Vanderbilt scored a 73-54 victory over Austin Peay in the season opener at Memorial Gym.
The Commodores were paced by Riley LaChance, Jeff Roberson, and Clevon Brown, who each scored 13 points on the night.
Austin Peay was led in scoring by Terry Taylor, with the freshman adding 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor.
Bryce Drew’s team forced 17 turnovers and managed to capitalize by scoring 18 points off of them.
Vanderbilt senior Matthew Fisher-Davis did not play due to an ankle injury.
Lovell’s Analysis
There was nothing overly flashy about the Commodores’ opening night win in Nashville, but there were a few things that stood out.
For starters, freshman guard Saben Lee has a chance to be a special player.
Although Lee’s stat line wasn’t through the roof – six points and seven assists in 20 minutes of action – his athleticism and versatility was on full display.
Also, it’s clear that Drew has options in the backcourt. Even with Fisher-Davis out, the second-year Vanderbilt head coach was able to rotation guards in and out and not miss a beat.
In a conference that’s filled with really good guards, the development of players like Lee, Max Evans, and Payton Willis will be important.
As for the frontcourt, Brown is off to a solid start and is probably who Drew will lean on to provide the most minutes inside going forward.
Like many other teams in the SEC, Vanderbilt is built to make the NCAA Tournament.
How the Commodores perform in a tricky road game at Belmont on Monday will tell us a lot more about this team’s potential.