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Arkansas next up for MBB in Fayetteville

Feb. 9, 2018

Vanderbilt Gamenotes Get Acrobat Reader | Arkansas Gamenotes Get Acrobat Reader

After a big win over Georgia Wednesday night at Memorial Gym, the Commodores return to the road to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in Bud Walton Arena on Saturday night. The game begins at 7:30 p.m. CT, with the game airing live on the SEC Network, on the radio with Joe Fisher and Tim Thompson on the Vanderbilt IMG Radio Network, and online on vucommodores.com.

The Commodores improved to 9-15 on the season and 3-8 in the SEC after an 81-66 victory over Georgia at Memorial Gym on Wednesday night. Senior Riley LaChance and freshman Saben Lee led five Commodores in double figures with 19 points apiece. Sophomore Payton Willis tallied a season-high 13 points, junior Joe Toye scored 12 points, and senior Jeff Roberson pitched in 11 points in the win. Vanderbilt shot 55.1% from the floor against the Bulldogs, their best percentage of the season.

News and Notes

  • Roberson has averaged 19.3 ppg since Jan. 9; set new career highs in points (30) and FG made (10) vs. Auburn. LaChance has averaged 20.0 points per game in Vanderbilt’s last six games.
  • Vanderbilt’s 15-point margin of victory over the Bulldogs was its largest in SEC play this season and largest since a 92-51 win over Alcorn State on December 22.
  • Roberson is averaging 16.3 points per game to lead Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt’s best average since John Jenkins led the team in 2012 when he averaged 19.9 points per contest.
  • Freshman Saben Lee had three steals against Georgia and now has 32 for the season, three more than Roberson’s team-best total for the season in 2016-17 (29).
  • LaChance moved up to 21st on Vanderbilt’s all-time scoring list (1,337 points) against Georgia, while Roberson moved to 30th on the list with 1,222 points.
  • Roberson is also the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 7.2 rebounds per game. Roberson is 3rd in the SEC in double doubles, 7th in SEC in all games in scoring (16.3), 5th in rebounding (7.2), 4th in free throw percentage (.875), and 3rd in defensive rebounding (5.3). In league games, he ranks 4th in scoring (18.0), 10th in rebounding (6.5), 4th in FG% (.512), 9th in 3FG made (2.0), 9th in 3FG% (.386), and 7th in defensive rebounding (5.1).
  • Roberson is ninth on Vanderbilt’s all-time total rebounding list with 700, eight shy of Will Perdue (1983-88), who is eighth with 708 career rebounds.
  • LaChance is sixth in all games in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (.414), 10th in 3FG made (2.2), and 3rd in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7), and in league games only, he is seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2), seventh in assists (3.7), and 6th in 3FG made (2.1).
  • Roberson, LaChance and Matthew Fisher-Davis are all members of Vanderbilt’s 1,000-point club. 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, Roberson, and Fisher-Davis are second, third, and fourth, respectively, among current players in SEC in career scoring. Georgia’s Yante Maten is the conference’s current career leader.
  • LaChance, who has 395 career assists, is now 8th on Vanderbilt’s all-time assist list after surpassing Drew Maddux against Georgia (394 career assists). Jermaine Beal is seventh on the list with 421 assists.
  • The Commodores have used 11 different starting lineups this season, with their 11th coming against TCU (Lee, LaChance, Evans, Roberson, Obinna).
  • The Commodores have already played nine 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), Kentucky (#21/#20; #21/#22) and Auburn (#11/#13) 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).
  • KenPom.com has Vanderbilt with the number one strength of schedule on February 9. VU also had the strongest schedule in the nation in 2016-17.

Media Information
Vanderbilt (9-15, 3-8) vs. Arkansas (16-8, 5-6)
Fayettevile, Ark. – Bud Walton Arena – 7:30 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
TV Talent: Kevin Fitzgerald (pxp), Sean Harrington (analyst)
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: Arkansas leads 23-12.
Last Meeting: Ark. win, 76-62, on Mar. 11, 2017, at SEC Tournament.
Record at Vanderbilt: VU leads 8-6.
Record at Arkansas: Ark. leads 13-3.
Record at Neutral Site: Ark. leads 4-1.
Coach Drew vs. Arkansas: Coach Drew is 1-2 against Arkansas.

More on Arkansas

  • Arkansas enters the game Saturday with a 16-8 overall record and a 5-6 mark in SEC play, but are 12-1 this season at home at Bud Walton Arena.
  • A pair of seniors, Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon, lead the Razorbacks in scoring with 18.8 and 17.3 points per game, respectively. Freshman Daniel Gafford also averages double digits with 11.0 points per game.
  • Arkansas leads the series 23-12 overall and have a 12-3 mark against the Commodores in Fayetteville.
  • The Razorbacks won two out of three meetings last season, including the last meeting in the SEC Tournament semifinals in Nashville (3/11/17; 76-62).
  • Vanderbilt freshman guard Payton Willis hails from Fayetteville, Arkansas, the Commodores’ first player from the state of Arkansas since Ralph Childs (1955-56). Overall, Willis is Vanderbilt’s third player from Arkansas.

A Commodore Win Would…

  • Be Vanderbilt’s first win of the season on the road.
  • Be the Commodores 2nd consecutive win at Bud Walton Arena – Vanderbilt’s first time with two straight wins at Arkansas – and its fourth ever win at Arkansas.
  • Move Payton Willis‘ record at Arkansas to 2-0 – Willis is a Fayetteville native who played at Fayetteville High School.

Jeff Roberson: Mr Double-Double
Jeff Roberson has seven 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 the most by a Commodore since Will Perdue had 10 in his junior season (1986-87) and 16 in his senior season (1987-88).

SEC Strength of Schedule
Here’s a look at KenPom’s strength of schedule among league teams (2/9).
1. Vanderbilt 1
2. Tennessee 5
3. Texas A&M 6
4. Kentucky 8
5. Alabama 12
6. Florida 13
7. Missouri 14
8. S. Carolina 20
9. Ole Miss 21
10. Arkansas 24
11. Georgia 26
12. LSU 38
13. Auburn 58
14. Miss. St. 105

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 712-701.

1,023
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 1,023 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.