Vanderbilt Commodores

Four Stats Show Why Vanderbilt Lost, But Also Why It Almost Won

Vanderbilt wasn't able to spoil the upcoming Iron Bowl between the nation's top two teams, but the Commodores found themselves leading in the second half.

Taylor Hodges

Vanderbilt guard MJ Collins Jr. (2) celebrates a basket against Auburn during the first half at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
Vanderbilt guard MJ Collins Jr. (2) celebrates a basket against Auburn during the first half at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In this story:

Vanderbilt nearly ruined the hype surrounding one of the season’s biggest games later this week when the basketball version of the Iron Bowl tips off.

No. 1 Auburn (22-2, 10-1 SEC) avoided a major upset against Vanderbilt (17-7, 5-6 SEC) by securing an 80-68 victory at Memorial Gymnasium. It’s only the second home loss for Vanderbilt this season, but was almost the biggest win of the season for the Commodores.

There’s never just one reason why a team wins or loses a game and there are plenty of reasons why Vanderbilt lost, but also stats that show why they weren’t far from upsetting No. 1 Auburn. Here are four stats from Tuesday’s game that show exactly that:

37-28

That was the rebound totals for both teams with Vanderbilt, despite being the smaller team, winning the battle. It was one of the reasons the Commodores were able to grab a second half lead against the nation’s No. 1 team.

17.6

That was Vanderbilt’s three-point percentage against Auburn. The Commodores were three-for-17 from beyond the arch. The Commodores nearly went the entire first half without making a three-pointer, but Tyler Nickel made a three with six seconds left in the half that made the score 34-32.

2

That’s how many turnovers Vanderbilt forced from the Tigers in the second half. Auburn turned the ball over just eight times the entire game. However, the Commodores were able to score 12 points off of those turnovers.

11:38

That’s how much time was left in the game when Johnson scored his ninth-straight point to bring Auburn back from a 49-48 deficit.

Tuesday’s game was the first of six-straight games against ranked opponents. Up next for the Commodores is a road trip to No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday.

Vanderbilt Commodores On SI:

Published
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.

Home/Basketball