Inside Vanderbilt and Lipscomb's Basketball Reunion
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NASHVILLE—-Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington admits that he would’ve rather seen someone other than Lipscomb as the first opponent on his schedule. But, between former Vanderbilt grad assistant Jack McMahon heading across town and the two coaching staffs forming a connection that way, other options drying up and the logistics making sense, Byington’s hand was forced.
As a result, November 3–college basketball’s opening night—will include Byington’s team facing off against Lipscomb for the first time since 2014. It’s a series in which a few recent Vanderbilt coaches have shied away from resuming, but this staff has answered the call.
“There are things they tell you and how to schedule and I went against a lot of those things and how to schedule,” Byington said. “You’re not supposed to play a really good mid major teams and especially good mid-major teams that are local. So I went against the norm there.”
The idea of scheduling Lipscomb has often gone against the grain of Byington’s net-first scheduling philosophy that most power-five head coaches have been forced to embrace over the years. If it’s not a program that will land in quad one or is a midmajor that’s easy to run up the score on, it likely won’t benefit Byington and Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt’s neighbor from 10 minutes down the road has had their fair share of hurt as a result of the new philosophy–Byington had his fair share when seemingly no power-five teams wanted to schedule his James Madison team a few seasons ago. Former Lipscomb coach Lennie Acuff called nearly every power-five team in the country prior to the 2024-25 season in hopes of landing a buy game and only got a yes out of Arkansas coach John Calipari–an old friend that didn’t want to play Acuff on opening night, sources told Vandy on SI.
The calls were a tad easier for first-year Lipscomb head coach Kevin Carroll as he formed the Bisons’ 2025-26 roster as a result of the perception that his team will be an easier out than Acuff’s eventual NCAA Tournament team was last season. Lipscomb knocked off Tennessee State and Chattanooga by significant margins in its two secret scrimmages this preseason, but it lost its five leading scorers at the end of the season and has a roster that Caroll had to assemble in the eleventh hour after landing the job after the conclusion of the Final Four.
This program has done itself in at times with its performance in these types of games, though. In Acuff’s six seasons–four of which Carroll was an assistant for–it beat Florida State, Louisville, Dayton and pushed Arkansas to the finish twice. If the school’s matchup history–in which Vanderbilt leads 6-0–is an indicator, Byington’s against the grain scheduling move won’t result in anything more than a scare. It’s a test that the program he inherited prior to the 2024-25 season hasn’t embraced, though.
“I think Lipscomb has wanted to play Vanderbilt for a while,” Carroll told Vandy on SI. “Sometimes dates don’t match up or things don’t line up, or whatever that is. I’m grateful for coach Byington for extending the opportunity and hopefully we can go out there and represent ourselves well and give those guys a ballgame.”
It’s Nov. 24, 2023 and a quick Google search of KenPom.com indicates something about these two programs that hasn’t often been true. Scrolling down the list of teams and searching for Nashville-based teams first has to include a stop at Lipscomb in spot 143, then it moves to Vanderbilt at 154.
It was ages ago at this stage, but those around Lipscomb’s program that time felt as if they could’ve taken down that Vanderbilt team. This Lipscomb program hasn’t had an opportunity to show its worth against its neighbor down the street since most of its players were in elementary school, though.
Perhaps this Lipscomb team isn’t quite as intimidating as that one–which had the core of an eventual NCAA Tournament group running the show–and this Vanderbilt team is markedly better than that one–which finished 9-23 and had a general nonchalant attitude towards non-conference play–but the challenge that it provides isn’t lost on this Vanderbilt team.
“They’re a good team,” Vanderbilt wing Mike James-who was on the Louisville team that lost to Lennie Acuff’s Bisons in 2022-23–said. “They run a lot of good offense, like a Princeton-style offense. They’re nothing to look over. It’s going to be a very important game for us.”
Lipscomb is projected to finish between fifth and seventh in the ASUN in most preseason polls as it relies on Lubbock Christian transfer Ethan Duncan, former Wisconsin walk-on Ross Candelino and preseason All-ASUN center Charlie Williams to run the show. It’s the David to the Goliath that is this Vanderbilt team–which will have it beat across the board in positional size and general talent.
This Lipscomb team knows that it will likely board the bus at Allen Arena and step off of it at Memorial Gymnasium as significant underdogs. If it’s going to find a way to win, it will have to shoot above 40% from 3-point range, catch Vanderbilt off guard in transition at times and will have to hold its own on the glass against this Vanderbilt team that has it beat in physicality.
Vanderbilt expects to win, but isn’t writing off what Carroll’s group can do.
“Tough game right away, they give you challenges right away,” Byington said. “Great program and a new coach who’s going to keep it running the same way Lennie did.”
Acuff was an annual 20-game winner at Lipscomb, made the NCAA Tournament and ultimately moved on to a traditionally better job, but he never did what Carroll was able to accomplish this offseason. Despite his best efforts, the former Lipscomb coach could never get his team on the same floor as the SEC team down the street.
Lipscomb’s players have gotten to know some of Vanderbilt’s over the years through a Nashville basketball Bible study, some have attended Vanderbilt home games at Memorial Gymnasium at Memorial Gymnasium and there’s been a connection of sorts as a result of former Vanderbilt center Liam Robbins’ brother Declan’s time as a student manager under Acuff. There’s always been a separation of sorts between the two programs, though.
On Monday they’ll both be on the same floor, though.
“It’s a great way for Nashville to celebrate the opening of the season,” Carroll said. “I know our fanbase is excited and their fanbase is equally excited to get the season started because of the expectations that they have there going into year two of coach Byington. We’re excited about our team, they’re excited about their team. It’s a great way to get things tipped off here.”
Every ticket in Lipscomb’s allotment of tickets for Monday’s game is accounted for at this stage, perhaps that more than anything indicates the significance of this team taking this stage.
Perhaps it’s just a box for this Vanderbilt team to check as it looks to find its way to the NCAA Tournament for the second-consecutive season, but the stage that it provides means something to its opposition.
“The ability to glorify God at Lipscomb and in the city of nashville first game of the year, i couldn’t take any credit for myself just seeing how God orchestrated my story to have me here,” Duncan said. “I'm ready to compete at the level I know I belong. Being here for this season of my life is an opportunity I only want to use to Glorify the Lord.”
The reflection could end quickly for this Lipscomb team as Vanderbilt looks to take it down as favorites well into double digits. Barring a stellar Lipscomb performance, this is more about Vanderbilt than it is its neighbor down the street.
“They’re gonna give us their best shot,” Vanderbilt big man Jalen Washington said, “And they’re gonna get ours.”
_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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