ranked opponents this season in USC (#10/#10), Virginia (RV/#25), Seton Hall (#20/#20), Arizona State (#5/#6), Tennessee (#24/#23; #22/#21), and Kentucky (#21/#20) the most in the SEC. 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).

More on TCU

  • TCU enters Saturday’s game with a 15-5 overall record and 3-5 mark in Big 12 play after knocking off No. 7 West Virginia at home Monday night, 82-73.
  • Vladimir Brodziansky leads the Horned Frogs in scoring with 15.4 points per game. Kenrich Williams (14.4), Jaylen Fisher (12.3), Desmond Bane (11.7), and JD Miller (10.3) also add double digits per game. However, Fisher, from Arlington, Tenn., will miss the rest of the season due to injury.
  • Vanderbilt and TCU will meet for the sixth time on Saturday, with the Commodores holding a 4-1 record in the series. The last meeting came on December 18, 2004, at Memorial Gym in a 78-55 Vanderbilt win.
  • The Commodores are 35-24 all-time against the Big 12 and 0-1 this season. Vanderbilt dropped a 84-79 decision against Kansas State on December 3 at Memorial Gym.

A Commodore Win Would…

  • Be Vanderbilt’s eighth win of the year at home.
  • Move Vanderbilt’s record to 2-3 all-time in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge (2013, at Texas, L, 64-70; 2014, Baylor, L, 63-66; 2016, Texas, L, 58-72; 2017, W, 84-78)
  • Move Vanderbilt’s advantage in series with TCU to 5-1.

Jeff Roberson: Mr Double-Double
Jeff Roberson has six 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 Quick Hitters

  • Senior guard Matthew Fisher-Davis will miss the rest of the season because of a shoulder injury he suffered against Kentucky on January 13.
  • LaChance moved up to 27th on Vanderbilt’s all-time scoring list, passing Jermaine Beal (28th, 2006-10,1,253 points) and Brad Tinsley (29th, 2009-12, 1,252 points). Roberson is 38th on the list with 1,138 points.
  • Jeff Roberson is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder in all games, averaging 15.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Roberson is second in the SEC in double doubles, fifth in the SEC in all games in rebounding (7.3), sixth in free throw percentage (.860), fifth in defensive rebounding (5.3), and 10th in scoring (15.4). In league games only, he is fifth in field goal percentage (.500).
  • LaChance is third in all games in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (.422), and in league games only, he is seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1), ninth in threes made (2.1), and 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.395).
  • Roberson eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier in his career with his 21-point game against Alcorn State. He joins two other 1,000-point scorers on this year’s roster – Riley LaChance and Matthew Fisher-Davis. 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.
  • LaChance has 1,268 career points and Fisher-Davis has 1,219 points, and are 27th and 30th on Vanderbilt’s all-time scoring list, respectively, and are second and third among current players in SEC in scoring. Georgia’s Yante Maten is the conference’s current career leader. Roberson is sixth in the SEC in career points with 1,137 points.
  • LaChance, who has 375 career assists, is now 9th on Vanderbilt’s all-time assist list after surpassing Al McKinney against Florida (351 career assists). Drew Maddux is eighth on the list with 394 assists.
  • The Commodores have used 10 different starting lineups this season, with their 10th coming against Mississippi State (Lee, LaChance, Willis, Roberson, Baptiste).
  • The Commodores have already played six ranked opponents this season in USC (#10/#10), Virginia (RV/#25), Seton Hall (#20/#20), Arizona State (#5/#6), Tennessee (#24/#23; #22/#21), and Kentucky (#21/#20) the most in the SEC. 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).
  • 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. KenPom.com has Vanderbilt’s strength of schedule at 4 as of January 25.
  • 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.

SEC Strength of Schedule
Here’s a look at KenPom’s strength of schedule among league teams (1/25).
1. Tennessee , 3
2. Vanderbilt, 4
3. Texas A&M, 9
4. Florida, 11
5. Alabama, 14
6. Arkansas, 17
7. Kentucky, 19
8. Missouri, 23
9. Georgia, 25
10. S. Carolina, 33
11. Ole Miss, 41
12. Auburn, 56
13. LSU, 78
14. Miss. St., 174

Vanderbilt in 85th SEC Season
Vanderbilt is in its 85th SEC season and is a charter member of the league. All time against current members of the conference, Vanderbilt is 711-699.

1,019
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 1,019 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.