Both Vanderbilt (2-0) and Cal (2-0) hope to remain unbeaten as the two meet Wednesday night in Nashville, Tenn.
Vanderbilt comes off Sunday’s 85-76 win over Southeast Missouri State, while the Bears (making their first road trip) beat Cal Poly 91-73 last Thursday.
As expected under new coach Mark Byington, the Commodores have played fast (36th nationally in average possession length, according to KenPom.com), spread out the playing time (nine players average at least 16 minutes, but none more than 27.5) and shot a lot of 3-pointers (59).
What was unexpected: Vanderbilt ranks 345th nationally in 3-point percentage at just 18.6 percent.
Six-foot-7 Boston College transfer Devin McGlockton (19.0 ppg, 16.0 rpg, 3.0 bpg) has registered double-doubles in both contests while shooting 73.7 percent from the floor.
“I feel like we still have a lot to prove and we’ll prove them wrong,” McGlockton said. “I’ve been playing center my whole life, four and five, so I’m pretty comfortable there and especially against taller and slower defenders I feel like I have an advantage.”
Reserve guard Tyler Tanner has also been a nice surprise. He leads all freshmen nationally with seven steals.
As for Cal, a pair of backcourt transfers — Jovan Blacksher Jr. (17.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and Andrej Stojakovic (15.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg) — make the Bears go.
Blacksher is the team’s best 3-point shooter, canning 50 percent of a team-high 14 tries, while Stojakovic has led the team at the foul line (12-of-14 shooting).
The Bears fell in an early 17-5 hole against a fast-paced Cal Poly team last time out, something they’ll not want to repeat against a Vanderbilt team that also prefers a quickened pace.
“We got off to a slow start defensively,” coach Mark Madsen said after that game. “I had to burn a timeout. I got after the guys and they really responded. I was incredibly proud of our players for the response to Cal Poly just coming out and absolutely blitzing us from the start of the game.”
It’ll be a reunion for several people on both sides.
Cal’s Mady Sissoko (6.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Vanderbilt’s A.J. Hoggard (11 points, four assists in his season debut vs. SEMO) played together at Michigan State the previous four seasons.
Associate head coach Adam Mazarei spent 2019-23 at Vanderbilt before leaving for Cal last season.
Joining Cal this season is Lee Dort (6.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg), who spent his previous two seasons at Vanderbilt, where he logged 118 minutes over 18 games.
–Field Level Media
