ICYMI: Despite the Loss, Jason Edwards Proved Why He's One of the Conference's Best Scorers Against Florida

The final score may not have looked exactly how Vandy would have wanted, but Jason Edwards continued to be a walking bucket for the 'Dores.

Feb 4, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen (11) guards Vanderbilt Commodores guard Jason Edwards (1) during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

You can't win 'em all, especially when you're playing teams like this year's Florida Gators squad, and while last night's game against UF might sting, the Commodores and their star guard Jason Edwards showed exactly why they can play with anyone on any given night.

Edwards finished the road game with 20 points on 7/13 shot attempts in the 86-75 loss to the Gators, and in doing so, proved that he can give headaches to arguably the best guard rotation in the country as opposed to just the SEC.

Edwards' night should come as no surprise to anyone who's been watching Vanderbilt basketball this year, though, as the junior guard is averaging just over 17 points per game on the season already, placing him seventh in the conference in terms of points per game. What makes Edwards' case so interesting, though, is that he's doing so while only averaging 24 minutes per game - more than four less than anyone else inside the top 10 in that category.

For the second game in a row, the Commodores were simply out shot in the second half. Florida shot 47.6% from three-point range in the game, which signed the death warrant for the Dore's second half hopes.

"They had some guys make some shots who just don't [normally] make those shots, and give them credit," said Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington postgame. "We had to game plan to try and stop some things on the inside, some guys made some perimeter threes...the big thing that sticks out is we've got to figure out a better way to get stops in the second half."

If Vanderbilt can pair those defensive efforts with Edwards' scoring ability, the Commodores may yet make a late-season push to enter into the Top 25 and nearly ensure that the team goes Dancing as Selection Sunday looms just over the horizon.