Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball | Dore’s Challenge no. 14 Mississippi State

On By Littum

RV Vanderbilt (13-1, 1-0 SEC) vs. Mississippi State no. 14 (13-1, 1-0 SEC)
Tuesday, January 7 • 8 p.m

Memorial High School • Nashville, Tenn. • ESPNU

ON TIME

  • Vanderbilt seeks its first 2-0 SEC start since the 2016-17 season when the Commodores host No. 1 Mississippi State. 14 Tuesday evening.
  • Vanderbilt is receiving votes in the latest AP and Coaches’ Top 25 polls.
  • The contest with the Bulldogs will be shown on ESPNU with Kevin Fitzgerald and Pat Bradley on the call. Fans can also catch the game on 94.9 The Fan with Kevin Ingram and Tim Thompson.

START IN STYLE

  • Vanderbilt earned an 80-72 win at LSU in head coach Mark Byington’s SEC debut.
  • The Commodores were the only SEC team to win on the road in the opening day of conference action.
  • Vandy’s win was the first in Baton Rouge since December 2016.
  • The Dores outshot the Tigers 37-27, including 17-5 on the offensive glass, and capitalized with an 18-4 edge in second chances.

HOGGARD’S TAKEOVER

  • AJ Hoggard delivered in the clutch at LSU, scoring 12 of his team-high 17 points in the final 6:26 of the game.
  • With LSU leading 56-55 with 6:34 left, Hoggard scored nine of Vandy’s next 11 points to push the Dores ahead by seven.
  • Hoggard’s 12-point final stretch included a pair of threes and an and-1 jumper.

CAREY COMES AGAIN

  • Sophomore Jaylen Carey put together his best performance in a Vanderbilt uniform at LSU to open SEC play.
  • Carey finished with 14 points while grabbing eight boards to help the Dores to victory in Baton Rouge.
  • The 14 points marked a season best and matched Carey’s career high against DI opposition.
  • He also had a pair of assists, two steals and a block.

BALANCED O

  • For the third time this season, five Dores scored in double figures in the win at LSU.
  • AJ Hoggard led the way with 17, Jaylen Carey and MJ Collins each finished with 14, Jason Edwards added 12 and Tyler Nickel 11.
  • Vanderbilt also had five in double figures against The Citadel and Jackson State.

SERIES HISTORY

  • Vanderbilt leads the all-time series 81-54 over Mississippi State.
  • The Dores have dropped five of the last seven in the series dating back to 2019.
  • Vandy holds an impressive 49-11 edge at home against the Bulldogs and earned a 77-72 victory in the last matchup in Nashville.