The Commodores beat Valparaiso 87–78 and Utah State 77–56 in the South Padre Island Shootout. Game 5. Vanderbilt (5–0) defeated Bradley (4–2) 95–86 in the championship game of the South Padre Island Shootout on November 24, 2007. A.J. Oglivy scored 23 points, and Shan Foster 22, to lead the Commodores. After the Commodores raced to an 18-point halftime lead (53–35), Bradley senior point guard Daniel Ruffin led the Braves back to within 85–84 late in the game. But Alex Gordon hit a 10-foot jump shot and sank four free throws in the final 30 seconds as the Commodores pulled away. Ruffin—the half-brother of former Indiana All-American A.J. Guyton – finished with 23 points and 6 assists. Bradley (22–13 last season, MVC: 10–8, 4th) was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference this season by the league's coaches, media and sports information directors, behind unanimous first-place selection Southern Illinois. Game 6. Vanderbilt (6–0) defeated South Alabama (4–3) 91–88 in double overtime on November 29, 2007. Shan Foster scored 26 points, as the Commodores rallied from a 59–51 deficit with 12:02 left. Andrew Oglivy had 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Ross Neltner added 15. Senior guard Demetric Bennett—a preseason All-Sun Belt first team selection—led the Jaguars with 25 points and reserve junior guard Domonic Tilford had 20. South Alabama was picked to finish second in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference preseason media poll behind Western Kentucky. Game 7. Vanderbilt (7–0) beat Georgia Tech (3–4) 92–79 on December 1, 2007. The Yellow Jackets led briefly 2–0, but Shan Foster hit a 3 to give the Commodores a lead they would not relinquish. Vanderbilt led by as many as 28 points in the second half before emptying its bench. Foster finished with 17 points, while Andrew Oglivy had 16 and Alan Metcalfe 15. Anthony Morrow, Tech's leading scorer, had only 2 points with 5 minutes to go, when Vandy led 86–58. He came into the game averaging 19.0 ppg. Georgia Tech was picked to finish seventh in the ACC by the league's media. Game 8. No. 23 Vanderbilt (8–0) (AP, No. 25 Coaches poll) remained perfect with a tight 83–80 win over Wake Forest (5–2) on December 5, 2007. Shan Foster scored 26 points to go with 7 rebounds, and A.J. Oglivy scored 23, for the Commodores, who are 8–0 for only the fifth time ever. The game