Mark Byington Offers Optimism for What Vanderbilt's Ceiling Could Be

Vanderbilt is continuing to improve according to their head coach.

Jan 21, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Mark Byington talks with his team during a timeout in the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Coleman Coliseum | Will McLelland-Imagn Images

Coming off their upset win over Tennessee, it seemed like everything was starting to move in the right direction for Vanderbilt.

After they dominated their nonconference schedule against weak opponents, they finally had some struggles when they got into SEC play, dropping two in a row after beating LSU, before winning two straight until they got bludgeoned against Alabama.

Considering the Crimson Tide are one of the best teams in the country, no one was overly miffed that this Commodores roster couldn't keep up.

But, it does show there is still gap between themselves and some of the top programs in the conference.

Vanderbilt is on track to make the NCAA Tournament after beating Tennessee, however, if they have more performances going forward like the one they just had against Alabama, they could find themselves on the outside looking in very soon.

Fortunately, head coach Mark Byington thinks this team is about to turn the corner.

"We're figuring out our roles better. The exciting thing for me is I don't think we're close to how good we can get," he said per Joey Dwyer of 247Sports.

Considering this is a roster mostly made up of transfers, it makes sense as to why there have been some growing pains throughout the campaign with many of the players still getting familiar with each other.

Byington called out their offense after they regressed following being one of the most prolific scoring teams in the country during the early stages of the campaign.

Facing tougher competition is certainly a factor, but after some time navigating the SEC style of play, it seems like their offense could start getting back to what they once were.

"If you look at the second half of the last two games, I think it's been better," the head coach added.

They're certainly going to need better offense against Kentucky on Saturday.

The Wildcats are one of the top scoring teams in the country, so this will be an opportunity for Vanderbilt to showcase some of the improved offense that has made its way onto the court recently.

With another marquee win, the Commodores could punch their ticket to March Madness.