Live Blog: No. 19 Vanderbilt Basketball vs. Tennessee

The first matchup of the season in this heated rivalry tips off Saturday in Nashville.

Feb 14, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores forward Devin McGlockton (99) and forward Tyler Nickel (5) reacts after a made three point basket against the Texas A&M Aggies during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

It may be earlier in the day, but fans in Nashville have been getting warmed up and ready for today’s game between Vanderbilt and Tennessee all week long. It is the first meetup between the Commodores and the Volunteers this season in a rivalry that has gained more attention over the past couple of seasons.

Vanderbilt comes in off a heartbreak loss to Missouri, where it fell just short of a 21-point comeback. Vanderbilt fell to 8-5 in SEC play and made the stakes of today’s game arguably higher in terms of postseason seeding for the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile Tennessee rolls into Nashville winners of seven of its last eight games. The Volunteers have seemed to hit their stride and play some of their best basketball of the season right now. Tennessee sits a game ahead of Vanderbilt in the SEC, but the Commodores are hoping to change that.

One note heading into this game that helps Vanderbilt is the return of shooting guard Duke Miles. Miles has missed the last six games with a knee injury and Vanderbilt’s backcourt showed vulnerabilities in his absence. With Miles’ return, Vanderbilt is getting a guy that has scored over 16 points a game and has the ability to steal the ball away.

Vanderbilt has a difficult stretch to finish the season, including traveling to Tennessee March 7. A win today would help get Vanderbilt back into the double-bye conversation for the SEC Tournament. A loss would make the path to a top four spot in the conference much more difficult.

It will be a game of a fast Vanderbilt offense against a Tennessee team that can rebound the basketball and takes its time when on offense. Two very different play styles collide in Memorial Gymnasium.

Tipoff between Vanderbilt and Tennessee is set for 1 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Follow the live blog here for live updates from today’s Vanderbilt-Tennessee game.

Live Blog

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2nd Half

• Oh my goodness Duke Miles just nailed a circus shot for three. It looked like he may have been fouled on the shot too, but there was no call. Vanderbilt leads 63-60 with 2:23 to go.

• Tennessee calls timeout after Tyler Nickel drills an open three to give Vanderbilt a 58-57 lead with 4:43 three. The crowd is very much into this game.

• Tennessee is on a 13-4 run and now leads 55-53 with 7:25 to go. The momentum has swung to Tennessee and the Tennessee fans that showed up have gotten louder over the past few minutes. Vanderbilt is going to have to find a way to punch back here.

• The momentum has certainly swung toward Tennessee's way. It is a 9-2 Tennessee run and the crowd in orange just went crazy for a Vanderbilt offenisve foul. 51 all. with 9:30 to go.

• Duke Miles just drained a three in Jaylen Carey's face to make it 49-42 Vanderbilt.

• Tyler Tanner ends the field goal drought with a ridiculous fadeaway three-pointer. Vanderbilt leads 40-39.

• There's a lid on the basketball for Vanderbilt right now. Still have not hit a shot since the 6:07 mark of the first half. Over eight minutes without a made shot.

1st Half

• HALF: Vanderbilt leads Tennessee 35-31 going into the locker room. Vanderbilt has been able to defend pretty well without getting into too much foul trouble while it has held its own on the boards decently.

• Vanderbilt has not hit a shot since the 6:07 mark. There are only 22.4 seconds before half. 35-31 Vanderbilt.

• Vanderbilt has gone cold, missing seven shots in a row. 34-29 Tennessee with 1:04 to go before half. It's been close to four minutes since Vanderbilt has scored.

• Both Boswell and Okpara have two fouls for Tennessee. That is big for Vanderbilt since Okpara has been great in the paint today and Boswell is a great defending guard for the Volunteers. Vanderbilt leads 34-25 with 4:30 left in the first half.

• Vanderbilt has done a terrific job of defending Nate Ament so far. He's 1-for-4 with four points thus far. It will be difficult to keep him quiet all day long though.

• Vanderbilt has its largest lead of the game at 25-21. Vanderbilt has started to pick it up defensively, putting more pressure on Tennessee's ball handlers and it has created a couple of turnovers.

• Chandler Bing hits back-to-back threes and gives Vanderbilt the lead back 18-17. Both teams are shooting the ball well. Vanderbilt is 4/5 from three.

• Duke Miles returns to the floor for the first time since Jan. 24.

• It is a very intense first few minutes here as Tennessee leads 9-8. Devin McGlockton's got two threes and there have been predictably plenty of boos thrown toward Jaylen Carey.

Pregame

• Memorial Gymansium did leave an open seat for Tennessee beat writer Wes Rucker, who was tragically passed away in an accident earlier this week. It is certainly a beautiful gesture by the staff here in Memorial as we all keep his family and those who knew Wes Rucker in our prayers.

• Vanderbilt did make the cut in the top 16 for today's NCAA Tournament bracket preview. Vanderbilt is a 4 seed in the East Region.

• Seats have begun to fill up in Memorial. There is a good chunk of orange in the crowd right now as we hit 35 minutes until tipoff.

• Players for both teams are on the floor warming up. The crowd today should be very interesting to see. What will the crowd split be between Vanderbilt and Tennessee fans? Commodore fans cannot allow today’s game to turn into a Tennessee home game.

• Vanderbilt Commodores On SI is back in-house for Vanderbilt’s game as the Commodores take on Tennessee in what should be a very heated, intense game. There are plenty of stakes here as the two teams get ready to play. The fact this game is on primetime ESPN and is being called by the great Dick Vitale should be enough to explain how big this game is.