In their first year under head coach Mark Byington, the Commodores have already reached nine wins. In the 2023-24 season, Jerry Stackhouse and Co. won a total of nine games, and that ninth win came against Florida on March 9 in the final game of the regular season.
This season has been an unbelievable turnaround for Byington as his team sits at 9-1 with quality wins over three Power Four opponents. His squad was projected to finish dead last in the preseason SEC poll, but much like Vanderbilt’s football team, they have proven the doubters wrong every step of the way. Many critics and media members were concerned about the team’s limited size and seemingly mismatched roster, but Byington might have found the perfect combination of players to make a postseason push in his first year on West End.
Since our last Memorial Minutes, the Commodores have been busy building a resume they can be proud of in late March. The Commodores cruised to a comfortable 87-56 victory over Tennessee Tech, led by the veteran backcourt of AJ Hoggard and Jason Edwards, who put up 15 and 23 points, respectively.
Vanderbilt then entered arguably the toughest two games of its nonconference slate — Virginia Tech and TCU. However, the Commodores passed their tough road tests with flying colors. They dominated Virginia Tech 80-64 and then rolled past TCU 83-74. Granted, neither of these teams are near the top of their respective conferences — the ACC and the Big 12 — but a win over any Power Four opponent is encouraging.
Byington’s squad doesn’t seem like they’ll be taking their foot off the gas anytime soon, either. They are now playing with a newfound cohesion that seemed like a distant dream in early November. The Commodores have moved up to No. 48 in the NET and No. 60 in KenPom, and the meteoric rise in these statistical rankings could be a sign that this team is built to last. While the ‘Dores have yet to play the country’s toughest teams, their sample size is now large enough to confirm that their first few wins were not a fluke.
To say Byington’s and Co. are exceeding expectations is an understatement. Vanderbilt is set on bringing the magic back to Memorial Gymnasium and proving that it can compete in the SEC.
All eyes on Edwards
I generally don’t like to single out one player in Memorial Minutes. After all, basketball is a team sport, and one player can’t succeed without his teammates.
However, Edwards has been too dominant not to notice.
The junior has been nothing short of exceptional in his first 10 games on West End. In the last three games, he’s averaged 24 points on an average of 24 minutes played. His quick handle, transition speed and playmaking ability are unmatched.
It’s not just his scoring that makes him a special player: His ability to lead Byington’s offense is equally impressive. Edwards inspires his team to play with new intensity every time he steps on the floor — perhaps part of the reason that Byington moved him to the bench after the first few games of the season. Edwards is an anchor in Vanderbilt’s backcourt, and he commonly slips by defenders to either score or occasionally dish out the ball to a teammate. He’s great at drawing contact in the paint to earn fouls as well, and it helps when he is shooting 86% from the charity stripe.
Edwards had his biggest game of the year on Dec. 8, when he dropped 30 points against TCU. He went 8-for-16 from the field and earned two steals en route to the Commodores’ resounding victory. The point guard is not a massive guy — standing at 6’1 — but his shiftiness and speed make him a matchup nightmare for any opposing team. Similarly, on Dec. 4 against Virginia Tech, Edwards put in 19 points on 5-for-10 shooting. If he can keep up this elite scoring at such a high efficiency, there will be no stopping him in SEC play.
Like any player, he’s not without his flaws. Edwards can be a bit of a shot-chucker at times, settling for low-quality attempts. I expect his shot selection — and his 35% shooting from beyond the arc — to improve as he gets more game reps and settles into Byington’s system.
The sky is truly the limit for Edwards. He’s already shown the foundation of what he can do on the court, so who’s to say he can’t get even better and develop into the team’s X-factor?
Defense wins championships
“Offense sells tickets but defense wins championships,” the great Bear Bryant once said.
This might be a football quote, and Vanderbilt might be far away from winning a championship of any kind, but the roots of this old adage remain true for Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball.
Everyone surrounding Vanderbilt’s program is quick to compliment Byington’s high-speed offense and array of shooters: An Edwards three-ball always electrifies the crowd and a Devin McGlockton slam gets fans out of their seats. However, it is the Commodores’ defense that is allowing them to execute such an efficient offense.
Vanderbilt’s defense looks like one of the weakest in the SEC on paper — it ranks 13th in points allowed per game. But that number is inflated with the quick pace of play that comes with Byington’s scheme. The race up and down the court raises possession totals and provides more scoring opportunities for Vanderbilt’s opponents. Vanderbilt gives up 69.5 points per game, but this isn’t indicative of how Byington’s defense functions.
Vanderbilt’s perimeter defense has been stellar. Grant Huffman, Tyler Tanner and AJ Hoggard are ballhawks, and if an opposing ball-handler is caught sleeping, they’ll steal the rock and blaze right to the rim in the blink of an eye. Vanderbilt ranks first in the SEC in total turnovers forced with 157, an average of 15.7 per game. The team also takes care of the ball, averaging just 9.5 turnovers themselves. Opponents simply look uncomfortable on the perimeter.
Tanner especially has been a revelation so far this season. The true freshman has been one of the best on-ball defenders in the entire SEC, leading the conference in total steals with 26. He earned a season-high 5 steals against TCU, but it isn’t just his defense that makes him so special. He’s also turned the ball over zero times this year, exhibiting his natural ball-handling skills. Byington seems to have caught on to the young star’s talents, as he’s seen a big uptick in playing time over the last three games (19 to 27).
Granted, the Commodores could use some help with their interior defense. Having no player over 6’8 is always going to present challenges down low. Byington has done his best to keep the ball out of the paint, but that might bring trouble come SEC play. Vanderbilt’s defense has stepped up in other ways so far, though, locking down opposing opponents and putting on a show for fans near halfcourt.
Triple troubles
Every team has places for improvement, and Vanderbilt’s is simple: shoot better from deep. For a team full of shooters (and point guards), it hasn’t been efficient from beyond the arc.
Vanderbilt has struggled to make shots from 3-point range all season — as indicated by its 30.2% 3-point percentage. These problems have been present all season, but the hope was that the Black and Gold just needed time to find their rhythm and chemistry. However, the Commodores’ last three games show the stat hasn’t improved. Against Tennessee Tech, Vanderbilt went 11-for-31 (36%), led by Edwards who cashed in four. That percentage has only dropped since then, as the Commodores shot 33% against Virginia Tech and 27% against TCU.
These are shockingly low numbers for the SEC’s No. 7 scoring offense. Some of this stems from shot selection as players — like Edwards — are taking off-balance or on-the-run 3-pointers. Sometimes players just don’t have the touch from deep.
This isn’t to say that Vanderbilt isn’t capable of scoring from long range. In fact, we’ve seen Tyler Nickel and MJ Collins get hot from beyond the arc at several points this year. Vanderbilt just isn’t getting these hot streaks consistently enough to call itself an elite shooting team. The Commodores rank 15th in the SEC in 3-point percentage as a unit.
Three-point shooting must improve before the Black and Gold enter a gauntlet of an SEC schedule starting in January. They won’t have the size to compete in the paint against SEC centers, so mid-range jumpers and 3-pointers will be at a premium. Opposing teams are going to take away jump shots and force the Commodores inside — it’s up to the team to start connecting on their chances.
Vanderbilt will now look to finish out its nonconference slate with three convincing wins over lesser opponents. The Commodores will face The Citadel, Austin Peay and New Orleans before SEC play starts on Jan. 4. These games represent great opportunities to find shooting rhythms and continue to gel before the real test begins.
Vanderbilt will be back in action at home on Dec. 18, as it takes on The Citadel at 7 p.m. CST.
