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Vanderbilt shoots for second straight SEC road upset

Jan 24, 2007 - 2:28 PM Vanderbilt (13-6) at No. 22 LSU (13-5) 8:00 pm EST

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Ticker) -- Vanderbilt apparently is a team to be reckoned with in the Southeastern Conference this season.

The surging Commodores shoot for their second consecutive road victory and their third straight win over a ranked opponent Wednesday when they visit Louisiana State in an SEC contest.

Generally regarded as one of the weaker programs in the SEC, Vanderbilt (13-6, 3-2 SEC East) has beaten four ranked teams this season.

After cruising to a 21-point victory over then-No. 9 Alabama at home last Wednesday, the Commodores snapped their two game road skid Saturday with an impressive 72-67 triumph at Kentucky.

Derrick Byars scored 23 points to pace Vanderbilt, which also defeated then-No. 20 Tennessee on January 10.

The Commodores hope to vanquish another ranked foe Wednesday when they visit the Tigers (13-5, 2-2 West), who look to rebound from a blowout loss and extend their 19-game home winning streak against SEC teams.

After recording a pair of difficult wins here, LSU dropped a 72-52 decision at unranked Arkansas on Saturday. It was the second straight road loss for the Tigers, who also fell at Alabama on January 9.

But LSU has been a different team in Baton Rouge, going 11-0 at home this season. The Tigers have not lost a conference game here since dropping a 70-64 decision to Kentucky on February 29, 2004.