Tigers Prepare for In-State Battle with No. 13/12 Vanderbilt

Wednesday, December 17

Memphis, Tenn.

6:00 PM

University of Memphis

#13/12 Vanderbilt

MEMPHIS, TN: DECEMBER 6

Baylor Bears @ Memphis Tigers - FedExForum

Photo by: Joe Murphy 2025

Tigers Prepare for In-State Battle with No. 13/12 Vanderbilt

Dec 16, 2025 | Men's Basketball

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis returns to FedExForum Wednesday night with an immediate opportunity to respond, welcoming No. 13/12 Vanderbilt for a 6 p.m. CT tip on ESPN2. It marks the Tigers' second-straight game against a top-15 opponent and brings one of the nation's seven unbeaten teams into downtown Memphis.

A win would make Memphis 5-0 against the Commodores in the last five meetings, which would be its best stretch in series history.

FedExForum has been a steadying presence for Memphis. The Tigers are 4-1 at home this season and have gone 9-1 against power-conference opponents in the building over the past five years.

Protecting home court has been a point of emphasis for head coach Penny Hardaway, particularly after a difficult road loss at No. 11 Louisville in which early momentum swung away from the Tigers.

One focal point this week: finishing inside. Memphis has struggled converting consistently when the ball gets under the basket, particularly against length. That challenge will be tested again Wednesday against a Vanderbilt front line that leads the nation with a 3.7 block percentage and ranks second in steal percentage (5.7), according to KenPom.com.

The Tigers will lean heavily on senior point guard Dug McDaniel, who enters the contest as one of only two players in Division I averaging at least 14.0 points and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 90.0 percent or better from the free throw line. SMU's Boopie Miller is the only other player with that total.

Although McDaniel is the team's only player averaging double-digit scoring, the Tigers do boast nine players that are putting up at least 6.0 points per game – which is the second most in the nation. That depth was on display at Louisville, where Hasan Abdul Hakim led all scorers with 18 points in just his third game of the season (second start).

Another option is big man Aaron Bradshaw, who has been on an upward trend of late. Despite limited minutes due to foul trouble against the Cardinals, the 7-foot-1 forward finished with eight points and five rebounds and has averaged 13.0 points and 5.3 boards over his last three contests.

Wednesday's contest marks the 16th all-time meeting between Memphis and Vanderbilt, with the Commodores leading 8-7. However, the Tigers have claimed each of the last four meetings, including a 77-75 thriller at FedExForum in 2023 that came down to the final possession. The in-state programs, separated by just a few hours on Interstate 40, have consistently delivered competitive games whenever the series has been renewed. Twelve of the 15 previous meetings have been decided by single digits.

GAME DETAILS
Memphis Tigers (4-5) vs. #13/12 Vanderbilt (10-0)
Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025 | 6 p.m. CT
FedExForum (18,400); Memphis, Tennessee
Television: ESPN2 (Tom Hart pxp; Dane Bradshaw analyst)
Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis (Dave Woloshin pxp; Ken Moody, analysis)
Live Stats: www.Memphis.StatBroadcast.com

BY THE NUMBERS

2: Memphis guard Dug McDaniel is one of just two Division I players to rank top three in their conference in APG (5.7; 1st), SPG (1.9; 2nd) and FT% (90.9, 3rd). The other is SMU's Boopie Miller.
3: The number of Division I teams with zero returning players on the roster this season. Memphis is joined by Baylor and Miami. Only Memphis and Southern Miss have 14 or more transfers in D-I.
6.0: Memphis features nine players averaging at least 6.0 points per game this season, tied for the 2nd-most in Division I. That depth was on display at Louisville, where Hasan Abdul Hakim led all scorers with 18 points in just his third game of the season
9-1: With the 78-71 win over Baylor, UofM improved to 9-1 at home against major-conference opponents over the last five seasons (.900). No other Division I program has recorded more than seven such nonconference home wins since the 2021-22 season.
10: Since the 2022-23 season, Memphis owns the most nonconference wins against SEC opponents of any Division I program, posting a 10-5 record in those matchups. The Tigers' run includes two victories over Vanderbilt (Nov. 2022, Dec. 2023).
23: Memphis has grabbed at least nine offensive rebounds in 23-straight games, the second-longest active streak in Division I (trailing only St. John's at 24). It marks the Tigers' longest run since a 29-game streak that concluded in November 2007.
50: Memphis has produced at least one 15-point scorer in 50 consecutive games. The last time the Tigers fell short was Feb. 15, 2024 at North Texas, when David Jones led the team with 14 points.

SCOUTING THE COMMODORES

Under second year head coach Mark Blyington, Vanderbilt enters Memphis at 10-0 and one of just seven teams nationally still carrying a perfect record.
The Commodores are powered by one of the most efficient and explosive offenses in college basketball, averaging 95.4 points per game (5th nationally), while outscoring opponents by more than 22 points per contest.
They are shooting 51.6 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from three-point range, moving the ball at a high level with 20.0 assists per game to rank among the country's top 10.
Their activity shows up defensively as well, with top-35 national marks in both steals (9.8) and blocks (5.0).
Four players are averaging double figures, led by Duke Miles' 16.6 points per game.
Tyler Tanner is putting up 15.8 points, while Tyler Nickel is chipping in 15.0. The duo are the team's top three-point threats, combining for 55 of the team's 111 made triples on a 46.2 percent clip.
Devin McGlockton averages 10.8 points and is the Commodores' top rebounder at 7.0 per game.

UP NEXT
Memphis will turn its attention to another SEC opponent, as the Tigers travel to Starkville, Mississippi to face Mississippi State on Saturday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2. Memphis will then have just one day between games before Alabama State and former Tiger Tony Madlock returns to FedExForum for a 7 p.m. tilt on Monday.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS:
For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Basketball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.