"Calm In The Storm," How Devin McGlockton Helped Vanderbilt to Thursday Win

Vanderbilt basketball big man Devin McGlockton had it when nobody else did on Thursday in Vanderbilt's win over McNeese. As a result, it was able to keep its head above water and win this thing. Here's how he did it.

Mar 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores forward Devin McGlockton (99) dunks during the first half against the McNeese Cowboys during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKLAHOMA CITY—Devin McGlockton still remembers sitting back in Chestnut Hill bracing to pack his stuff and move to Nashville for a new beginning of sorts and how it felt, to himself and to others. 

Surely the feedback McGlockton was receiving from those he was close to was generally positive. He knew that he was taking a leap of faith in Mark Byington and company, though, and a number of people wanted to point that out to him. 

McGlockton was just the sixth player to commit to Vanderbilt in the first spring of the Byington tenure and didn’t know exactly what Vanderbilt’s roster would look like when it was settled. He believed it would be worthwhile to join it, though. In some ways, he knew that would be controversial. 

“When I first committed here, people were like ‘oh, you went to the Boston College of the SEC,’” McGlockton told Vandy on SI at the SEC Tournament. “I knew that me, TT [Tanner] and [Tyler] Nickel would, no matter who we brought in, do something special. And the guys at Coach B brought in, were fantastic.” 

Mar 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores forward Devin McGlockton (99) shoots a layup during the first half against the McNeese Cowboys during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

To some at the time, it appeared that McGlockton’s belief in Byington’s program was naive in some ways after Vanderbilt’s two previous coaches failed to get this thing up and running. Two springs later, though, McGlockton appears to be a visionary of sorts. 

If his generally successful tenure as part of Vanderbilt basketball’s revitalization wasn’t enough to prove that, McGlockton’s role in what Vanderbilt pulled off on Thursday was. Vanderbilt just ripped off its first NCAA Tournament win since the 2011-2012 season and became one of just eight teams in program history to win an NCAA Tournament game. 

McGlockton wasn’t passive in the result either. 

As the Vanderbilt big man moseyed out of the huddle each time, he appeared to be ready for war. McNeese was physical, but McGlockton was clearly capable of handling it. When Vanderbilt needed the steady big man to be good, he was great. 

McGlockton went for 12 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the field,  eight rebounds, just two fouls and one turnover on Thursday. When Vanderbilt was down 11 early against McNeese, McGlockton was one of its only reliable options offensively. 

“He’s like the calm in the storm, so that doesn’t surprise me when he plays real well like he did today,” Vanderbilt wing Tyler Nickel told Vandy on SI. “His toughness and just his touch and awareness around the room, on defense and on offense [are valuable].”

The Vanderbilt big man has often taken a backseat to Vanderbilt’s dynamic backcourt, but Vanderbilt needed him to be more than a complementary player on Thursday. It was reminiscent of the role that Vanderbilt needed him to play just about every night a season ago and the one it expected him to fulfill while Duke Miles missed time this season. 

Mar 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; McNeese Cowboys guard Tyshawn Archie (8) drives to the hoop past Vanderbilt Commodores guard Duke Miles (2) and forward Devin McGlockton (99) during the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

McGlockton has been a key member of Vanderbilt’s revitalization under head coach Mark Byington and likely hasn’t gotten the due he’s earned for its success. Now that Vanderbilt has found itself as a historic group, McGlockton should be credited for his foundational role in this. 

Only seven other teams in program history have done what Vanderbilt did on Thursday. Two of those teams played a basketball game this century. Three played before 1995. None of Vanderbilt’s three previous teams that went dancing were able to accomplish what Vanderbilt had by the time it walked off the floor victorious at PayCom Center. 

Add that to the body of work that this group already had, and there’s not many within this program’s history that can match it. It’s not entirely out of the realm of possibilities that this group could tie–or break–the program wins record in the coming weeks–a win on Saturday against Nebraska would do so. 

For now, though, McGlockton has helped to at least give this team a chance at everything it wants. 

“I always wanted to advance,” McGlockton said. “Last year, I was very upset. We didn't advance. 
So this is just something to knock off my list, but this is not the end. I want to go deeper.”