Inside Vanderbilt Basketball's Pursuit to Win Without Duke Miles and Frankie Collins

Vanderbilt basketball is 3-0 this season when it's been without Miles and Collins. Here's how.

Jan 31, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Chandler Bing (7), forward Ak Okereke (10), and Mississippi Rebels guard Ilias Kamardine (6) fight for the loose ball during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE—With 4:54 to go in Vanderbilt’s Saturday’s slugfest with Ole Miss, Ilias Kamardine threw in a layup to cut the Vanderbilt lead to four. Chris Beard’s Ole Miss team wasn’t going away and had Vanderbilt on the ropes. 

Vanderbilt needed a few heroic plays in order to find a way to leave Memorial Gymnasium with a win on Saturday, but a few of its primary heroes had their powers zapped. Instead of coming to the rescue, Vanderbilt guard Duke Miles was sitting on the bench in a grey beanie, a grey sweatsuit and a pair of black Ugg’s that he pushed against the floor as he went to grab his crutch a few moments later. Its other veteran guard Frankie Collins sat in a similar sweatsuit with a pair of Asics running shoes lining his feet rather than basketball shoes. 

Thus is life these days for this Vanderbilt team. 

Jan 31, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores forward Ak Okereke (10) lays the ball in against the Mississippi Rebels during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Like it or not, If it was going to escape Saturday with a win, Vanderbilt was going to have to do it with the group that was on the floor. That group included Tyler Tanner–who was being keyed in on by Ole Miss’ defense–Tyler Nickel–who received some of the same attention–as well as a few options that it generally wouldn’t turn to like it has recently. Chandler Bing played 22 minutes, Mike James played 26, Jayden Leverett played seven and AK Okereke was tasked with taking control of Vanderbilt’s offense at times. That’s what this had to look like for this Vanderbilt team, though. That’s how this was going to work. 

Perhaps a number of those roles have been unfamiliar to those particular pieces of Vanderbilt’s roster since they arrived on its campus this summer, but they had to step into them. 

“We weren’t at our best,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said. “I started my pregame speech with the guys, and it was even more accurate at the end, and I said, whatever it takes to be won today." And I knew we weren't coming in this game at our best. Injuries, illnesses, fatigue, just a lot of things going on and oldness fought really hard and we knew they were going to play that way. We just had to figure out somehow, some way to be able to win the game.”

Turns out this Vanderbilt team did that for the second-consecutive time without Miles and Collins and its third total time this season. This one was different than the first two, though. Vanderbilt’s blowout wins over Kentucky and New Haven included a show from Tanner and Nickel as well as no real late-game pressure on its spot starters and back-end rotation pieces. 

Jan 31, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores forward Ak Okereke (10) mishandles the ball against the Mississippi Rebels during the first half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Vanderbilt needed everything it got in Okereke’s 17-point performance on Saturday, though. It needed every shot that James–who made what ended up being the game-sealing 3–made. It needed everything that Leverett gave it off the bench. Turns out, Vanderbilt got it. 

“We’re a deep team,” Okereke told Vandy on SI. “We’ve really talked about our depth, both offensively and defensively from the beginning since June and it’s turning out for us. When you have guys like that go out there and are not able to withstand that stuff, so that’s what makes us special.” 

Miles underwent a knee scope on Wednesday that had him on a crutch as he walked around the floor at Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday, his absence is expected to last a somewhat significant amount of time, although not as long as Collins’ has. Collins has been medically cleared and has practiced, multiple sources told Vandy on SI, but his practices have to go well–and his knee has to avoid swelling–in order for Vanderbilt to feel comfortable playing him again. 

Vanderbilt can’t withstand the absences of their two veteran guards for all that long, but it has proven that it has something here–even without them. That’s been the practical difference in a few games. 

“I think we can play any way we have to,” Tanner said. “We’re confident that whatever game we have to play, whether it’s low or high scoring, we can win.”