Vanderbilt Commodores

How Close is Vanderbilt to Rejoining the Top 25?

Vanderbilt ended a six-game gauntlet with three-straight wins, nearly cementing its spot in the NCAA Tournament, but was it enough to rejoin the AP Top 25?
Taylor Hodges|
Vanderbilt guard Chris Manon (30) celebrates after he was fouled by Missouri during overtime at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, March 1, 2025.
Vanderbilt guard Chris Manon (30) celebrates after he was fouled by Missouri during overtime at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, March 1, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Vanderbilt Commodores

A month ago, Vanderbilt had just beaten then-No. 9 Kentucky and was ranked No. 24 in the AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll.

But the Commodores quickly fell outside of the top 25 with a 1-5 stretch of games and four of those losses were to ranked opponents and ended with an 82-61 loss to then-No. 17 Kentucky. But since then, the Commodores have reeled off three-straight wins, all against ranked opponents. Those wins, especially beating then-No. 12 Texas A&M on the road, helped propel Vanderbilt to near-lock status for the NCAA Tournament.

It didn’t help the Commodores get ranked again, though. They did get more votes than they did a week ago, receiving 78 votes in Monday’s updated poll after receiving just two votes last week.

Vanderbilt has just two games left in the regular season, but both games are against teams on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament. Both Arkansas and Georgia need wins against quality opponents and Vanderbilt fits that bill.

The Commodores will host Arkansas at 9 p.m. Tuesday on SEC Network and then travel to Georgia at 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPNU.

Here’s the complete top 25 poll released Monday:

AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll

  1. Auburn (27-2)
  2. Duke (26-3)
  3. Houston (25-4)
  4. Tennessee (24-5)
  5. Florida (25-4)
  6. St. John’s (26-4)
  7. Alabama (23-6)
  8. Michigan State (24-5)
  9. Texas Tech (22-7)
  10. Iowa State (22-7)
  11. Clemson (24-5)
  12. Wisconsin (22-7)
  13. Maryland (22-7)
  14. Louisville (23-6)
  15. Missouri (21-8)
  16. Memphis (24-5)
  17. Michigan (22-7)
  18. Purdue (20-9)
  19. Kentucky (19-10)
  20. Marquette (22-7)
  21. Saint Mary’s (27-4)
  22. Texas A&M (20-9)
  23. BYU (21-8)
  24. Arizona (19-10)
  25. Mississippi State (20-9)

Others receiving votes: VCU 85, Vanderbilt 78, Oregon 37, Drake 18, UC San Diego 17, Illinois 16, Mississippi 13, UCLA 8, Gonzaga 8, Kansas 5, High Point 4, UConn 4, New Mexico 2, Creighton 2, Akron 1.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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