Austin Peay @ Vanderbilt preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 10, 2017 ) Austin Peay 54, Vanderbilt 73

Vanderbilt looks to bounce back from its first loss under new coach Jerry Stackhouse when it hosts non-conference foe Austin Peay on Wednesday. The Commodores dropped a one-point decision in overtime on the road against Richmond on Thursday, while the Governors have dropped two straight, including a 72-65 loss at Tulsa on Saturday.

Junior forward Terry Taylor has been a bright spot for Austin Peay this season, leading the team with 21.7 points and 8 rebounds per game. The Governors have also received solid production from the guard duo of freshman Jordyn Adams (14 points, 4 rebounds) and sophomore Antwaun Butler (11.3, 4.7, 4 assists). Sophomore Aaron Nesmith has started the season fast for the Commodores, leading the Southeastern Conference and ranking sixth nationally in scoring at 26.7 points per game. Junior guard Saben Lee has also been hot, scoring 20 points, 6.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game off the bench.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN3.

ABOUT AUSTIN PEAY (1-2): Defense has been the biggest problem for the Governors so far this season, as they rank 10th in the Ohio Valley Conference, allowing 78.7 points per game. Coach Matt Figger is trying to find the answer after Tulsa shot 53.8 percent from the field in the second half to rally from a halftime deficit to top the Governors. Unfortunately, the answer seems to be defending inside the 3-point line, as the Golden Hurricane were just 5-of-18 from outside the arc, but Austin Peay has just two players -- 7-0 Matheus Silveira and 6-10 Sam DeVault, both reserves -- standing over 6-8.

ABOUT VANDERBILT (2-1): After a one-point overtime loss, there are plenty of areas to look at improving before the next game, but one spot Stackhouse is certainly going to harp on is turnovers. The Commodores had 19 miscues against Richmond, which turned into 34 Spider points, including the game-winning free throw, which came off a foul following a steal from Lee in the final seconds of overtime. Vanderbilt is averaging 14.3 turnovers a game after three contests, with opponents averaging 18.6 points off Commodores miscues per game.

TIP-INS

1. The Commodores have an .887 winning percentage at Memorial Gymnasium against non-conference opponents since 1990, though Vanderbilt has suffered six such losses since 2016.

2. Vanderbilt F Dylan Disu had a career-high 11 points in the loss at Richmond.

3. Nesmeth and Lee are tied for the highest-scoring duo in the nation with Hampton's Jermaine Morrow (29.7 points per game) and Ben Stanley (17).

PREDICTION: Vanderbilt 76, Austin Peay 68