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Vanderbilt vs. Duke Preview
by LeAnne Harrington, SECWB.com
Posted: November 28th, 2007 @ 5:34am
The Vanderbilt Commodores (#18 USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Poll, #23 AP) will host the Duke Blue Devils (#10 USA Today/ESPN, #11 AP) on Wednesday, Nov. 28 in Nashville, TN. Duke is the highest ranked team the Commodores have yet faced in the 2007-2008 season, and both squads enter the game with a 5-1 record. Vanderbilt is coming off a successful weekend, where they were again crowned champions of their Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament, beating cross-town team Belmont in the first game, and then defeating Iowa State in the final. Three Commodores were named to the all-tournament team - Liz Sherwood, Jen Risper and Christina Wirth - with Wirth taking home MVP honors. Duke is playing their fourth game in seven days, and just returned from the US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, where they suffered their first defeat of the season, falling to UConn in the tournament final, 74-48. Duke posted earlier wins over Purdue and Temple in St. Thomas, but UConn showed yet again why they are ranked #2 in the nation, dominating coach Joanne P. McCallie’s young but talented team.
Vanderbilt is led by their talented upperclass trio of Sherwood (15.7 ppg), Wirth (15.5 ppg), and Risper (9ppg, 21 steals in 6 games), but saw a number of Commodores come off the bench to make big contributions in their game against Iowa State. Duke is led by 6’5” junior center Chante Black, who is averaging 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, and was named to the Paradise Jam all-tournament team. Star guard Abby Waner has been hobbled with an ankle injury, missing four games this season, but she returned to the lineup against Connecticut, where she was held scoreless in 22 minutes of action. Junior guard Wanisha Smith has also been affected by injuries, but notched her 1,000th career point in the Connecticut game.
Vandy enters the game hitting 52.4% of their shots from the field, compared to Duke’s 41.5%. VU is also leading in 3-point field goal percentage with 39.4% compared to Duke’s 25.8%, but Vanderbilt is hitting an average of 6.8 shots from behind the arc compared to Duke connecting on only 3.8 per game. Duke is leading the battle on the boards, averaging 42.3 rebounds per game compared to Vandy’s 37.8. Duke is especially adept at getting second chances on offense, where they are pulling down 17.5 offensive boards compared to Vanderbilt’s 10.7 per game. Both teams are fairly evenly matched in turnovers, assists and steals per game, and neither team has been especially impressive from the line, with the Commodores hitting only 62.5%, but Duke is even worse, connecting on only 56.4% of their free throws.
Probable starters for Duke:
Abby Waner, 5’10” junior guard - 8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3 apg
Wanisha Smith, 5’11” redshirt senior guard - 5.6 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 apg
Brittany Mitch, 6’2” redshirt sophomore guard/forward - 3.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 2.2 spg
Carrem Gay, 6’2” junior forward - 5.2 ppg, 7 rpg
Chante Black, 6’5” redshirt junior center - 13.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg
(*Note: although Mitch is listed as a G/F, she has started 5 straight games at point guard.)
Off the bench:
Joy Cheek, 6’1” sophomore forward - 8.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Jasmine Thomas, 5’9” freshman guard - 8.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.2 spg
Krystal Thomas, 6’4” freshman center - 6.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.5 bpg
Probable starters for Vanderbilt:
Jence Rhoads, 5’11” point guard - 3.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.3 apg
Lauren Lueders, 5’8” sophomore guard - 8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.7 apg
Jen Risper, 5’9” junior guard - 9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 3.5 spg
Christina Wirth, 6’1” junior forward - 15.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.7 apg
Liz Sherwood, 6’4” senior center - 15.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg
Off the bench:
Merideth Marsh, 5’9” sophomore guard - 6.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 2.7 apg
Jessica Mooney, 5’8” sophomore guard - 6 ppg, 2 rpg
Amber Norton, 6’1” sophomore forward - 3.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg
My prediction is this is going to be an exciting battle. Although Duke is the higher ranked team, Vanderbilt has a legitimate shot at taking this game if they are clicking on all cylinders. Duke will be looking to pound the ball inside, where they have been most productive this season. Sherwood must play smart and not get into foul trouble against Black. Norton must be ready to come in and contribute some more big minutes the way she did against Iowa State. Vandy needs to spread the floor, take care of the ball, play the inside/outside game and connect on their 3s. Vandy needs to get out of the blocks quickly, as Duke has been slow to start in their last 5 games. Duke may be rather tired at this point, as this is their 4th game in seven days, and injuries may become a factor. Duke beat Vandy 69-48 the last time they met on Dec.6, 2006, and the Commodores will be looking for some payback.
Game time is set for 7pm CST at Memorial Gym in Nashville, TN.
Game notes:
Vanderbilt senior Liz Sherwood and Duke’s Waner sisters were AAU teammates in Colorado.
For SEC fans, there are several familiar faces on the Duke bench. Al Brown, longtime assistant to Pat Summitt at UT, has now coached alongside Joanne P. McCallie for four seasons, first at Michigan State and now at Duke. With accolades too numerous to mention, Brown is one of the most respected coaches in the nation, and has been on the bench for 5 NCAA women’s basketball championship games, four with UT (winning 3) and one with Michigan State.
Another familiar face is Duke assistant Samantha Williams, a four year starter at Auburn who set a school career record for 3-pointers. She was a 2-time co-captain who led Auburn to two Sweet 16s and one Elite Eight appearance, and later served as an assistant at Auburn.
Remember: there’s always an SEC connection…
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