Razorbacks Visit Memorial

Promotions
• We Back Pat
• Annual $1 Game
• Dancing Dores: Vanderbilt women’s basketball is sponsoring a Dancing Dores Miracle Child this season and she will be the program’s special guest at the game Sunday. Gabee is 13, and was diagnosed with Craniostynosis, which causes problems with normal brain and skull growth and required surgery to repair a premature fusion of the suture in her forehead. As part of the Dancing Dores program, Vanderbilt women’s basketball has a goal to raise $1,000 for the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Fans can donate at bit.ly/vudmwbb.

Battle Grounds
• Vanderbilt holds a 25-10 all-time advantage over Arkansas, but the Razorbacks have won the last two.
• Vanderbilt’s last win in the series was a 78-73 victory in Memorial Gym on Feb. 25, 2018.
• Vanderbilt is 14-1 all-time against Arkansas in Memorial Gym, including a five-game winning streak. The Razorbacks beat the Commodores in Nashville during the 2018 SEC Tournament, but have not won in Memorial Gym since Jan. 21, 2001.
• This series dates back to a victory Feb. 8, 1992 when Vanderbilt defeated Arkansas 79-75 in Nashville.

Looking Astern
• Visiting No. 4 South Carolina used a lightning strike of a scoring run to close out the first half then dominated the third quarter en route to a 93-57 win inside Memorial Gymnasium on Sunday. The Gamecocks led just 27-24 just before halftime, then exploded for 11 straight going into the break. In the third quarter they outscored the Commodores 36-14 to snap Vandy’s six-game home winning streak.
• “That wasn’t the team that we usually are. They’re a tough team and we knew that coming in, but that’s just not how we wanted to go out. But now we’re just focused on getting better and seeing what we have to improve on and we’ll play them again.” — junior guard Chelsie Hall

Full Steam Ahead
• Vanderbilt ranks No. 6 in the nation in rebounding (738) and No. 20 in the country with 43.4 rebounds per game.
• Vanderbilt has out-rebounded 15 of its 17 opponents.
• Vanderbilt is 12-0 when holding opponents under 40 percent from the field (0-5 when not).
• The Commodores are 6-0 when they have fewer turnovers than their opponent.
• Vandy is 11-2 when shooting better than 40 percent.
• Vandy is 12-1 when scoring more than 60 points (0-4 when scoring fewer).
• Vanderbilt is 4-1 on the weekends this year and 8-4 on school nights.
• Eight different players have started at least one game for the Commodores. The current starting lineup is 6-2.
• Vanderbilt’s 10 nonconference wins matched the most in the Coach Stephanie White era (also went 10-3 in 2016-17).
• Vanderbilt’s win at Washington was its first Pac-12 road win since 2012 at USC.
• The Commodores are 8-2 at Memorial Gym this season (nine wins in two previous seasons combined) and the only two losses were to No. 1 South Carolina and No. 4 UConn.
• Vanderbilt is 12-3 in games played in the USA this season.

Plan of Attack
• Coach White’s halftime adjustments have been evident. Vanderbilt has won the third quarter in 12 of its 17 games. Excluding games against No. 1 South Carolina and No. 4 UConn, the Commodores are +116 in the third quarter (305-189). That averages to an eight-point edge (20-12) out of halftime.

Court Martial
• Sophomore Jordyn Cambridge enters the weekend ranked No. 12 in the nation and first in the SEC in steals. She has 51 steals in 17 games this season after she totaled 20 steals in 24 games as a freshman last year.
• Cambridge is the first Commodore with 50 steals in a season since Jennifer Risper picked 81 in 2008-09.
• Cambridge was the first Commodore with seven steals in a game (Nov. 17 vs. Saint Louis) since Jennifer Risper on Nov. 23, 2008 against Michigan.
• Cambridge leads all SEC players listed at 5-foot-9 or shorter in blocks and rebounding. She has eight blocks this season (had two blocks last season) and averages 5.6 rebounds per game. She has at least five rebounds in 11 of 17 games and has led the team in rebounding three times.

Preseason Polls
• Vanderbilt was picked to finish 14th in the preseason SEC media poll and predicted to finish 12th by the SEC coaches.
• Vanderbilt is currently tied for seventh in the league with a 2-2 mark and has already equaled last season’s SEC win total.

SEC Sweep
• On Dec. 23, Vanderbilt swept the SEC weekly awards. It was the first Commodores sweep since Christina Foggie (player) and Kady Schrann (freshman) on Jan. 23, 2012.
• Mariella Fasoula was Vanderbilt’s first SEC Player of the Week since Jasmine Lister in 2014.
• Koi Love became the first Vanderbilt player to win back-to-back SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
• Vandy is the only program to sweep the awards this year.
• Fasoula is 20th in the nation and third in the SEC with 111 made field goals this season.
• Love is third among SEC freshmen in points per game (13.2), second in field goal percentage (.503) and third in rebounds (102) behind two Gamecocks.

Alexander the Sophomore
• Sophomore Brinae Alexander scored in double figures in her first six games this season and was Vanderbilt’s leading scorer before her season-ending achilles injury in the first quarter on Thanksgiving Day against Rutgers at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.
• In the season opener, Alexander (20 points, four steals) was the first Commodore in more than eight years to finish with 20+ points and 4+ steals in a game. The last Vanderbilt player to pull off the feat was Jence Rhoads when she went for 21 and five against Arkansas on March 4, 2010.

A Vandy Win Would…
… be the ninth at home this season, matching the last two seasons combined.
… be the first over a top-25 opponent since defeating No. 24 Missouri 56-52 on Feb. 28, 2016 (lost 24 straight).
… mark the first 3-2 start in SEC play since 2014 (last NCAA Tournament appearance).

A Vandy Loss Would…
… drop the Commodores to 0-3 against ranked teams this year (12-3 against unranked foes).
… mark the first three-game losing streak to Arkansas since 1999-02.
… be less good than a win.

On Deck
• On Thursday, No. 10 Mississippi State visits Nashville for an 8 p.m. tip off on SEC Network, followed by a road contest at Alabama on Jan. 26 at 2 p.m., and then a fourth straight ranked opponent comes to Memorial Gymnasium on Thursday, Jan. 30­. Tip off against archrival and 24th-ranked Tennessee is set for 8 p.m. Tickets are here.

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