No. 15 Vanderbilt looks to continue its best start since 2007-08 when it hosts Central Arkansas Saturday night in Nashville, Tennessee.
Vanderbilt (9-0) ran away with SMU 88-69 in the SEC-ACC challenge on Dec. 3 before taking 10 days off for exams. This is the second-lowest point total for the Commodores this season.
Vanderbilt ranks fourth in the NCAA in scoring at 96.8 points per game and has four players averaging double figures: Duke Miles (17.8), Tyler Tanner (16.2), Tyler Nickel (13.3) and Devin McGlockton (11.6).
Guards Miles, Tanner and Frankie Collins played important roles in the Commodores’ success on both ends of the court. Collins ranks among the nation’s leaders with 2.7 steals per game, followed closely by Miles and Tanner with 2.3.
Collins missed three games in November with a minor injury, but his return allowed the Commodores to keep the other two fresh. Miles leads the team with 28.7 minutes, with Tanner right behind with 27.0.
The three veterans combined for 113 assists against 35 turnovers and earned the trust of coach Mark Byington.
“(Ball security) has been a big thing, and I’m playing against guys who should be able to do that,” Byington said after the SMU game. “But the assists show that we share the ball and we make shots, and then we want to shoot every possession, so our point total will go up because we’re shooting a good percentage.”
Six-foot-10 North Carolina transfer Jalen Washington is becoming an important part of Vanderbilt’s success. All three of his double-digit scoring games have come in his last five contests.
Washington’s career-high 19 points helped Vanderbilt to a victory against Saint Mary’s on November 28. He added eight points, six rebounds and four blocks in the win against the Mustangs.
Central Arkansas (4-6) is coming off a 75-68 loss at East Texas A&M on Sunday. Camren Hunter’s 20 points led the way for the Bears, who were a dreadful 5 of 15 from the foul line.
Coach John Shulman is still working on his preseason goal of creating depth and experience in his backcourt. Hunter (15.9 points), a senior, and freshman Ty Robinson (12.0) lead the Bears in scoring.
“In (Atlantic Sun), the teams with the best guards win, and if you add a great player, you have a chance to win the league,” Shulman told the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook before the season. “We’ve gotten older and have more guys who can make shots.”
The Bears failed in the paint in some areas. They blocked just 15 shots while having 34 squashed ones, but they outscored their opponents in rebounding 38.1 to 36.8 on average.
Central Arkansas suffered lopsided losses to the only two Power Conference teams it faced. These ended in a 94-54 defeat to open the season at the then No. 1 seed. 25 at North Carolina on Nov. 3, while the other was a 93-56 loss to then-No. 21 Arkansas on November 11.
The teams have only met once, a 75-71 Vanderbilt victory on November 17, 2023.
–Field level media
