GAMETHREAD: Basketball at Vanderbilt, 12pm, SEC Network

After failing to win any of their three SEC games at home, the Tigers (11-6, 2-3) will head to Nashville to face the Vanderbilt Commodores (6-12, 1-5). While two of their losses happened in Maui, the Tigers are a perfect 3-0 on the road, including upsets against Texas A&M and Arkansas.

Vanderbilt dropped their last four games, and their strongest win was a one point victory over Alabama, their only win over a top 100 team. The Commodores are ranked 111th in the KenPom, good for worst in the Southeastern Conference. They rank 233rd in effective shooting and 289th in 3pt shooting, yet over 46% of their shots are three pointers. All six of their wins were played in Memorial Gym.

One of the strongest contributors for the ‘Dores is freshman PG Saben Lee, who’s currently on an eleven game streak of dishing out 2+ assists. The 6’2” freshman may not be the best shooter on the team, but he leads Vanderbilt in assists while only averaging the fourth most minutes per game. Lee compliments senior PF Jeff Roberson very well, who leads the team in scoring, rebounding, and minutes per game. Roberson is currently shooting 87.4% from the free throw line, good for 69th in the country.

Projected Vanderbilt Commodores Starting 5

#0 PG - Saben Lee: 10.9 PPG, 3.3 APG, 24.9 minutes

#11 PF - Jeff Roberson: 14.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 32.1 minutes

#5 SF - Matthew Fisher-Davis: 11.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 27.7 minutes

#2 F - Joe Toye: 4.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 17.9 minutes

#13 SG - Riley LaChance: 10.6 PPG, 2.9 APG, 28.4 minutes

This afternoon’s matchup tips off at noon sharp on the SEC Network. You can listen in on the radio at 98.1 FM, or follow along in the comments below.