Vanderbilt (13-1, 0-0 SEC) at Mississippi State (13-2, 0-0 SEC)
Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024 • 6:30 p.m. CT
Humphrey Coliseum • Starkville, Miss. • SEC Network+
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Notes
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team opens SEC play this Thursday, as the Commodores travel to Mississippi State. Tipoff against the Bulldogs is set for 6:30 p.m. and will stream live on SEC Network+.
Starting Five
>> Vanderbilt enters SEC play boasting a 13-1 overall record. The Commodores closed the nonconference portion of their schedule with an 80-53 win over Radford at Memorial Gymnasium this past Sunday. It was the sixth-straight win for Vanderbilt, while the Commodores improved to 9-0 at home this season.
>> The Dores enter SEC play with 13 wins on the year. The 13 wins tie a program record for most wins going into conference play, matching the 2006-07 team’s win total.
>> At 13-1 this season, Vanderbilt is off to its best start through the first 14 games since the 2006-07 campaign. It is the sixth time in program history that Vandy has begun a season at 13-1 or better.
>> Thursday’s matchup between the Commodores and Bulldogs will be the 61st meeting all-time between the schools. Vanderbilt holds the all-time series lead at 36-24, though Mississippi State has won each of the last nine contests.
>> The Commodores are 11-15 all-time in Starkville. The last Vanderbilt win in Humphrey Coliseum came on Feb. 5, 2012, when the Dores picked up a 65-59 victory.
Game Coverage
Thursday’s contest will stream live at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+. Fans can also listen to the game on the Vanderbilt Commodores app or on 94.9 The Fan in the Nashville area.
NET Ranking
Vanderbilt holds a NET ranking of 58 coming into Thursday’s game. The Commodores have the seventh-best NET ranking in the SEC entering conference play. The NET is an evaluation tool used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee to determine seeding and at-large bids.
Collecting the Wins
Vanderbilt’s 13 wins this season are the second-most in NCAA Division I this season, as the Commodores are one of 10 schools that have won 13 games this season. TCU leads the nation with 14 wins overall. The Commodores’ 92.9% winning percentage is currently the eighth-best winning percentage in NCAA Division I.
Receiving Top-25 Votes
Vanderbilt earned votes in both major women’s college basketball polls this week. The Commodores picked up three votes in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. It is the first time that Vandy has received votes in the AP Top 25 Poll since Week 8 of the 2016-17 season.
Co-SEC Freshman of the Week
Khamil Pierre was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for the week of Jan. 2. The Queen Creek, Arizona, native averaged 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in a pair of Commodore wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Radford. It is the first SEC weekly honor for Pierre, while she is the first Vanderbilt women’s basketball player to earn a conference weekly accolade this season.
Moving Up the Steals List
Jordyn Cambridge’s 298 career steals are the third-most in program history. The guard needs 41 more steals to move past Deborah Denton (338; 1986-89) for first on the list.
Winning Streak
Vanderbilt comes into Thursday on a six-game winning streak. It is the second time this season that the Commodores have won five or more consecutive games, as Vandy opened the year by winning seven-straight games.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Like Vanderbilt, Mississippi State comes into Thursday’s SEC opener with 13 wins on the year and is receiving votes in the AP Top 25. The Bulldogs are 13-2 overall this season, while MSU is currently on a five-game winning streak. Mississippi State enters the week with a NET ranking of 32.
The Bulldogs feature a quartet of double-digit scorers led by senior Jerkaila Jordan, who is fourth in the SEC in scoring at 17.2 points per game. The 5-9 guard is shooting 47.5% from the field and has scored double-digit points in 13 games this season. Graduate student Jessika Carter is nearly averaging a double-double, as the 6-5 center is putting up 15.1 points and a team-high 9.6 rebounds per contest. Carter has collected a total of six double-doubles this season.
MSU is averaging 79.6 points per game, while the Bulldogs are shooting 46.1% from the field as a team. Mississippi State has made 106 3-pointers, which is third-most in the SEC. The Bulldogs are connecting on 37.5% from behind the arc through 15 games this season. Defensively, MSU is allowing 56.9 points per game. Opponents are shooting 35.8% from the field against the Bulldogs and 30.2% on 3-point field goals.
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