Fifty-Two Years Later, Vanderbilt and Alabama Revisit Familiar Ground
Fifty-two years is a long time to wait for a matchup like Wednesday’s.
But that’s how long it’s been since Memorial Gymnasium last hosted a game between two teams ranked inside the AP Top 13. The previous occasion came on Jan. 5, 1974 — Want to guess who the Commodores faced off against that night?
That’s right, the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Vanderbilt won that game 74-73 in the final seconds, and it remains one of the most memorable in the history of Memorial Gym, ranking fourth on the program's Top 60 moments at Memorial Gym list in 2012. After sophomore Butch Feher missed a potential game-tying free throw, Vanderbilt’s Terry Compton stole the ball from Alabama’s Charles Russell, and Feher recovered it moments later, banking in the game-winning layup with just five seconds remaining.
The near-exact date isn’t the only parallel between the two matchups. The Commodores entered that 1974 contest undefeated, looking to validate their early-season résumé and silence critics of their nonconference schedule.
More than five decades later, those familiar storylines return. No. 11 Vanderbilt welcomes No. 13 Alabama to Nashville in a high-stakes clash between what most major ranking systems agree are the SEC’s top two teams. Head coach Mark Byington’s squad enters at a flawless 14-0, fresh off an 83-71 road win against South Carolina on Saturday. Playing without guards Duke Miles and Frankie Collins, Tyler Tanner led the way, finishing with 19 points and a school-record-tying 14 assists against the Gamecocks.
Collins will remain out as he recovers from a meniscus injury suffered in nonconference play, but Miles — listed as probable alongside teammate Devin McGlockton — appears poised to return after missing time with an illness and a minor leg injury over the last week. Getting the former Oklahoma Sooner back would provide a big boost to a Vanderbilt offense that will need to score efficiently if it wants to outgun the Crimson Tide’s No. 2-ranked KenPom offense.
“We expect Duke [Miles] to practice today and then hopefully progress to be able to play against Alabama,” Byington said on Jon Rothstein’s podcast Tuesday. “It's not anything serious or jeopardizing to his current or future status. And Frankie [Collins] just had a good evaluation yesterday and [we] expect him back within a couple weeks.”
Alabama enters Wednesday’s matchup led by standout guard Labaron Philon Jr., who’s averaging 21.5 points per game on 53.6% from the field this season — a big reason why the Crimson Tide leads all Power 5 schools with 13.2 made three-pointers per game. Coming off a statement 89-74 win over Kentucky in its SEC opener, head coach Nate Oats’ offense will look to continue its momentum and add an impressive road win to its résumé. Alabama’s offense thrives in transition, ranking fifth in the nation and second among Power 5 teams in EvanMiya’s true tempo metric. Vanderbilt, which ranks 51st, is also comfortable playing fast, setting the stage for a potential high-scoring night.
“[Alabama is] an unbelievable offensive team,” Byington told Rothstein. “Last year was the first year I coached against them and the pace at which they do actions and come at you in transition — you can't simulate it in practice.”
As if the historical parallels, national attention, and fan-favorite halftime show surrounding Wednesday’s matchup weren’t enough, Oats added another layer of drama on Tuesday when he discussed Vanderbilt’s nonconference schedule.
"They're really good,” Oats said on his coaches’ show. “Highest-ranked team metrics-wise and all that — they haven't played the schedule we have, but they're really good. We're gonna have to be super locked in. We're gonna have to play better on the defensive side than we did [against Kentucky]."
Whether that comment ends up proving right or not, it underscores a familiar theme for Vanderbilt and its fans. Just like it did in 1974, the Commodores enter Wednesday’s matchup with an opportunity to continue to prove their name belongs among the nation’s best. Fifty-two years after Alabama last walked into Memorial Gymnasium for a game like this, the stage is set for history to once again be made.
“This is what you come to this league for,” Byington said.
Dylan Tovitz is a sophomore at Vanderbilt University, originally from Livingston, New Jersey. In addition to writing for Vanderbilt on SI, he serves as a deputy sports editor for the Vanderbilt Hustler and co-produces and hosts ‘Dores Unlocked, a weekly video show about Commodore sports. Outside the newsroom, he is a campus tour guide and an avid New York sports fan with a particular passion for baseball. He also enjoys listening to country and classic rock music and staying active through tennis and baseball.