Vanderbilt Commodores

Did Vanderbilt's Upset Win Against Ole Miss Move It Back into the Top 25?

Vanderbilt's men's basketball team improved its NCAA Tournament resume, but did the Commodores get back into the top 25?

Taylor Hodges

Vanderbilt Commodores forward Jaylen Carey (22) and guard Tyler Nickel (5) react after the timeout by Mississippi Rebels during the first half at Memorial Gymnasium.
Vanderbilt Commodores forward Jaylen Carey (22) and guard Tyler Nickel (5) react after the timeout by Mississippi Rebels during the first half at Memorial Gymnasium. / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
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Vanderbilt put an end to its three-game losing streak to ranked teams on Saturday with a 77-72 win against then-No. 24 Ole Miss.

The win wasn’t enough to vault the Commodores back into the AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll, but the win was enough bring Vanderbilt’s name back onto the list. The Commodores received two votes in Monday’s poll that also saw the Rebels’ fall out of the top 25 following their loss to Vanderbilt.

What Vanderbilt’s win certainly did was improve its resume for the NCAA Tournament. Vanderbilt remains a bubble team (it was one of Joe Lunardi’s Last 4 Teams In in his latest bracketology) but improved its overall chances.

Yet, there’s still work to be done.

Vanderbilt has two more games left against ranked opponents and will face both of those opponents this week. The Commodores will travel to No. 12 Texas A&M on Tuesday and then will host No. 15 Missouri on Saturday. Both games will air on SEC Network.
Here’s the complete AP Top 25 Poll:

AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll

  1. Auburn (25-2)
  2. Duke (24-3)
  3. Florida (24-3)
  4. Houston (23-4)
  5. Tennessee (22-5)
  6. Alabama (22-5)
  7. St. John’s (24-4)
  8. Michigan State (22-5)
  9. Iowa State (21-6)
  10. Texas Tech (21-6)
  11. Wisconsin (21-6)
  12. Texas A&M (20-7)
  13. Clemson (22-5)
  14. Missouri (20-7)
  15. Michigan (20-6)
  16. Maryland (21-6)
  17. Kentucky (18-9)
  18. Memphis (22-5)
  19. Louisville (21-6)
  20. Purdue (19-9)
  21. Marquette (20-=7)
  22. Arizona (18-9)
  23. Saint Mary’s (25-4)
  24. Mississippi State (19-8)
  25. BYU (19-8)

Others receiving votes: Creighton 53, Mississippi 28, Kansas 25, New Mexico 23, VCU 20, Oregon 20, UCLA 14, Drake 12, UC San Diego 8, Gonzaga 3, High Point 3, Illinois 3, Vanderbilt 2, Utah St. 1, Yale 1.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Taylor Hodges is a staff writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI covering all-things Vanderbilt. Taylor brings more than a decade’s worth of award-winning sports writing, photography and video experience covering every level of sports — from Little League baseball to professional sports and other sports like hunting and fishing. Taylor is fueled by his lifelong passion for sports that began the same day Kirk Gibson hit his legendary World Series walk-off home run, Arkansas beat Texas in Austin and No. 4 Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami in the Catholics vs. Convicts game.

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