(21) Vanderbilt (15-3) at (14) Tennessee (15-3)
Sports Network | January 27, 2010
GAME NOTES: The 21st-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores have quietly strung together nine consecutive victories, and they will attempt to run the streak to double digits tonight against the 14th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in an SEC showdown.
Vanderbilt has topped 80 points in seven of the nine games during the current win streak, as offensive production has clearly been key to the team's success. On Saturday, Vandy knocked off Auburn by an 82-74 final to move to 15-3 overall and 4-0 in SEC action. The last loss for the Commodores occurred way back on December 11th.
Beating Tennessee in Knoxville won't be easy, however, as the Vols are a perfect 10-0 at home thus far. Like Vanderbilt, they are 15-3 overall, and three of four SEC tilts have resulted in victory. On a down note, a seven-game win streak was halted on Saturday with a 78-63 loss to Georgia.
Tennessee owns a 108-67 series lead over Vanderbilt, which includes wins in six of the last eight meetings with the Commodores.
The Commodores are a well-balanced offensive team with four double-digit scorers, and they are netting 79.2 ppg on 49.7 percent shooting from the floor. Jeffery Taylor leads the way with 14.3 ppg on 55 percent shooting, and A.J. Ogilvy checks in with 13.9 ppg, 32 blocks and 6.2 rpg. Jermaine Beal provides 13.1 ppg, and John Jenkins adds 10.8 ppg to round out the group. Defensively, the Commodores are holding opponents to 66.4 ppg on 40.2 percent shooting. In the most recent win over Auburn, Taylor scored 18 points on 5- of-7 shooting from the floor, and Ogilvy was close behind with 17 points to go with eight rebounds and five blocks. Brad Tinsley scored 15 points for the Commodores, and Beal added 14 points and five assists. Vandy connected on 53.7 percent of its field goal attempts in that clash, including a 64.3 percent effort in the second half that enabled the squad to erase an 11-point halftime deficit.
Many thought that Tennessee would fall apart when Tyler Smith was kicked off the team because of off-the-court trouble. That hasn't been the case, as the Vols are scoring 78.8 ppg while allowing just 64.1 ppg to opponents on 38.7 percent shooting. Scott Hopson has emerged as the leading scorer for the Vols with his 13.8 ppg, and he is shooting 50 percent from the floor. Wayne Chism checks in with 11.8 ppg and 6.4 rpg as the only other active double-digit scorer. In the loss to Georgia last time out, Tennessee permitted 56.3 percent shooting to the Bulldogs and suffered a 35-24 rebounding disadvantage. Hopson scored 19 points in defeat, while Bobby Maze added 11 points. as for Kenny Hall, he tallied 10 points.
Expect a bounce-back effort from Tennessee tonight, as it will narrowly defeat Vanderbilt in front of the Knoxville faithful. These state rivals will certainly put on a show.
GAME NOTES: The 21st-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores have quietly strung together nine consecutive victories, and they will attempt to run the streak to double digits tonight against the 14th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in an SEC showdown.
FACTS & STATS: Site: Thompson-Boling Arena (24,535) -- Knoxville, Tennessee. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Vanderbilt 10-0, Tennessee 10-0. Away Record: Vanderbilt 3-1, Tennessee 2-2. Neutral Record: Vanderbilt 2-2, Tennessee 3-1. Conference Record: Vanderbilt 4-0, Tennessee 3-1. Series Record: Tennessee leads, 108-67.
Tennessee 74, Vanderbilt 70
