UNC Asheville @ Vanderbilt preview

Vanderbilt looks to put an upset loss to Belmont behind it Friday night when it hosts UNC Asheville, the first of two weekend games for the Commodores before next week’s NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Commodores got a second consecutive double-double from Jeff Roberson in Monday’s 69-60 defeat, but Vanderbilt never could quite catch up in the second half in what the senior forward described as a frustrating experience.

“It kind of shows our inexperience all around,” Roberson told reporters after finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds. “I think we all had a chance to make something happen and never really strung together enough stops to make a good comeback.” The SEC’s top 3-point shooting team a season ago, Vanderbilt hit on just 4-of-23 attempts beyond the arc - an area of focus preparing for UNC Asheville and Sunday’s contest with No. 11 USC. Riley LaChance and Matthew Fisher-Davis, two of the top three returning scorers in the SEC, combined to go 4-for-15 from the field in scoring 16 points in the loss. The Bulldogs have split their first two games of the season, and were the media’s pick to win the Big South Conference.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network Plus

ABOUT UNC ASHEVILLE (1-1): The Bulldogs began the season with a 24-point loss at Rhode Island, but rebounded in a 92-60 blowout of Division III Lees McRae on Monday. Senior guard Ahmed Thomas, the reigning Big South defensive player of the year, is 10 steals from reaching 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 steals for his career. Senior guard Kevin Vannatta, who is averaging 12.5 points through two games, is 62 points shy of 1,000 for his career.

ABOUT VANDERBILT (1-1): Fisher-Davis, who did not play in the season-opening victory over Austin Peay, scored six points Monday on 6-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line. Freshman guard Saben Lee led Vanderbilt with 19 points in the loss, and is averaging 12.5 points with eight rebounds and nine assists total through two games. Roberson is off to a strong start, averaging 13 points with 11 rebounds while shooting 7-of-18 from the field.

EXTRA POINTS

1. LaChance, who shot 48.6 percent from 3-point range last season, went 1-for-5 Monday after hitting 3-of-6 attempts against Austin Peay.

2. The Commodores were outscored in the paint 32-20 and committed 15 turnovers in the Belmont loss.

3. Thomas and G MaCio Teague combined to average 33.4 points per game last season for UNC Asheville, the ninth-highest returning scoring duo in the country.

PREDICTION: Vanderbilt 69, UNC Asheville 64