Vanderbilt @ Seton Hall preview

Vanderbilt must quickly put behind it a dismal offensive showing when it faces No. 22 Seton Hall in the third-place game of the NIT Season Tip-Off on Friday in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Commodores never had a chance against No. 25 Virginia in Thursday’s semifinal, falling behind 15-1 in an ugly 68-42 loss, while the Pirates rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit only to lose their first game of the season in a 75-74 defeat to Rhode Island.

The Commodores have lost three of their first five games this season, shooting just 23.1 percent from the field and 4-of-18 from 3-point range Thursday. Vanderbilt is shooting 32.4 percent from beyond the arc through five games, after leading the SEC last season by hitting 37.6 percent of its attempts. Seton Hall features a trio of 1,000-point scorers, but the Pirates shot just 9-of-16 from the free-throw line in Thursday’s loss. Defensive issues hurt Seton Hall in the first half against Rhode Island, as the Rams shot 60.7 percent from the field and 7-of-9 from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes.

TV: 9:45 p.m. ET, ESPNews

ABOUT VANDERBILT (2-3): Matthew Fisher-Davis was the only Commodores player to hit more than two shots from the field against Virginia, finishing with a team-high 11 points. Vanderbilt trailed 15-1 before Djery Baptiste made Vanderbilt’s first basket from the field 7:45 into Thursday’s contest. The Commodores have allowed 80.5 points per game in their past two outings in losses to No. 10 USC and Virginia.

ABOUT SETON HALL (4-1): The Pirates entered Thursday allowing just 63.5 points per game, only to surrender 54 points in the opening half. Guard Myles Powell hit five 3-pointers en route to a team-high 21 points, and center Angel Delgado finished with 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and a game-high 14 rebounds. Khadeen Carrington finished with 12 points, but lost his dribble on the game’s final possession.

TIP-INS

1. Vanderbilt’s 17 first-half points Thursday marked the first time it failed to score 20 in a half since March 1, 2014 against Tennessee.

2. Delgado has 1,104 career rebounds and 54 career double-doubles.

3. Seton Hall F Desi Rodriguez, who was 8-of-19 from 3-point range through four games, finished 0-of-2 from beyond the arc Thursday.

PREDICTION: Seton Hall 76, Vanderbilt 63