Vanderbilt Commodores

Vanderbilt Headed to NCAA Tournament as Part of Historic SEC Season

The Commodores were one of 14 SEC teams to earn a spot in the big dance and is headed to Cleveland, Ohio for its first-round matchup.

Taylor Hodges

Vanderbilt forward JaQualon Roberts (24) celebrates with Jordan Williams (10) after scoring against Texas during a NCAA college basketball first round game at the men’s Southeastern Conference Tournament Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
Vanderbilt forward JaQualon Roberts (24) celebrates with Jordan Williams (10) after scoring against Texas during a NCAA college basketball first round game at the men’s Southeastern Conference Tournament Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. / Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington and his players can let out a sigh of relief – the Commodores are in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. And they won’t even have to take part in the play-in tournament, as some prognosticators had predicted.

Vanderbilt (22-10) earned the No. 10-seed in East Region of the NCAA Tournament and will face No. 7-seed Saint Mary’s (28-5) in a first-round game on Friday in Cleveland, Ohio.

2025 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Bracket
2025 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Bracket / NCAA

Taylor’s Take

It wouldn’t have been all that surprising to see Vanderbilt be a part of the play-in tournament and, to be blunt, it wouldn’t have been a major shock if the Commodores were left out of the tournament all together.

But Vanderbilt did enough in its games against ranked opponents, including a brutal six-game stretch late in the season against ranked teams, to earn a bye. The Commodores defeated Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Missouri (all of who were ranked at the time) in that stretch and, when combined with upset wins against Kentucky and Tennessee, was enough for Vanderbilt to get into the tournament.

Whatever happens next, Vanderbilt will be a part of a historic SEC basketball season. The conference saw 14 of its 16 teams receive invitations to the NCAA Tournament, the most in the history of the tournament.

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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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