Rebuilds take time. At least, that’s what is usually expected. However, head coach Mark Byington and his hastily assembled roster demonstrate that results can come quickly with a good system and the right personnel.
It took Vanderbilt until February 2023 to log its sixth win last year. 88 days, to be exact. By then, the Commodores were 6-15 and had shockingly lost to teams like Presbyterian, San Francisco and Western Carolina. This year, Vanderbilt has taken just 20 days to reach six victories. The same team that was picked to finish last in the SEC has shown the life and character that last year’s unit was missing.
If I had told you a year ago that Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball would play the defending NIT champions and two stout mid-major teams within four days, what would have been the projected outcome? I would’ve expected three losses to get added to Vanderbilt’s record.
Instead, the Commodores left Charleston as runner-ups, toppling Nevada and Seton Hall before falling short against Drake. Even though the final defeat of the tournament left a sour taste in the mouths of fans, it gave insight into how much Byington has shifted the program’s trajectory upward.
“Obviously there’s an instant sting from this one. I think coming into it we were going to learn a lot of things about our team,” Byington said after the team’s loss to Drake on Nov. 24. “We did some good things. We went 2-1 against a good field.”
Byington is correct in his continuous preaching about Vanderbilt’s learning and development. Still, his team’s performances thus far are positive and shouldn’t go without recognition. In only a month on the hardwood, Vanderbilt has lifted itself to No. 77 in the KenPom rankings after finishing last season slotted at No. 183. Before its defeat against Drake, Vanderbilt was 6-0 for the first time since the 2007-08 season. The Commodores earned six votes in the latest edition of the AP Poll.
I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong about Vanderbilt. I expected a sub-.500 year out of the Commodores — worries about size and chemistry dictated my opinion. The Charleston Classic proved me otherwise. It highlighted that the Commodores will always find ways to win, even with these glaring issues. This season’s unit — scrappy and gritty with a blisteringly fast pace of play — shows that there’s more than meets the eye.
This isn’t a transitional year.
“There is going to be a building process, but we’re not afforded that right now. We can’t make excuses and say that it’s going to take time,” Byington said in the offseason at SEC Tipoff. “We’ve got to try and be as good as we possibly can right now.”
Byington and Co. want success just as badly as the rest of Commodore Nation does. This has become a trend with Vanderbilt Athletics this calendar year: the Commodores shouldn’t be overlooked.
Lunchpail attitude
The first four games of Vanderbilt’s season highlighted the unbelievable pace at which Byington’s Commodores will play. A concern with this speedy offensive scheme is that defense will be neglected. That may be partially true, as Vanderbilt currently ranks 14th in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 71.6 points per game. But, the track race up and down the court inflates possession totals and therefore provides more scoring opportunities for Vanderbilt’s opponents. The 71.6 points per game allowed doesn’t paint the real picture of how this defense functions.
This Vanderbilt defense is hounding on the ball.
Byington has assembled a slew of athletes who are terrific at guarding on the perimeter. Whether it’s stripping the ball from opponents mid-dribble or using pressure to force a bad pass, Vanderbilt loves to force turnovers and turn them into fastbreak opportunities.
Grant Huffman, AJ Hoggard, MJ Collins, Chris Manon and first-year phenom Tyler Tanner have all had impressive stretches of on-ball defense, giving the Commodores a hard-nose feel. Even if the lineup usually consists of four guards and a tallest player of 6’7 or 6’8 (Devin McGlockton or Jaylen Carey, respectively), opponents will have to earn every bucket.
Vanderbilt is currently 25th in the nation in steals per game with 10.3. Its total amount of steals (72) is the highest in the SEC. The Commodores are also ranked high in turnover margin, tied for 21st at plus-43 with their 109 forced turnovers and 66 of their own. Consistently creating takeaways is built into a winning formula, especially for when Vanderbilt goes into games as underdogs during conference play.
I don’t mean to sour the optimism, but, interior defense is still a major problem. As enjoyable and steal-intensive as Vanderbilt is, when opposing teams get going in the paint, it’s hard for the Commodores to slow them down. Open looks from the perimeter happen frequently as teams go to work inside. Vanderbilt was outscored in the paint in its three games in Charleston 122-110, and even if that number isn’t eye-popping, the ease with which teams got points in the interior was worrisome.
The unit also allows opponents to make 37.7% of their attempts from the three-point line, a mark that puts the Commodores at 323rd in the country. Impeccable defensive effort often means nothing if opposing teams get hot, and Vanderbilt needs to do a better job at shutting those runs down.
Although Vanderbilt’s defense isn’t perfect, it’s exciting to watch and aligned with Byington’s signature high-octane style. Truthfully, much of this season — including defensive performances — may feel like a roll of the dice for the ‘Dores. The key to succeeding will be pulling it together more often.
Every game is a gamble.
A part of the mystique with this year’s Vanderbilt is figuring out what is to expect when it gets on the court. Byington has acknowledged that the team is still a work in progress, a reality reflected in its performance. Some nights, Vanderbilt will be on fire. On other nights, it won’t be able to buy a bucket. In one game, the defense may be an impenetrable wall. In another, it could be a mess as opponents crash the boards with ease and get interior buckets.
This discrepancy may work in Vanderbilt’s favor when given the chance to pull off some shocking wins in conference play down the line. But, for now, the Commodores have to avoid relying too much on variance.
The Charleston Classic was a fine exhibit of how each game for Vanderbilt can boil down to the flip of a coin. No two games will ever be the same for a Vanderbilt team with a 10-man rotation that varies its lineups per contest. For example, take the night and day difference between Vanderbilt’s matchups with Seton Hall and Drake. Seton Hall — at that point the No. 1 scoring defense in the nation — was torched by Vanderbilt. The Commodores shot 51.9% from the field, 83.3% from the free throw line, and Tyler Nickel put up a career-high 24 points on six 3-pointers. Vanderbilt scored 19 points off of 16 forced turnovers and at one point led by 22.
Against Drake, a team chock-full of experience and fundamentals, the Commodores were dismantled. The Black and Gold that we saw against the Pirates two days prior vanished without a trace. Vanderbilt shot 19% from deep, was out-rebounded 37 to 20, and allowed Drake to convert 53.7% of its field goal attempts. Nickel, the star against Seton Hall, was held scoreless. Outside of Jason Edwards’ 26-point performance, not one other Vanderbilt player broke the double-digit mark.
This is likely a matter that spectators should get used to, at least for now. While it’s easy to jump the gun and hype Vanderbilt up — myself included — this is a brand-new team with a first-year coach trying to figure it out. Prepare for both spectacular play and moments where the team is in a bad rut.
Learn and prevail
Vanderbilt needed that loss to Drake; nothing is a better teacher than failure. Through the first six games of 2024-25, the Commodores hadn’t played a team as technically sound as Drake, and the defeat displayed how teams in the SEC will attack their weaknesses. Vanderbilt’s composure wavered down the stretch. Byington noted that some of his players were putting the game on their shoulders, diverting away from the unselfishness that characterized the early matches of the year.
That’s a lesson learned at a perfect time. With upticks in opponent difficulty looming, these situations that test the cohesion of Vanderbilt’s team and system will occur more often. Vanderbilt saw three different responses from itself: a ground-out win, an authoritative blowout victory and a tournament-ending dismantling last weekend: a taste of everything a season can hold in just three games.
What will Vanderbilt learn from these outcomes and how will it work through its problems? The Commodores have shown that they can play, but next will prove how far they can go.
Vanderbilt gets a chance to fine-tune some adjustments before it takes the floor against Tennessee Tech this week. Afterward, power conference opponents Virginia Tech and TCU will serve as gauges for where the Commodores fit in the grand scheme of college basketball.
Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball will return to action on Friday, Nov. 29 against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at 3 p.m. CST in Memorial Gymnasium.
