Amidst Injuries And Foul Trouble, Vanderbilt Did Not Miss a Beat Against South Carolina

Vanderbilt dealt with plenty of adversity Saturday, but still came out with a win.

Jan 3, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Tyler Tanner (3) attempts a three point basket against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

In a power conference like the SEC, normally teams tend to struggle in games where a team is missing some of its best players and faces a little bit of early adversity, no matter who the opponent is. But that principle did not apply to Vanderbilt Saturday afternoon.

The Commodores opened conference play and beat South Carolina 83-71 without its leading scorer in guard Duke Miles and one of its premier defenders in guard Frankie Collins. Collins missed his third consecutive game while Miles was out with what is being reported to Vandy On SI as a leg injury.

But that did not end up being much of a problem. Vanderbilt came out of the tunnel without skipping much of a beat, opening up an 11-point lead within the first eight minutes of the game. However, the Commodores did experience some additional adversity as guards Tyler Nickel and Tyler Harris both got two fouls apiece in the first nine minutes of the game.

When Harris and Nickel both went to the bench, South Carolina heated up by hitting four straight three-pointer attempts and cutting what was a 12-point Vanderbilt lead down to four points. But Vanderbilt did not flinch. Even when Vanderbilt was dealing with plenty of adversity, the Commodores still found ways to score and defend.

“Really proud of our guys to get a road win under a difficult situation and a shortened bench. I just thought our guys had great resiliency and a belief that we were going to be able to pull it out no matter what was going on,” Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington said.

One of those ways came from guard Tyler Tanner, who continues to improve as the season goes on. Tanner finished with 19 points on 4-for-9 shooting and 10-for-10 from the free throw line. 

But where Tanner made the majority of his production was with his passing ability. Tanner tied a program record of 14 assists in the game, dishing it out to his teammates throughout the game. Tanner’s 37 minutes played were probably a little more than head coach Mark Byington would have wanted, but it was warranted given how hot Tanner was performing.

“I mean, a lot of guys on our team were just making shots. Not all of them were direct passes to shots. Sometimes I would hit T-Nick [Tyler Nickel], he would have one dribble and a tough pull up, or whatever it is. I was just trying to get my guys open and they were delivering and making shots,” Tanner said.

Vanderbilt also had contributions from AK Okereke, who hit three three-pointers to go along with his season-high of 17 points. Devin McGlockton had what was a quietly good game that may have flown under the radar given Tanner and Okereke’s performances. McGlockton had 15 points with his three rebounds.

Then, of course, Tyler Nickel inevitably came around and hit shots as he came back from his early foul trouble to finish with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including four made threes.

All around, it was as if Vanderbilt played like it was not missing its highest scorer in Miles or one of its takeaway creators in Frankie Collins. Outside of South Carolina cutting it to four points, Vanderbilt was in control and up by 10 or more points for a significant part of the game. There was never much doubt in the outcome of the game.

What ultimately helped make the difference was Vanderbilt’s ability to push its lead back up to eight by halftime after nearly surrendering a double digit lead earlier in the opening frame. The response to adversity was certainly not something to scoff at.

“I thought the last couple minutes of the first half were telling. We did have a response. South Carolina made a good run at us,” Byington said. “But I think the first couple minutes of the second half was really big for us. I know they scored, but we extended our lead right there and made a push out. That was a big thing at halftime. It was about having more energy right now and being ready to go.”

Despite being short-handed, Vanderbilt flexed its scoring ability while the depth of the team was being tested a little. It is a testament to Byington and the roster that he has built where his team is able to still win by double figures in a conference road game with two important players unable to play in the game.

Vanderbilt will look to see if it will get Miles back for Wednesday’s night game in Memorial Gymnasium against No. 14 Alabama. If it does, the Commodores get a much needed piece back against a team that can score points in a hurry.