GAME NOTES: The Vanderbilt Commodores will attempt to set a record for the best start in school history this afternoon as they host the Iona Gaels in a non- conference clash. Iona got off to a terrible start this season, but the Gaels seemed to turn things around and carried a three-game win streak into Saturday's road clash with Louisville. Unfortunately, the Cardinals proved too tough to handle, as Iona dropped an embarrassing 67-36 decision to fall to 5-8 overall. As for Vanderbilt, it moved to 12-0 with a 92-85 victory over Tennessee-Martin on Saturday, matching the best start in school history established by the 2003-04 Commodores. While the schedule has been rather soft to date, Vandy has beaten the likes of Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, a pair of ACC foes. Vanderbilt won its only previous meeting with Iona back in 1980.

Iona is averaging 68.9 ppg, and while the Gaels are shooting a higher percentage than their opponents, they are surrendering 73.2 ppg. Turnovers have plagued Iona, as the squad is coughing the ball up nearly 20 times per outing. Dexter Gray is the leading scorer for the Gaels, as he is netting 12.9 ppg. Milan Prodanovic is the only other double-digit scorer in the lineup, as he is posting 11.6 ppg. The effort against Louisville on Saturday was embarrassing, especially in regard to the offensive performance of the Gaels. They shot a horrendous 19 percent from the floor in the clash and finished with five assists against 15 turnovers. Not a single player reached double figures in scoring for Iona.

There is no shortage of talent in the lineup for Vanderbilt, as the club has a pair of outstanding offensive performers in the mix. Shan Foster was expected to be the leader of the Commodores heading into this campaign, and he has lived up to the hype. Foster is scoring 20.1 ppg on the strength of his tremendous 53.3 percent shooting from three-point range. As for A.J. Ogilvy, he checks in with 19.2 ppg on 66.1 percent shooting from the field. Those two players get plenty of help from Alex Gordon (11.0 ppg) and a wealth of other solid contributors, and the result has been an average of 86.6 ppg. Ogilvy was dominant against Tennessee-Martin on Saturday, as he posted 21 points and nine rebounds. Foster scored 16 points in that tilt, and Gordon pitched in 15 points. The Commodores only connected on 39.7 percent of their field goal attempts while allowing 49.2 percent shooting from the floor, but they scored 10 more points from the foul line and committed 11 fewer turnovers than the Skyhawks.

Clearly, the edge goes to the Commodores today, as Vandy is simply a better team. Keep an eye on Ogilvy, as he is one of the nation's premier rookie centers.