Jan. 29, 2018
Vanderbilt Gamenotes 
| Kentucky Gamenotes
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After a big win in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday against TCU, the Commodores return to the throes of conference play when they travel to Kentucky to take on the #21/22 Wildcats at Rupp Arena on Tuesday. The game begins at 8 p.m. CT, with the game airing live on ESPN, on the radio with Joe Fisher and Tim Thompson on the Vanderbilt IMG Radio Network, and online on vucommodores.com.
The Commodores moved to 2-0 under head coach Bryce Drew in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge after defeating TCU, 81-78, Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gym. Seniors Riley LaChance and Jeff Roberson led the way for the Commodores, with LaChance scoring 24 points and Roberson 20 in the win. Freshman Saben Lee also added 11 points.
LaChance has averaged 25.0 points per game in Vanderbilt’s last three games. Roberson is averaging 20.3 points per game in that span.
Both LaChance (9 FG’s made) and Roberson (8) have tied their career-highs in field goals made in the last two games.
Media Information
Vanderbilt (8-13, 2-6) vs. #21/22 Kentucky (16-5, 5-3)
Lexington, Ky. – Rupp Arena – 8 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
TV Talent: Joe Tessitore (pxp), Sean Farnham (analyst), Laura Rutledge (sidelines)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 137, XM 380
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Series Information
Series Record: UK leads, 143-47.
Last Meeting: UK win, 74-67, on 1/13/18 in Nashville.
Record at Vanderbilt: UK leads 54-27.
Record at Kentucky: UK leads 84-15.
Record at Neutral Site: Tied at 5.
Coach Drew vs. Kentucky: Coach Drew is 0-3 against Kentucky.
Roberson, LaChance among league leaders
Jeff Roberson is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder in all games, averaging 15.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Roberson is second in the SEC in double doubles, sixth in the SEC in all games in rebounding (7.0), fourth in free throw percentage (.861), seventh in defensive rebounding (5.1), and 9th in scoring (15.6). In league games only, he is fifth in field goal percentage (.505).
LaChance is third in all games in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (.427), 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).
Wildcats will be Vanderbilt’s eighth game against a ranked opponent
The Commodores have already played seven games this season against a ranked opponent – 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). The Commodores are looking for their first win over a ranked opponent this season.
More on Kentucky
- Kentucky enters the game with a 16-5 overall record and a 3-2 mark in SEC play.
- Kevin Knox leads the Wildcats in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game. Hamidou Diallo (12.7), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11.8), and P.J. Washington (10.8) also average double figures.
- This will be the 191st meeting between the two schools, with Kentucky holding a 143-47 advantage in the series. The Wildcats are 84-15 all-time against the Commodores in Lexington, and 38-2 against Vanderbilt at Rupp Arena. Vanderbilt’s only wins came at Rupp came in 2006 and 2007.
- Vanderbilt is 15-86 all-time against a ranked Kentucky team and 1-50 against ranked Wildcat teams in Lexington. The only win came at Rupp Arena on January 20, 2007 (#25 Kentucky, W, 72-67).
A Commodore Win Would…
- Be Vanderbilt’s ninth win of the year and first on the road.
- Be the Commodores third ever win at Rupp Arena and the first since winning consecutive games in Lexington in 2006 and 2007.
- Be the first win over a ranked opponent in nine tries this season.
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 25th on Vanderbilt’s all-time scoring list, surpassing Will Perdue (1984-88, 1,281, 26th) and Jeff Turner (1981-84, 1,271, 27th). Roberson is 36th on the list with 1,158 points.
- 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.
- Vanderbilt is 94-234 all-time against AP Top 25 opponents and 20-139 in road contests.
- LaChance and Fisher-Davis 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.
- LaChance, who has 379 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 11 different starting lineups this season, with their 11th coming against TCU (Lee, LaChance, Evans, Roberson, Obinna).
- 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 3 as of January 29.
- 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 (1/29).
1. Tennessee , 1
2. Vanderbilt, 3
3. Texas A&M, 5
4. Kentucky, 9
5. Florida, 11
6. Alabama, 16
7. Georgia, 19
8. Missouri, 20
9. Arkansas, 23
10. S. Carolina, 25
11. Ole Miss, 28
12. LSU, 52
13. Auburn, 63
14. Miss. St., 135
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.
1,020
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.