Vanderbilt Basketball Quick Hitters: Ole Miss Edition

Vanderbilt Basketball Quick Hitters

• Vanderbilt dropped to 9-19 overall and 1-14 in SEC play after a loss to Missouri Wednesday at Memorial Gym. Freshman Scotty Pippen Jr. led the Commodores with 19 points, his 20th game in double figures this season. Junior Saben Lee also added 14 points for Vanderbilt.

• Lee is averaging 23.1 points per game in his last seven contests, and for the season, is averaging 17.8 points and 4.2 assists per game, which ranks 5th and 6th in the SEC in both categories in all games, respectively. In league play, he is averaging 19.5 points per game, which ranks fifth in the league.

• In all games, Lee is also also seventh in field goal percentage (.483), fourth in total free throws made (131), second in attempted free throws (173), and sixth in steals/game (1.57). In league games only, Lee is sixth in field goal percentage (.468) and ninth in steals (1.5).

• The Commodores have held the lead at the half in six SEC games this season - Missouri, Georgia, both games against Kentucky, Mississippi State, LSU - and were tied in their game at Tennessee.

• The Commodores have had five players score 20 or more points in a game - Wright, Lee, Maxwell Evans, Aaron Nesmith, and Scotty Pippen Jr.

• Scotty Pippen Jr. is ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in assists/game (9th, 3.6) and free throws attempted (8th, 154).

• Dylan Disu notched his fourth double-double this season vs. Kentucky. He’s second in the conference among all freshmen in the SEC in double-doubles (Trendon Watford, LSU). He has the highest single-game total for a freshman in the league for steals (5, vs. Tulsa, 11.30.19) and blocks (5, vs. Kentucky, 1.29.20)

• The Commodores are a youthful bunch - in the last game against Missouri, Vanderbilt started two true freshmen (Disu, Pippen Jr.), a redshirt sophomore (Obinna), and two juniors (Evans, Lee). True freshmen have accounted for 41% minutes played, and with Aaron Nesmith’s minutes taken away, freshmen have played 45% of minutes played. Disu, Wright, and Pippen Jr. have all scored in double figures in a game in at least one game this season. According to KenPom.com, Vanderbilt has 1.13 years of experience on its roster, which ranks 320th in Division I basketball.

• Pippen is third in assists among all SEC freshmen with 3.6/game. He is second in the league in free throws made (107) and first in attempted free throws (154) among all freshmen.

• As a team, the Commodores are second in the SEC in threes made/game (8.2) and total threes (229).

• The Commodores captured their first SEC win of the season and snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 99-90 win over No. 18 LSU Feb. 5 at Memorial Gym. Lee and Evans are only the second scoring duo in the country to score 30 or more points in a single game this season, joining Austin Peay’s Jordyn Adams and Terry Taylor, who have done it twice. It was the first multiple 30-point efforts by an SEC team since Jodie Meeks (32) and Patrick Patterson (33) against Tennessee State (12.22.2008).

• Lee and Evan’s 30-point+ games are the first in a single SEC game since 1996-97. It was the first Vanderbilt duo to score 30 or more points in a game since Jeff Fosnes (39) and Butch Feher (34) vs. Jacksonville on 12.21.74. Clyde Lee (33) and John Ed Miller (30) also accomplished the feat on 2.16.65 against Kentucky.

• It was announced before the Texas A&M game that Vanderbilt’s leading scorer Aaron Nesmith would be out indefinitely with a right foot injury. Prior to the injury, Nesmith led the SEC in scoring with 23.0 points per game and was fifth nationally. He also led the SEC and nation in 3FG/game with 4.29 and 3FG% at .522. He had also made an SEC-best 60 threes this season through 14 games. He also ranked eighth in free-throw percentage (.825) and field-goal percentage (.512) prior to his injury.

• Amazingly, Nesmith is still sixth in the SEC in threes made in all games (60). Nesmith has not played a game since Jan. 8.

• Bad luck Commodores - Vanderbilt has lost one of its leading scorers in each of the last three seasons due to injury - 2019-20, Aaron Nesmith (leading scorer); 2018-19, Darius Garland (leading scorer); 2017-18, Matthew Fisher-Davis (second-leading scorer).

• The Commodores have had five first-round NBA Draft picks since 2012, the second-most in the SEC in that time span - Darius Garland (5th, Cleveland Cavaliers), Wade Baldwin IV (17th, Memphis Grizzlies), Damian Jones (30th, Golden State Warriors), and John Jenkins (23rd, Atlanta) and Festus Ezeli (30th, Golden State). Garland, Jones, and former standout Luke Kornet (Chicago Bulls) are all active players in the NBA.

Series Information

Series Record: Vanderbilt leads, 76-46

Last Meeting: Ole Miss - W, 81-71

Jan. 5, 2019 - Nashville, Tenn.

At Ole Miss: Ole Miss leads, 32-27

Jerry Stackhouse vs. Ole Miss: First meeting

Ole Miss Series Records

• Vanderbilt leads the all-time series with the Rebels, 76-46. The Commodores have won two out of their last three games played in Oxford.

• Ole Miss has a 32-27 advantage in games played at Ole Miss. The Commodores are 1-1 in the Pavilion at Ole Miss, which opened in January of 2016.