2017–18 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represented Vanderbilt University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were coached by Bryce Drew, who was in his second season at Vanderbilt. The Commodores played their home games at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee as members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 12–20, 6–12 in SEC play to finish in 13th place. They lost in the first round of the SEC tournament to Georgia.

2017–18 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record12–20 (6–12 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMemorial Gymnasium
Seasons
2017–18 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Auburn 13 5   .722 26 8   .765
No. 13 Tennessee 13 5   .722 26 9   .743
No. 23 Florida 11 7   .611 21 13   .618
No. 18 Kentucky 10 8   .556 26 11   .703
Missouri 10 8   .556 20 13   .606
Arkansas 10 8   .556 23 12   .657
Mississippi State 9 9   .500 25 12   .676
Texas A&M 9 9   .500 22 13   .629
Alabama 8 10   .444 20 16   .556
LSU 8 10   .444 18 15   .545
Georgia 7 11   .389 18 15   .545
South Carolina 7 11   .389 17 16   .515
Vanderbilt 6 12   .333 12 20   .375
Ole Miss 5 13   .278 12 20   .375
2018 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Commodores finished the 2016–17 season 19–16, 10–8 in SEC play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. They defeated Texas A&M[1] and Florida in the SEC tournament[2] before losing in the semifinals to Arkansas.[3] They received an at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament as a #9 seed in the Midwest Region, despite having the most losses, 15, of any at-large recipient,[4] where they lost in the first round to #8 Northwestern.[5]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Luke Kornet 3 F 7'1" 250 Senior Lantana, TX Graduated
Nolan Cressler 24 G 6'4" 210 RS Senior Pittsburgh, PA Graduated

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Yanni Wetzell 4 F 6'10" 235 Junior Auckland, New Zealand Transferred from St. Mary's (TX). Under NCAA transfer rules, Wetzell will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Matt Ryan 32 F 6'7" 228 Junior Cortlandt Manor, NY Transferred from Notre Dame. Under NCAA transfer rules, Ryan will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.

2017 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Saben Lee
#39 PG
Tempe, AZ Corona Del Sol High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jun 13, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Maxwell Evans
#41 PG
Bellaire, TX Bellaire High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Aug 7, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Ejike Obinna
#19 C
Ashburn, VA Virginia Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sep 25, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 23   Rivals: 30
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Vanderbilt 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  • "2017 Vanderbilt Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 24, 2016.

2018 Recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Aaron Nesmith
SF
Charleston, SC Porter-Gaud School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sep 19, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Darius Garland
PG
Nashville, TN Brentwood Academy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 13, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Simisola Shittu
PF
Burlington, ON Vermont Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Nov 22, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

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2017–18 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Saben Lee 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 174 lb (79 kg) Fr Corona del Sol High School Phoenix, Arizona
G 1 Payton Willis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 182 lb (83 kg) So Fayetteville High School Fayetteville, Arkansas
G/F 2 Joe Toye 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Jr Whitney M. Young Magnet High School Chicago, Illinois
G 3 Larry Austin Jr. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 182 lb (83 kg) RS Jr Xavier Springfield, Illinois
F/C 4 Yanni Wetzell (I)   6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr St. Mary's (TX) Auckland, New Zealand
G/F 5 Matthew Fisher-Davis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 186 lb (84 kg) Sr David W. Butler High School Charlotte, North Carolina
G 10 Maxwell Evans 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 186 lb (84 kg) Fr Bellaire High School Houston, Texas
F 11 Jeff Roberson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr The Kinkaid School Houston, Texas
C 12 Djery Baptiste 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS So Prestonwood Christian Academy Gonaïves, Haiti
G 13 Riley LaChance 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Brookfield Central High School Brookfield, Wisconsin
G 14 Isaiah Rice 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Fr Park Tudor School Indianapolis, Indiana
F 15 Clevon Brown 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 233 lb (106 kg) So Winston Churchill High School San Antonio, Texas
F 32 Matt Ryan (I)   6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 209 lb (95 kg) Jr Notre Dame Cortlandt Manor, New York
F/C 50 Ejike Obinna 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 234 lb (106 kg) Fr Virginia Academy (VA) Enugu, Nigeria
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
8:30 pm, SECN
Austin Peay
NIT Season Tip-Off campus game
W 73–54  1–0
 13  Roberson   10  Roberson   7  Lee  Memorial Gymnasium (8,609)
Nashville, TN
Nov 13, 2017*
6:30 pm
at Belmont L 60–69  1–1
 19  Lee   12  Roberson   2  Tied  Curb Event Center (5,266)
Nashville, TN
Nov 17, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN+
UNC Asheville
NIT Season Tip-Off campus game
W 79–76  2–1
 17  3 tied   12  Roberson   5  Lee  Memorial Gymnasium (8,048)
Nashville, TN
Nov 19, 2017*
8:00 pm, SECN
No. 10 USC L 89–93 OT 2–2
 31  Fisher-Davis   11  Fisher-Davis   6  Austin Jr.  Memorial Gymnasium (8,284)
Nashville, TN
Nov 23, 2017*
4:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Virginia
NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals
L 42–68  2–3
 11  Fisher-Davis   7  Obinna   2  Evans  Barclays Center (1,874)
Brooklyn, NY
Nov 24, 2017*
8:45 pm, ESPNews
vs. No. 20 Seton Hall
NIT Season Tip-Off 3rd place game
L 59–72  2–4
 20  Roberson   13  Roberson   4  Lee  Barclays Center (3,952)
Brooklyn, NY
Nov 28, 2017*
8:00 pm, SECN
Radford W 74–62  3–4
 27  LaChance   9  Roberson   4  Willis  Memorial Gymnasium (8,027)
Nashville, TN
Dec 3, 2017*
1:30 pm, SECN+
Kansas State L 79–84  3–5
 22  Roberson   10  Roberson   5  Lee  Memorial Gymnasium (8,570)
Nashville, TN
Dec 6, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Middle Tennessee L 63–66  3–6
 17  Fisher-Davis   7  Fisher-Davis   5  LaChance  Memorial Gymnasium (8,739)
Nashville, TN
Dec 17, 2017*
1:00 pm, P12N
at No. 5 Arizona State L 64–76  3–7
 24  Lee   8  Fisher-Davis   6  Lee  Wells Fargo Arena (10,797)
Tempe, AZ
Dec 20, 2017*
6:00 pm, SECN+
Houston Baptist W 81–48  4–7
 19  Fisher-Davis   10  Roberson   5  Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (4,623)
Nashville, TN
Dec 22, 2017*
6:00 pm, SECN+
Alcorn State W 92–51  5–7
 21  Roberson   5  Tied   4  4 tied  Memorial Gymnasium (8,125)
Nashville, TN
Dec 30, 2017
3:00 pm, ESPN2
at Florida L 74–81  5–8
(0–1)
 18  Roberson   6  Roberson   4  Willis  O'Connell Center (10,274)
Gainesville, FL
Jan 2, 2018
6:00 pm, SECN
Alabama W 76–75  6–8
(1–1)
 23  Lee   7  Baptiste   5  LaChance  Memorial Gymnasium (9,519)
Nashville, TN
Jan 6, 2018
5:45 pm, SECN
at South Carolina L 60–79  6–9
(1–2)
 17  Lee   9  Roberson   3  Roberson  Colonial Life Arena (11,391)
Columbia, SC
Jan 9, 2018
8:00 pm, SECN
No. 24 Tennessee L 84–92  6–10
(1–3)
 21  Lee   4  Roberson   4  LaChance  Memorial Gymnasium (11,510)
Nashville, TN
Jan 13, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN
No. 21 Kentucky L 67–74  6–11
(1–4)
 20  Roberson   7  Roberson   4  LaChance  Memorial Gymnasium (13,389)
Nashville, TN
Jan 16, 2018
6:00 pm, SECN
at Mississippi State L 62–80  6–12
(1–5)
 14  Obinna   7  LaChance   4  Lee  Humphrey Coliseum (6,633)
Starkville, MS
Jan 20, 2018
12:00 pm, SECN
LSU W 77–71  7–12
(2–5)
 26  LaChance   6  3 Tied   5  Lee  Memorial Gymnasium (8,760)
Nashville, TN
Jan 23, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPNU
at No. 22 Tennessee L 62–67  7–13
(2–6)
 25  LaChance   6  Roberson   3  Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (14,127)
Knoxville, TN
Jan 27, 2018*
3:00 pm, ESPN2
TCU
Big 12/SEC Challenge
W 81–78  8–13
 24  LaChance   5  Tied   4  Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (9,755)
Nashville, TN
Jan 30, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN
at No. 21 Kentucky L 81–83 OT 8–14
(2–7)
 23  Roberson   8  Roberson   6  LaChance  Rupp Arena (21,143)
Lexington, KY
Feb 3, 2018
7:30 pm, SECN
at No. 11 Auburn L 81–93  8–15
(2–8)
 30  Roberson   10  Roberson   6  LaChance  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
Feb 7, 2018
7:30 pm, SECN
Georgia W 81–66  9–15
(3–8)
 19  Tied   7  Roberson   4  Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (8,761)
Nashville, TN
Feb 10, 2018
7:30 pm, SECN
at Arkansas L 54–72  9–16
(3–9)
 8  Tied   9  Evans   1  Tied  Bud Walton Arena (17,083)
Fayetteville, AR
Feb 14, 2018
6:00 pm, SECN
Mississippi State W 81–80  10–16
(4–9)
 22  Roberson   11  Roberson   8  LaChance  Memorial Gymnasium (8,592)
Nashville, TN
Feb 17, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN2
Florida W 71–68  11–16
(5–9)
 26  Roberson   7  Roberson   5  LaChance  Memorial Gymnasium (10,346)
Nashville, TN
Feb 20, 2018
8:00 pm, SECN
at LSU L 78–88  11–17
(5–10)
 26  LaChance   6  Roberson   3  Tied  Maravich Center (7,517)
Baton Rouge, LA
Feb 24, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN2
Texas A&M L 81–89  11–18
(5–11)
 21  Roberson   9  Roberson   9  Lee  Memorial Gymnasium (9,376)
Nashville, TN
Feb 27, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2
Missouri L 66–74  11–19
(5–12)
 19  Roberson   7  Roberson   4  Lee  Memorial Gymnasium (8,812)
Nashville, TN
Mar 3, 2018
7:30 pm, SECN
at Ole Miss W 82–69  12–19
(6–12)
 19  Roberson   7  Roberson   5  LaChance  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (6,447)
Oxford, MS
SEC tournament
Mar 7, 2018
6:00 pm, SECN
(13) vs. (12) Georgia
First round
L 62–78  12–20
 17  LaChance   7  Lee   3  Tied  Scottrade Center (8,190)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West Region.
All times are in Central Time.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Vanderbilt routs Texas A&M 66–41 at SEC tourney". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  2. ^ "Vanderbilt wins overtime thriller, beating Florida for the third time to advance to SEC semifinals". SEC Country. March 10, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  3. ^ "Vanderbilt falls to Arkansas in SEC semifinals". The Tennessean. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  4. ^ "The Latest: Vanderbilt's 15 losses most by at-large team". AccessWDUN. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  5. ^ "Vanderbilt vs. Northwestern – Game Recap – March 16, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 15, 2017.