March 23, 2015
The Commodores will return to California for the NIT Quarterfinals on Tuesday night, this time with a trip to Palo Alto to take on the Stanford Cardinal. The game tips off at 8 p.m. CT, and will be televised on ESPN and can be heard on the Vanderbilt IMG College Radio Network throughout Middle Tennessee.
Vanderbilt, the number five seed in the Colorado State regional, knocked off number eight seed, South Dakota State, 92-77, on Friday night at Memorial Gym.
The Commodores improved to 21-13 overall and advanced to the NIT Quarterfinals with a 92-77 win over South Dakota State Friday night at Memorial Gym. Vanderbilt shot at a torrid clip in the second half. The Commodores made 81.8 percent of their shots (18-of-22) after halftime. From 3-point range, they were equally impressive, making 77.8 percent in the second half (7-of-9). For the fifth time this season, the Commodores had five players score in double figures – Wade Baldwin IV (20 points), Damian Jones (15), James Siakam (14), Matthew Fisher-Davis (12) and Luke Kornet (12). Fresh off a tying a program-best with 11 blocked shots against St. Mary’s on Wednesday, the Commodores set the school record with 13 versus SDSU. Five players contributed to the block party – Matthew Fisher-Davis (4), Luke Kornet (4), Damian Jones (2), James Siakam (2) and Jeff Roberson. The team made 12 3-pointers – and shot 57.1 percent from beyond the arc – to tie for the second-most this season. The Jackrabbits took their last lead, 59-57, with 9:13 left. Then Vanderbilt’s Damian Jones threw down a one-handed slam dunk to start a 16-0 run in less than three minutes. During that stretch, the Commodores went wild from 3-point range. Wade Baldwin IV started it off and then Matthew Fisher-Davis made four straight 3-pointers, this after he missed his first seven shots. The Commodores pushed the lead to as many as 17 closed out the game by making their last nine shots and 10 of 11.
Freshman guard Wade Baldwin IV was one assist away from a triple double. He set career-highs with 20 points and 10 rebounds (including eight in the first half). He finished with nine assists, one away from tying his career high and also one assist away from becoming just the second player in school history to notch a triple double. Freshman guard/forward Matthew Fisher-Davis had a career night with a personal-best four blocks and tied a career-high with four 3-pointers for 12 points – all in a two-minute span in the second half. Sophomore center Damian Jones had 15 points for his 28th game in double figures and third straight. Senior forward James Siakam finished with 14 points for his 16th game this season in double figures and third in the last five games. Sophomore forward Luke Kornet scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and has scored in double figures 16 times this season. He also tied a career high with four blocks.
Game 35/#5 Vanderbilt (21-13) vs. #2 Stanford (21-13)
Palo Alto, Calif. – Maples Pavilion – 8 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
TV Talent: Dave Fleming (pxp), Sean Farnham (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Series Information
Series Record: Stanford leads, 2-0.
Last Meeting: Stanford win, 89-68, on Dec. 30, 1988, at Memorial Gym.
Record at Vanderbilt: Stanford leads, 2-0
Record at Stanford: NA
Record at Neutral Site: NA
Coach Stallings vs. Stanford: Coach Stallings has never faced Stanford.
About Stanford
Stanford enters the game with an identical 21-13 overall record after knocking off Rhode Island in the NIT Second Round Sunday night.
Chasson Randle leads the Cardinal in scoring with 19.4 points per game. Anthony Brown (14.6) and Stefan Nastic (13.4) also average double figures.
This will be the third meeting between the two schools and the first ever at Stanford.
More on Vanderbilt in the NIT
Vanderbilt is making their 12th appearance in the NIT and their first appearance since 2006. Other appearances have come in 1983, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2005.
In all, this will be Vanderbilt’s 25th postseason appearance, and their first since the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
This will be Coach Kevin Stallings’ fifth NIT and 11th postseason appearance as Commodore coach. Stallings has a 5-4 all-time record in the NIT.
The Commodores have an 20-10 overall record in the tournament (.667).
The Commodores captured the 1990 NIT and finished runner-up in 1994.
Prior to the NIT First Round game at Saint Mary’s, Vanderbilt’s last game in the NIT came on March 15, 2006, in a 79-69 loss at Notre Dame.
The Damian Jones Show
Sophomore Damian Jones, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, has had a stellar three-game stretch, averaging 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds against Tennessee, Saint Mary’s, and South Dakota St. He has scored 20+ points in eight games this year and is first in the SEC in field goal percentage, 3rd in blocks (2.0), and 10th in scoring. He posted his 8th 20+-point game of the year at Saint Mary’s, when he tied a career-high with 10 field goals made and scored 21 points. He had a career-high 15 rebounds vs. Tennessee.
20-Win Seasons
With the win over Saint Mary’s, Vanderbilt registered its eighth 20-win season in the last 12 years and its 19th overall in program history. Coach Kevin Stallings’ eight 20-win seasons is the most by a Vanderbilt coach.
Young Team Growing Up
The Commodores, who are ranked as the 347th youngest team in the nation out of 351 teams, are playing their best basketball of the season. Vanderbilt is 10-3 in their last 13 games, and have won three straight true road contests – all from freshmen and sophomores, who comprise seven of the eight players in Vanderbilt’s primary rotation, and one senior, James Siakam.
Travelling Dores
After the announcement Sunday that Vanderbilt had made the 32-team NIT field, the Commodores boarded a plane Monday for Moraga, Calif., to play at Saint Mary’s (2,290 miles). VU returned back to Nashville Thursday. The Commodores will now travel to Stanford (2,275 miles) for Tuesday night’s quarterfinal game.
All-SEC
Vanderbilt sophomore center Damian Jones was named to the All-SEC 1st Team and the All-Defensive Team, while freshmen Wade Baldwin IV and Riley LaChance were honored on the All-Freshman Team in an announcement made by the SEC Office.
The trio become the 32nd, 33rd, and 34th selections, respectively, to be honored as an All-SEC team member of the Kevin Stallings’ era, while Jones’ first-team honor is the program’s 56th selection since 1949 and the first since 2012 when John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor were named to the team. Baldwin IV and LaChance became Vanderbilt’s 13th and 14th selections on the All-Freshman team.
Baldwin and LaChance’s selection to the All-Freshman Team marks the first time Vanderbilt has had two players on the team in the same season.
Block Party
The Commodores have been on quite the blocking spree as of late, swatting 24 shots in their last two contests. Against Saint Mary’s, Vanderbilt tied a then-program record 11 shots, and then followed that up with a 13-block performance against South Dakota State, which set a new program single-game record. This year’s team has blocked 182 shots on the season, which is a new Vanderbilt season record, surpassing the 2008-09 team, which blocked 174 shots that season. The Commodores’ 182 blocks ranks 12th nationally.
Assist Numbers
Vanderbilt has 526 assists on the season, which ranks as the ninth-best season in Commodore history for assists. Wade Baldwin has 154 assists to lead all Commodore players, with Shelton Mitchell 99 and Riley LaChance 96. Vanderbilt has only had two seasons in its history in which three players have had 100 or more assists – 1988-89 (Barry Goheen, 130, Barry Booker, 118, Derrick Wilcox, 173) and 1993-94 (Billy McCaffrey, 133, Ronnie McMahan, 108, Frank Seckar, 110). The Commodores also rank first in the SEC in assist percentage (assists on made baskets) and fourth nationally.
Road Warriors
Vanderbilt has won three consecutive true road games and four of their last five dating back to February 14 at Alabama. It marks the first time the Commodores have won three straight on the road since December 29-January 19 in the 2011-12 season, when Vanderbilt knocked off Marquette, South Carolina, and Alabama.
Stallings Now Has 313 Vanderbilt Wins, Moves Past Tubby Smith For Sixth On Wins List
Head Coach Kevin Stallings, the school’s all-time winningest coach, is in his 16th season with the Commodores and 21st overall as a head coach. Stallings has 313 career wins at Vanderbilt and 436 overall as a head coach. He has eight 20-win seasons in the last 12 seasons, with six NCAA tournament appearances and two Sweet 16’s (2004 and 2007). He is also one of five SEC coaches to win 300 or more games at one institution, joining Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp, Florida’s Billy Donovan, and LSU’s Dale Brown and Harry Rabenhorst, and is now in 6th place all-time on the SEC wins list after surpassing Tubby Smith after the Alabama win at Memorial Gym.
Close Losses
The Commodores’ largest margin of defeat in league play was a 12-point decision at Arkansas. Two of the losses have come in overtime (LSU, Tennessee), and three others have come by three points or less (Georgia, at Miss. State, at Florida). Vanderbilt is 12 points away from an 11-game win streak (OT loss vs. Tenn., 76-73; 50-47 loss at Florida, 67-61 loss vs. Tennessee).
Current 10-Game Stretch Ties a Stallings-Best
This year’s record over final the 10 regular season games ties for the best mark under Coach Stallings. The Commodores were also 8-2 in 07-08.
Basketball Finishes in the Regular Season
2014-2015: won 8 of last 10 games
2013-2014: won 3 of last 10 games
2012-2013: won 6 of last 10 games
2011-2012: won 5 of last 10 games
2010-2011: won 6 of last 10 games
2009-2010: won 7 of last 10 games
2008-2009: won 7 of last 10 games
2007-2008: won 8 of last 10 games
2006-2007: won 6 of last 10 games
2005-2006: won 4 of last 10 games
2004-2005: won 6 of last 10 games
2003-2004: won 6 of last 10 games
2002-2003: won 1 of last 10 games
2001-2002: won 3 of last 10 games
2000-2001: won 2 of last 10 games
1999-2000: won 5 of last 10 games
Vanderbilt has 526 assists on the season, which ranks as the ninth-best season in Commodore history for assists. Wade Baldwin has 154 assists to lead all Commodore players, with Shelton Mitchell 99 and Riley LaChance 96. Vanderbilt has only had two seasons in its history in which three players have had 100 or more assists – 1988-89 (Barry Goheen, 130, Barry Booker, 118, Derrick Wilcox, 173) and 1993-94 (Billy McCaffrey, 133, Ronnie McMahan, 108, Frank Seckar, 110). The Commodores also rank first in the SEC in assist percentage (assists on made baskets) and fourth nationally.
Baldwin Playing Well
Baldwin IV was recently named to the SEC All-Freshman team after finishing regular season fifth in the league in assists (4.4) in all games and leading all SEC freshmen in assists. For the year, he has 154 assists and only 67 turnovers this season. He finished the regular season 6th in all games in steals (1.5) and 3rd in A/TO ratio (2.2). In league games only, he finished the season fifth in steals (1.7), fourth in assists (4.54, and 8th in A/TO ratio (2.0). He is now 7th all-time and VU’s all-time freshman leader on the Vanderbilt single-season assist list with 154 assists. He has also recorded 50 steals this season, the 2nd most in 13 years.
LaChance leads all SEC Freshmen
Freshman Riley LaChance, recently named to the All-Freshman team, is the leading freshman scorer in the SEC at 12.4 points per game in all games. He finished the regular season leading all SEC freshmen in three’s made per contest at 1.9 per game, which is sixth in the conference overall. LaChance has won four SEC Freshman of the Week honor so far his play this season, which is a new program record. Earlier this year, he poured in two consecutive 26-point games against Purdue and Western Carolina, and has three 20+ point games this season. In all, he has scored in double figures in 24 contests.
Siakam one of SEC’s most effective
There are 65 players in the SEC who have played in 650 minutes or more, and James Siakam is tied at the top of the list with Texas A&M’s Courtney Roberson for the league’s most efficient. Siakam’s offensive efficiency rating is currently 63.1% (FGM + .5 (3FG)/FGA), with most of his makes coming around the basket and on offensive putbacks. Against Mississippi State, the senior had more offensive rebounds (5) than the entire Bulldog team, and also made the first three of his career. Siakam has 16 double-digit point games and three double-doubles this season.
Commodores on Single-Season Lists
Wade Baldwin IV is 7th all-time on the Vanderbilt single-season assist list with 154 assists, and is the freshman all-time single-season leader in assists.
Damian Jones has 498 points this season, which is second on Vanderbilt’s sophomore single-season scoring list.
Jones is 4th on the VU single-season block list with 68.
Riley LaChance is tied for third on Vanderbilt’s single-season freshman scoring list with 417 points – one of only four Vanderbilt freshman to ever eclipse 400-point barrier. The last Commodore freshman to score 400 or more points in a season was A.J. Ogilvy in 2007-08, when he scored a freshman-record 578 points.
Shelton Mitchell has 99 assists on the season, which is tied for third on the freshman single-season list. Mitchell is four assists away from tying Atiba Prater, who held the record at 103 prior to Baldwin shattering the mark. LaChance has 96, which is third on the list.
March Madness at Memorial
Friday’s game against South Dakota State marked the seventh time in the history of the program that the Commodores have played a game at Memorial Gym later than March 20. The latest game in the history of the program at home came on March 23, 1994, in a NIT quarterfinal game against Clemson, a contest the Commodores won, 89-74. In all, Friday 55marks the 11th time Memorial Gym has hosted an NIT game.
SEC’s Youngest Backcourt
The Commodores’ freshman backcourt is the youngest in the SEC. In fact, Vanderbilt is the only school in the league to start three freshmen at the three guard spots.
Young Commodores
According to KenPom.com, Vanderbilt is number 347 out of 351 Division I playing schools in terms of experience at 0.72 years. The average years of experience across the 351 schools is 1.67 years.
Three-Point Streak Still Intact
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 930 consecutive games, a streak which began at the inception of the 3-point line in 1986-87. The Commodores rank second only to UNLV 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.
Frontcourt Height
Vanderbilt’s starting frontline of 7-0, 6-10 & 6-6 is the second tallest in the SEC in terms of average height. Kentucky – 82.3 inches; Vanderbilt – 81.3 inches; LSU – 81.3 inches.
