Soak it in, Commodore Nation. 

Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball is 16-0 with three conference wins, matching the best start in program history. It’s ranked inside the AP top 10 in-season for the first time since 1993. It currently sits at No. 5 in KenPom, No. 7 in the NET and No. 3 in Torvik — an analytics darling if you will. 

Take a second to breathe and take those numbers in. Vanderbilt is a legit national championship contender this season — a phrase I would’ve scoffed at a year ago. Something is brewing on that storied hardwood in Memorial Gymnasium — and it might just be a historic season that will be remembered for a long time.  

Since The Hustler’s last Memorial Minutes, the Commodores have been busy racking up key conference wins. Vanderbilt took down South Carolina to begin its conference slate, 83-71, before downing Alabama, 96-90, in a battle of SEC heavyweights on Jan. 7. A contest with the LSU Tigers went in Vanderbilt’s favor on Jan. 10, as it now reigns supreme at the top of the conference standings. The real fun in conference play has officially begun, but it seems the Commodores are up to the challenge.

There’s only one word that comes to mind when I think of Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball in 2026: unfazed. The Commodores are currently playing a fearless brand of basketball, and it’s showing every time head coach Mark Byington’s team takes the floor. 

That all starts with the guards. 

Twin engines 

When speaking on Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball, it’s easiest to begin with the backcourt of Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles. They have been, simply put, sensational for Byington this year, arguably the strongest reason for the Commodores’ unprecedented success.  

Tanner, in particular, has shown the ability to do it all. His freshman to sophomore jump is like nothing I’ve ever seen; he’s improved in nearly every statistical category this year. Fellow guard Frankie Collins suffered a torn meniscus as the nonconference slate wrapped up, applying extra pressure on Tanner to be the go-to ball-handler for the Commodores. 

One might think that this extra weight on his back would hurt his performances, but it’s been quite the opposite. Tanner’s gotten even better with more responsibility, now lighting it up against SEC competition. The Tennessee native dropped 19, 29 and 20 points against South Carolina, Alabama and LSU, respectively. He’s shooting the ball at a very efficient rate (45%) and is also distributing the ball very effectively, as showcased by his 14 assists against South Carolina — a mark which tied the program single-game record.  

Outside of the obvious statistical jumps for Tanner, there’s one trait which he’s clearly gained this season: confidence. At times in his freshman campaign in 2024-25, he acted like any first-year in an SEC program would. He was a bit timid to shoot and acted more as a facilitator in Byington’s offense, allowing guys like Jason Edwards to be the star of the show.  

This season, it’s an entirely different story. Tanner is dribbling circles around defenders, dunking at the rim with a certain flair and even riling up the home crowd at Memorial Gymnasium. Those are things that don’t show up on the stat sheet but are equally important in your backcourt leader.  

Now bring in Miles, Tanner’s partner in the backcourt. Like Tanner, Miles has exceeded my expectations this season. The graduate student hit 19 and 17 points against Alabama and LSU, respectively, with a 49% clip from the field. He’s the definition of consistency on this team — everyone knows that he’ll be a consistent threat on the interior and perimeter and drop at least double digit points.

Miles suffered an illness and then an injury as the nonconference slate wrapped up, but his importance to Vanderbilt cannot be overstated. He can be a primary ball-handler when Tanner needs his rest but also plays exceptionally well in the two spot, finding creative ways to blow by defenders and get to the rim. The Commodores will need him to stay healthy if they want to make a deep run in March.  

Miles and Tanner have become Byington’s most trusted players this season, and they’ve proven their worth in every single facet of the game. 

Defensive identity 

Vanderbilt is a team defined by its high-paced and explosive offense, but what often gets overlooked is its defense. KenPom ranks Vanderbilt’s adjusted defensive rating, which measures a team’s points allowed over 100 possessions, at 95.2, putting them at No. 11 in the entire country and No. 2 in the SEC. The Commodores also rank No. 14 in the country in opponent effective field goal percentage, sitting at 45.2%, showing how they continually smother opposing offenses. It’s behind teams like Michigan and Arizona in both of those advanced statistical categories, some of the country’s strongest programs. 

Much of this can be attributed to players like Miles and Tanner, who have been excellent on-ball defenders this season. Both rank in the top 20 in steal percentage, with Miles even cracking into the top 10 at No. 7. Tanner boasts a steal percentage of 4.8% while Miles clocks in at 5.7%, proving that they have been wreaking havoc for opposing guards. This is evident in nearly every game, especially through conference play, as some of the nation’s best guards have been thwarted by the duo of Tanner and Miles.  

Take a look at Vanderbilt’s win over Alabama — the Commodores forced eight combined turnovers on Alabama’s primary guard duo of Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway. Those two guards are some of the best in the entire country, and yet, Vanderbilt was able to make them uncomfortable. Against LSU, the Commodores forced 14 total turnovers (compared to just seven of their own), once again highlighting their tenacity on the defensive end. 

Vanderbilt isn’t just good at picking the pockets of its opponents, either. The Commodores rank No. 14 in the country in block percentage, batting away 15.3% of all shots. That metric on KenPom only includes 2-point attempts, and it counts all blocks, not just ones that lead to turnovers. Center Jalen Washington has certainly helped this statistical category, as he’s averaging 1.4 blocks per game.  

Gallery • 3 Photos

Abbie Bobeck

Devin McGlockton guards an opposing player, as photographed on Dec. 13, 2025. (Hustler Multimedia/Abbie Bobeck)

One can’t speak about Vanderbilt’s defense without highlighting the stellar work of Devin McGlockton, as well. The senior has been exceptional at guarding players several inches taller than himself and is able to box out for rebounds, particularly on the defensive end. Perhaps it is his more agile frame (standing at just 6’7), but he’s become a hawk for the ball following a miss. He racked up nine defensive rebounds (12 total) against the Crimson Tide to lead all players that took the floor. 

Vanderbilt’s offense is often the talk of college basketball, but don’t sleep on its defense. Byington has cooked up a team that is relatively balanced, ready to punish teams on both ends of the floor.  

Then and now 

It’s easy to set expectations in the preseason for certain players on any roster. Everyone is ready to buy the stock of the star transfer addition or sell the stock of the seemingly tired sixth-year senior. But nothing really matters until the sample size of play is large enough to where fans can make clear judgments on given players.  

So, it’s time to complete a stock market analysis for a couple of Vanderbilt’s players as conference play heats up, examining their past performances and future potential to buy and sell some stock.

One person that deserves a special shoutout is Tyler Nickel. The senior has been the perfect third scoring option to complement Byington’s high-scoring offense, pouring it in from deep when it matters most. Nickel is currently shooting 48% from beyond the arc, ranking No. 8 in the entire country. He was fantastic for the Commodores last year, but he’s been hitting the deep ball in clutch moments time and time again this season.  

Against LSU, Nickel went 4-for-10 from deep, and against South Carolina, he went 4-for-7 from 3-point land. He’s the perfect perimeter threat in Byington’s offense. I’m currently buying stock in Nickel to make some clutch triples in crunch time this season.

AK Okereke, a now starter for Byington, has certainly exceeded my expectations this year, taking on a much larger role than I anticipated in the preseason. The Cornell transfer has brought a new level of physicality down low for the Commodores, using his muscular frame to play taller than his 6’7 height. He’s also been incredibly productive from deep for a player of his size and skillset, knocking in 39% of his attempts from beyond the arc. This has allowed him to isolate himself on the perimeter or get physical in the paint, providing the perfect versatility at the four spot, especially when paired with guys like Jalen Washington or Devin McGlockton at the five. I’m certainly buying stock in Okereke to add an extra dimension to Byington’s offense.

One player who’s been relatively disappointing this year is Tyler Harris — a guy I thought would be a key difference-maker in the preseason. The Washington transfer entered the season with plenty of hype, but he hasn’t found his groove yet, especially in conference play. The junior has just six points on 43 minutes played through three conference games, shooting just over 15% from the field on 14 attempts.  

That said, I still believe Harris could improve this season. He was ultra-productive from deep with the Huskies last season — shooting a whopping 50% from beyond the arc — so he could certainly turn it around on West End. Seeing a few balls go through the hoop would certainly help his confidence, a trait which seems to be dwindling from the 6’7 guard. I’m not selling stock in Harris just yet, but he’ll need to prove a thing or two in the coming weeks to regain the trust of Byington and the fans. That jump in efficiency and production could certainly come soon.

It’s never best to rely on your preseason expectations to rate a team, but on the whole, Byington’s squad has impressed me in every single way this year. The weaknesses I perceived in November haven’t been as problematic as I anticipated, and the team’s strengths have blown me out of the water. Now, only one question remains: Can they keep it up?

Vanderbilt will take on Texas in Austin on Jan. 14, as it looks to improve to 17-0 on the season.