Vanderbilt Quick Hitter: Mississippi State Edition
Vanderbilt Basketball Quick Hitters
• The Commodores captured their first SEC win of the season and snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 99-90 win over LSU Wednesday night at Memorial Gym. Junior Saben Lee scored a career-high 33 points, while fellow junior Maxwell Evans tallied a career-high 31 points, with 25 of those coming in the first half. Freshman Scotty Pippen Jr. added his 15th game in double figures this season with 15 points, and freshman Jordan Wright scored a career-high 11 points in the win. The win against the Tigers also stopped an eight-game losing skid to ranked opponents.
• 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 Tenn. 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.
• Three Commodores notched career highs in scoring against LSU (Lee, Evans, Wright). The 57.4% shooting percentage was the best for Vanderbilt in a league game this season, and second-highest in a game this season (60.3% vs. South Carolina State, 11.22.19).
• Dylan Disu notched his third double-double against Kentucky at Rupp Arena. He ranks second among all freshmen in the SEC in double-doubles (Trendon Watford first with four). 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)
• Junior guard Saben Lee is the team’s scoring leader. He is averaging 16.7 points and 4.5 assists per game, which ranks 5th and 4th in the SEC in all games, respectively. Lee is also seventh in field goal percentage (.487), seventh in total free throws made (89), sixth in total free throws attempted (121), and eighth in steals/game (1.5).
• Scotty Pippen Jr. is ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in assists/game (9th, 3.8), free throws made (7th, 89), and free throws attempted (6th, 121).
• The Commodores are a youthful bunch - in the last game against LSU, Vanderbilt started two true freshmen (Disu, Pippen Jr.), a redshirt sophomore (Obinna), and two juniors (Evans, Lee). True freshmen have accounted for 39% minutes played, and with Aaron Nesmith’s minutes taken away, freshmen have played 45% of minutes played. Disu, Jordan Wright, and Pippen Jr. have all scored in double figures in a game in at least one game. According to KenPom.com, Vanderbilt has 1.13 years of experience on its roster, which ranks 320th in Division I basketball.
• Among freshmen in the SEC in all games, Pippen Jr. ranks sixth (11.3) and Disu 14th (6.4 ppg) in scoring. Pippen is second in assists with 3.8/game. He is also tied for the league lead in free throws made (87) and is the league leader in free throws attempted (120) among all freshmen.
• In 22 games this season, Vanderbilt has used 10 different starting lineups.
• As a team, the Commodores are second in the SEC in threes made/game (8.4), and total threes (185). Vanderbilt has been to the charity stripe 504 times this season, which ranks 3rd in the SEC.
• New head coach Jerry Stackhouse is the 28th men’s basketball coach in the history of Vanderbilt basketball. He is the first African American Commodore men’s basketball head coach and is one of two current African American head coaches in the Southeastern Conference (Cuonzo Martin, Missouri).
• 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 third in the SEC in threes made in all games (60) and 64th nationally. Nesmith has not played a game since Jan. 8.
• 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, 79-50
Last Meeting: Mississippi State - W, 71-55
Jan. 19, 2019 - Nashville, Tenn.
At Mississippi State: Mississippi State leads, 34-23
Jerry Stackhouse vs. Mississippi State: First meeting
Mississippi State Series Records/Important Dates
• Vanderbilt leads the all-time series with Mississippi State, 79-50. The Bulldogs own a 34-23 advantage in games played in Starkville.
• MSU won last year’s only meeting in Nashville.
• MSU has won three consecutive games in Starkville. Vanderbilt last won on the road on Feb. 23, 2013, 72-31.
• 1.27.11 - Vanderbilt defeated the Bulldogs, 81-74, snapping a seven-game losing streak in Starkville.
