GAME NOTES: A pair of 7-2 teams collide Saturday at McCamish Pavilion as the Vanderbilt Commodores travel to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a non- conference affair.

Vanderbilt comes into the contest having won its last two games, and three of its last four. The Commodores easily handled Western Carolina in their latest outing, 99-79, the team's seventh win of the young season.

Georgia Tech saw a three-game win streak snapped by USC Upstate in a surprise loss back on Dec. 6, but the Yellow Jackets got back in the win column earlier this week with a 70-57 defeat of Appalachian State.

Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech have a long history, having met 72 times. The Commodores own a 40-32 all-time series lead over the Yellow Jackets, which includes a 76-63 win in Nashville last season.

Western Carolina must have put a scare into Vanderbilt in the Commodores' last outing, as the Catamounts used a 62.1 shooting percentage in the first half to take a 44-41 lead into the intermission. Vanderbilt woke up in the second half, netting 69.6 percent of its tries from the floor, adding in a perfect 22-of-22 from the free-throw line to outscore WCU, 58-35, to end up with the dominating win. Riley LaChance scored 26 points, James Siakam added 20 and Damian Jones chipped in 16 in the win.

Vanderbilt has put up some strong numbers as a team this season, netting 74.7 ppg on 50.9 percent shooting, and is only giving up 61.8 ppg to opponents. The Commodores are also hitting an impressive 41 percent of their 3-point attempts. Jones tops the team in scoring, averaging 17.2 ppg with a team- leading 7.2 rpg mark as well. LaChance checks in behind Jones at 13.6 ppg, and Luke Kornet contributes 10.7 ppg. Wade Baldwin IV (8.1 ppg) owns a team-best average in assists, dishing out 5.2 helpers per outing.

Georgia Tech connected on 41.4 percent of its shots from the floor in the first half, and didn't make a single one of its six 3-point tries in the frame, yet still took a 36-25 lead over Appalachian State in the team's last game. The Yellow Jackets were able to coast to victory after eliminating the Mountaineers' five-point lead early in the game. Marcus Georges-Hunt scored 15 points to pace the team, while Demarco Cox added in 13 points and five rebounds. Tadric Jackson netted 12 points, and Robert Sampson came off the bench to score 10 with eight boards.

The Yellow Jackets, who are 4-1 at home this season, are led in scoring by Georges-Hunt's 11.4 ppg. Cox is the only other player on Georgia Tech to average a double-digit point total, checking in with 10.3 ppg on 57.4 percent shooting. The Yellow Jackets as a unit aren't overwhelming on the offensive end, netting a modest 67.7 ppg, but the team has been strong defensively, yielding just 61.0 ppg on 40.9 percent shooting. Charles Mitchell (7.2 rpg) leads the team on the glass.

This should be an intriguing matchup between two strong teams early in the season. The home advantage for the Yellow Jackets helps, but the team will have to perform well defensively to limit a strong Commodores' offense. With Cox, Mitchell and Sampson down low, Vanderbilt may find it difficult to score in the paint.