Vanderbilt Basketball Quick Hitters: Georgia Edition

• Vanderbilt dropped to 9-17 overall and 1-12 in SEC play after a loss to Tennessee Tuesday night in Knoxville, 65-61. Freshman Jordan Wright led the Commodores with a career-high 23 points, while junior Saben Lee notched his 24th game in double figures with 18 points and tied a career-best with nine rebounds while freshman Dylan Disu chipped in 11 points.

• Wright has scored in double figures in three of his last five games and is averaging 11.0 points per game in those five contests.

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

• Junior guard Saben Lee is the team’s scoring leader. He is averaging 17.3 points and 4.3 assists per game, which ranks 6th in the SEC in both categories in all games, respectively. His 18.8 ppg average in SEC play is fifth in the league. In all games, Lee is also seventh in field goal percentage (.476), sixth in total free throws made (118), fourth in attempted free throws (156), and eighth in steals/game (1.58). Lee (1,193) passed Billy Joe Adcock (1,190) for 36th on Vanderbilt’s all-time scoring list against Tennessee and tied Joe Ford for 35th on the list.

• Dylan Disu notched his fourth double-double this season vs. Kentucky. He’s tied for the conference lead among all freshmen in the SEC in double-doubles (Trendon Watford). 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)

• Scotty Pippen Jr. is ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in assists/game (9th, 3.8) and free throws attempted (8th, 137).

• The Commodores are a youthful bunch - in the last game against Tennessee, 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. 108 of the 200 minutes played against Tennessee were played by true freshmen. 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 3.8/game. He is second in the league in free throws made (99) and first in attempted free throws (137) among all freshmen.

• As a team, the Commodores are second in the SEC in threes made/game (8.4) and total threes (218). Vanderbilt has been to the charity stripe 580 times this season, which ranks 5th in the SEC.

• 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 fifth 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, 92-53

Last Meeting: Georgia - W, 82-63

Jan. 9, 2019 - Athens, Ga.

At Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt leads, 49-12

Jerry Stackhouse vs. Georgia: First meeting

Georgia Series Records/Important Dates

• Vanderbilt leads the all-time series between the two schools, 92-53. Saturday’s meeting will be the only regular season meeting between the Commodores and Bulldogs.

• Vanderbilt has a 49-12 advantage in the series in games played at Vanderbilt.

• 2.11.90 - Commodore Steve Grant made the only three-point basket of his career to defeat the Bulldogs in overtime, 75-74.

• 1.12.11 - Vanderbilt knocked off No. 24 Georgia, 73-66. The win snapped the Bulldogs’ nine-game winning streak and ruined their first game back in the Top 25 since the end of the 2003 season.

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