Vanderbilt Commodores Men’s Basketball Team Playing Themselves Off Tournament Bubble

A spot in the NCAA Tournament is becoming more of a reality for the Vanderbilt Commodores each passing day.
Vanderbilt Commodores guard AJ Hoggard (11) prepares to shoot against Kentucky Wildcats forward Brandon Garrison (10) and Amari Williams (22) during their game at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.
Vanderbilt Commodores guard AJ Hoggard (11) prepares to shoot against Kentucky Wildcats forward Brandon Garrison (10) and Amari Williams (22) during their game at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Vanderbilt Commodores knew that they had a lot to prove despite the scorching hot start they got off to during the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season.

A 12-1 non-conference record will normally draw some attention, but that wasn’t always the case for the Commodores. Because of their strength of schedule, as their average opponent's NET Ranking was in the bottom 50 of the country, people wanted to see more from them.

Conference play in the SEC would present plenty of opportunities as the teams made history in the non-conference schedule.

All 16 programs won at least 10 games, setting the record for winning percentage in out-of-conference matchups. It wasn’t just bottom-feeding teams and buy-games the teams were winning either, as they were dominating in matchups against other power conferences.

Mark Byington and his squad knew that it would not be easy, but they have passed all of the tests they have faced with flying colors.

They are currently 4-3 in SEC play, as they have turned Memorial Gymnasium into a place no opponent wants to visit.

The only team to defeat them on their homecourt thus far has been the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Vanderbilt is currently 12-1 at home, including conference wins over the Tennessee Volunteers and Kentucky Wildcats.

Those victories cost the school dearly, as fans stormed the court after each one. As second and third-time violators, the SEC fined them $250,000 and $500,000; the first instance was during the fall when the football team defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide.

With a 3-3 record against Quad 1 opponents and 2-1 against Quad 2, the Commodores are beginning to gain some momentum and attention nationally.

This week, for the first time since the week of Dec. 7, 2015, they found themselves inside the top 25 of the AP Poll.

It is an incredibly impressive feat as they are picking up quality victories and moving closer to snapping another streak that has been in place since 2017.

That was the last time the men’s basketball team was selected to participate in the NCAA Tournament. Based on the most recent projections, that streak has a great chance of being snapped.

Vanderbilt has slowly but surely been moving in the right direction of the rankings. Their most recent game, the victory over Kentucky, has helped move them well off the bubble.

In projections shared by Joe Rexrode of The Athletic, the Commodores are the No. 9 seed in the East Region, matched up against the No. 8 seed St. John’s Red Storm out of the Big East.

That hints that Vanderbilt has given itself a little bit of breathing room when it comes to their standing as an at-large team. They are currently two seed lines away from having to partake in the play-in portion of the tournament and one seed line above the last four byes.

If they can keep protecting their homecourt and finish with a record at or above the .500 mark in the SEC, they should be in the tournament field in what could be a historic year for the conference with 13 teams projected in the field.

That would surpass the record held by the Big East with 11 in 2011.


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