2018-19 MBB nonconference schedule revealed

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica}p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px}

The 2018-19 Vanderbilt men’s basketball nonconference schedule has been set, and the Commodores, who played the number one strength of schedule in 2016-17 and the third-toughest schedule in 2017-18, will take on seven teams who played in the postseason a year ago in their nonconference slate.  Four opponents, North Carolina State, Kansas State, Arizona State and Oklahoma all played in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, with USC, UNC Asheville and Middle Tennessee also participating in the NIT.

Nine of the Commodores’ nonconference games will take place in Memorial Gym, including games against Pac 12 member Arizona State and 2018 Conference USA regular-season champion Middle Tennessee.  The 2018 season will also mark the first time the Commodores will not play in a Thanksgiving-time tournament away from home since the 2005-06 season.

Vanderbilt’s only two true road games will take place at USC in Los Angeles in the back end of a home-and-home with the Trojans on November 11 and the Commodores’ game at Oklahoma in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on January 26.  Vanderbilt will play neutral site games against North Carolina State in Miami, Fla. at the HoopHall Classic on December 1 and Kansas State in Kansas City, Mo. on December 22.

“The last two years we have played the number-one and number-three-toughest schedules in the country,” said Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew, who is entering his third season at the helm of the Commodore program.  “We have another very challenging schedule this year which will highlight many high-profile nonconference games. Our young team is looking forward to playing the best and improving as a team as we prepare for the conference season.”

Vanderbilt returns eight letter winners from the 2017-18 edition of the Commodores and welcomes a top-10 recruiting class, the best in the program’s history.

Season tickets are available for as low as $153 a ticket by calling 615-322-GOLD, logging on to vucommodores.com, or visiting the McGugin Center ticket office.

Winthrop
Date:
November 6
Location:  Memorial Gym
All-Time Series Record: First meeting
Last meeting:  NA
2017-18 Record: 19-12, 12-6 in Big South
Notes on Winthrop: This will be the first meeting between the two schools…Bjorn Broman and Josh Ferguson are the Eagles’ leading returning scorers, with each averaging 10.2 points per game in 2017-18.

USC
Date:
November 11
Location:  Los Angeles, Calif.
All-Time Series Record: USC leads, 5-1.
Last meeting:  The Trojans won a 93-89 decision in Memorial Gym on November 19, 2017.
2017-18 Record: 24-12, 12-6 in Pac 12 (2nd round of NIT)
Notes on USC: This will be the seventh meeting between the two schools and second between the Commodores and Trojans in Los Angeles…USC won the only other meeting in the 1969-70 in L.A. (108-89)…The game is the back end of a home-and-home between the two teams…Martin Bahar, a former basketball manager for the Commodores, is the Trojans’ Director of Scouting.

Alcorn State
Date:
November 16
Location:  Memorial Gym
All-Time Series Record: Vanderbilt leads, 1-0.
Last meeting:  Commodores won, 92-51, at Memorial Gym last season.
2017-18 Record: 11-21, 7-11 in SWAC
Notes on Alcorn State: Vanderbilt and Alcorn State will play for the second consecutive season in a non-conference game at Memorial Gym…Senior Dante Sterling is the Braves’ returning leading scorer – he averaged 11.8 points per game a year ago.

Liberty
Date:
November 19
Location:  Memorial Gym
All-Time Series Record: Vanderbilt leads, 1-0.
Last meeting:  Commodores won, 96-61, on November 16, 2001.
2017-18 Record: 22-15, 9-9 in Big South
Notes on Liberty: Vanderbilt will take on the Flames for the first time since the 2001-02 season…The Flames advanced to the CIT semifinals last year before losing to UIC, 67-51…Forward Scottie James is the team’s leading returning scorer after averaging 13.5 points per game…Vanderbilt’s Director of Operations, Matt Olinger, is a Liberty alum and former Flame men’s basketball staffer.

Kent State
Date:
November 23
Location:  Memorial Gym
All-Time Series Record: First meeting
Last meeting: NA
2017-18 Record: 17-17, 9-9 in MAC
Notes on Kent State: The Commodores and Golden Flashes will meet for the first time on November 25 at Memorial Gym…Senior guard Jaylin Walker is the team’s leading returning scorer after averaging 16.6 points per game…Senior Jalen Avery also added double digit scoring in 2017-18 (10.3 ppg).

Savannah State
Date:
November 27
Location:  Memorial Gym
All-Time Series Record: First meeting
Last meeting: NA
2017-18 Record: 15-17, 12-4 in MEAC
Notes on Savannah State: The Commodores’ meeting with Savannah State will be the first ever between the two schools…Senior guard Dexter McClanahan returns as the team’s leading scorer (15.4 average)…He was also second on the team in rebounds (4.2 average)…Vanderbilt as a 9-1 record all-time against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

N.C. State
Date:
December 1
Location:  Miami, Fla.
All-Time Series Record: Vanderbilt leads, 3-1
Last meeting: Vanderbilt win, 86-79, at Legends Classic in East Rutherford, N.J., on November 19, 2011.
2017-18 Record: 21-12, 11-7 in ACC
Notes on N.C. State: The meeting in Miami, Fla. will be the fifth meeting between the two schools and third on a neutral floor…Both teams met in the 2004 NCAA Tournament when Vanderbilt upended N.C. State, 75-73 in an improbable comeback victory in Orlando, Fla. that advanced the Commodores to the Sweet 16…The Wolfpack advanced to the 2018 NCAA Tournament before losing in the first round to Seton Hall, 94-83, in Wichita, Kansas.

Middle Tennessee
Date:
December 5
Location:  Memorial Gym
All-Time Series Record: Vanderbilt leads, 29-7
Last meeting: Middle Tennessee win, 66-63, on December 6, 2017.
2017-18 Record: 25-8, 16-2 in Conference USA
Notes on Middle Tennessee: Middle Tennessee has won three straight in the series with Vanderbilt, dating back to the 2012-13 season…The Blue Raiders are the reigning Conference USA regular season champions…Advanced to second round of the NIT in 2018.

Arizona State
Date:
December 17
Location:  Memorial Gym
All-Time Series Record: Arizona State leads, 4-0
Last meeting: Arizona State win, 76-64, on December 17, 2017 in Tempe, Ariz.
2017-18 Record: 20-12, 8-10 in Pac 12
Notes on Arizona State: The Sun Devils will make their first ever trip to Memorial Gym on December 17 after the Commodores opened the home-and-home series a year ago in Tempe…Arizona State advanced to the 2018 NCAA Tournament and lost to Syracuse in the First Four…The Sun Devils’ top three scorers from 2017-18 were all seniors.

Kansas State
Date:
December 22
Location:  Kansas City, Mo. (Sprint Center)
All-Time Series Record: Kansas State leads, 4-6
Last meeting: Kansas State win, 84-79, on December 3, 2017 at Memorial Gym.
2017-18 Record: 25-12, 10-8 in Big 12
Notes on Kansas State: The Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight last year in the NCAA Tournament and defeated Creighton, UMBC, and Kentucky before losing to Loyola (Chicago) in the Regional Final in Atlanta…Kansas State returns its top four returning scorers in Dean Wade, Barry Brown, Jr., Xavier Sneed, and Kamau Stokes.

Tennessee State
Date:
December 29
Location:  Memorial Gym
All-Time Series Record: Vanderbilt leads, 9-0
Last meeting: Vanderbilt win, 83-59, on November 29, 2016 at Memorial Gym.
2017-18 Record: 15-15, 10-8 in Ohio Valley Conference
Notes on Tennessee State: Tennessee State finished its season a year ago with a 15-15 record…The Tigers will be led by first-year head coach Brian “Penny” Collins after former coach Dana Ford took the head coaching job at Missouri State…All nine of the previous meetings have come at Memorial Gym.

UNC Asheville
Date:
December 31
Location:  Memorial Gym
All-Time Series Record: Vanderbilt leads, 4-0
Last meeting: Vanderbilt win, 79-76, on November 17, 2017 at Memorial Gym.
2017-18 Record: 21-13, 13-5 in Big South
Notes on UNC Asheville: 2018 will mark the second consecutive season the Bulldogs will play at Memorial Gym…Alcorn State will also play at Memorial for the second consecutive year…UNC Asheville won the regular season Big South title but fell to Liberty in the conference tournament…The Bulldogs fell to USC in the first round of the NIT in Los Angeles in a double-overtime thriller…The Bulldogs will be under the tutelage of first-year coach Mike Morrell.

Oklahoma
Date:
January 26
Location:  Norman, Okla.
All-Time Series Record: Vanderbilt leads, 2-0
Last meeting: Vanderbilt win, 77-67, on March 16, 1994 in a first-round NIT matchup in Norman.
2017-18 Record: 18-14, 8-10 in Big 12
Notes on Oklahoma: The Commodores and Sooners will meet for the third time overall and for the second time on Oklahoma’s home floor.  Vanderbilt leads the series, 2-0, with wins coming on December 10, 1955 at Memorial Gym (78-69) and on March 16, 1994 in a NIT first-round matchup in Norman (W, 77-67)…The matchup with the Sooners will be a part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.