Wrapping Up the Homestand

VCU Reconnaissance

• This will be the third meeting between these programs and first at Memorial Gymnasium. 
• Vanderbilt won the previous two encounters­—both on neutral courts—including the 1986 season opener at the Silversword Invitational, 75-67. The Commodores went on to win that tournament which is now known as the Maui Invitational.
• In the second meeting, Vanderbilt won the 2008 Cancun Challenge with a 71-66 win over VCU on Dec. 1.
• Vanderbilt is 27-12 all-time against the Atlantic-10 Conference, but has dropped it’s last two with defeats to Richmond 78-67 and at Davidson 85-65 last season. Vanderbilt defeated Davidson, 76-71, the season prior.

Winthrop Reconnaissance

• This will be the second all-time meeting between Vanderbilt and Winthrop.
• Vanderbilt won the only other encounter, 92-79, in the 2018 season opener in Memorial Gym.
• Vanderbilt is 14-0 all-time against the Big South, and most recently defeated Radford in Nashville last season, 59-50.

Texas State Debrief

• At least 10 different Commodores scored for the second straight game.
• Jordan Wright scored in double figures for the seventh straight regular season game.
• Scotty Pippen Jr. posted his 16th career  20-point game and fourth career 30-point game.
• Center Quentin Millora-Brown led the Commodores in assists for the second straight game.
• Vanderbilt has used the  same starting lineup in both games­­—Pippen, Wright, Millora-Brown, Lawrence and Stute.  Last season, Vanderbilt used 18 different starting lineups­ in its 25 games (14 different Commodores have started at least one game).
• Jordan Wright has the longest active games started streak for Vanderbilt at 17 in a row.
• Trey Thomas continued Vanderbilt’s longest active games played streak at 27 in a row (every game over the past two seasons).
• Quotable: ““We’re preparing for the SEC. It’s great to win these games, it’s part of building our resume, but it’s more than just about winning these games,” head coach Jerry Stackhouse said. “We’ve got to get these guys reps, get them comfortable and able to be contributors for us.”

Keys to Victory

• Dating back to last season, Vanderbilt is 11-2 when tied or leading at the half and 0-14 when trailing at the break.
• Dating back to last season, Vanderbilt is 9-3 when scoring 75 or more and 2-13 when scoring less than 75. 
• Vanderbilt has hit the 80-point mark 15 times in the Coach Stackhouse era with a 12-3 record in those games, including 12-1 in regulation (only regulation loss was Jan. 9, 2021 against Mississippi State, 84-81). In four of the six SEC wins under Coach Stackhouse, Vanderbilt has eclipsed that 80-point mark.

Pippen Preseason Prognostications 

Junior guard Scotty Pippen Jr. earned several preseason honors this offseason, including: 

•   NABC Player of the Year watch list 
•   Lute Olson National Player of the Year watch list
•   Naismith Trophy watch list 
•   Wooden Award watch list
•   Bob Cousy Award preseason watch list
•   Preseason SEC Player of the Year
•   Preseason First-Team All-SEC (media and coaches)

Pippen Points

• Scotty Pippen Jr. is now 114 points from reaching 1,000 for his career (currently at 886).
• Scotty Pippen Jr. was second in the SEC last season with 20.8 points per game and 4.9 assists per game.
• Pippen set the school scoring record for a sophomore with 20.8 points per game. 
• Pippen was third in the NCAA among sophomores in scoring (20.8 ppg)—first among power conference players.
• Pippen also finished ninth in school history with 4.9 assists per game, ranks seventh all-time among Vandy sophomores with 457 points and finished with the 10th-most assists (107) by a sophomore at Vanderbilt.
• Pippen finished seventh in the nation with 142 made free throws and third in the NCAA with 6.5 made free throws per game. Only five players in the country got to the line more often than Pippen’s 7.6 free throw attempts per game.  
• Pippen scored at least 20+ points 12 times and 30+ points three times, including a career-high 36 at Cincinnati.
• Pippen matched or upped his career-high point total six different times in 2020-21. He led the team in scoring 13 times, while also leading the Dores in assists 17 times in his 22 games played.
• Pippen was the first Commodore since 2000 with eight or more assists in back-to-back games, and was the first Commodore since 2005 with 12 assists in a game (Mario Moore) as well as the first Commodore since 2015 to record a double-double with points and assists (Wade Baldwin IV).

Victories versus VCU

• Both prior meetings with VCU came in tournament play and Vanderbilt went on to win both tournaments.
• In 1986, the Commodores won the Silversword Invitational (now known as the Maui Invitational). Following the opening 75-67 win over VCU, the Dores beat Missouri 69-54 and New Mexico 87-71 over three straight nights. Vanderbilt returns to Hawaii this season for the Diamond Head Classic, Dec. 22-25. 
• In the 2008 Cancun Challenge championship, Vanderbilt sophomore A.J. Ogilvy scored 25 points to lead four Commodores in double figures en route to a 71-66 win over VCU at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico. Ogilvy was named the tournament’s MVP, and junior guard Jermaine Beal was named to the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament team. VCU was led by guard Eric Maynor, who ended with 31 points, 23 of those in the second half.

Adding to Memorial Magic 

• Memorial Gymnasium underwent several upgrades over the summer to enhance the fan experience. 
• New concessions are available, including Slim and Husky’s, Kernels Popcorn, and a refillable drink option.
• Eight new LED display boards along the corner walls, and two LED ribbon boards along the lower mezzanine baseline. Video boards and LED ribbon boards have also been added to portions of Memorial’s lobbies.
• A new court design featuring a more prominent Star V logo at center court and Vanderbilt branding.
• Last summer, as part of a $5 million gift from Seattle-area businessman and Vanderbilt alumnus George B. Huber, BA’79, and his wife Cathy, Vanderbilt’s basketball practice facility underwent extensive upgrades—branded paint and graphics throughout the gym, environment-conscious LED lighting and an all-new

Infirmary

• Both graduate transfers will miss the start of the season due to injury. Dayton transfer, Rodney Chatman, suffered a knee injury the week prior to the start of the season and is expected to miss at least a month. Minnesota transfer, Liam Robbins, is recovering from a foot injury and remains week-to-week to make  his Commodore debut.
• Last season, Vanderbilt had 12 of its 17 players miss games due to injury or illness. In all, the Commodores amassed 62 missed games: Odusipe (2), Wright (2), Harvey (2), Pippen (3), Millora-Brown (3), Weikert (3), McBride (3), Stute (4), Disu (7), Albert (7), Brown (8), Lawrence (17).

Fire Away

• The Commodores ranked second in the SEC in made 3s per game (9.3) last season. 
• Vanderbilt made at least four 3s in every game in 2020-21 and has done so in 42 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 25, 2020 when the Commodores were held without a 3 for the first time in 1,080 games.

Looking Astern

• Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 30 and Jordan Wright added 16 as Vanderbilt pulled away from a tough Texas State team Sunday at Memorial Gymnasium in a 79-60 victory. Up 53-49 with 7:47 to go, the Commodores exploded with a 19-6 run to pull away for good. Pippen scored 24 in the second half. Myles Stute added 12 for the Commodores.

A Vandy Victory Wednesday Would…

… mark the first 3-0 start since the 2018-19 season (started 4-0).
… mark a four-game home win streak.
… be the fifth straight home win against a nonconference opponent (last loss was Dec. 19 vs. Richmond).  

A Vandy Defeat Wednesday Would…

… be the third straight season starting 2-1.
… be less good than a win.

On Deck

•  Vanderbilt’s first road game will come against ACC foe Pittsburgh on Nov. 24.