Mark Byington Put His First Stamp on Vanderbilt Tenure With Rivalry Game Victory

After beating Tennessee, Mark Byington has officially put his stamp on his Vanderbilt tenure.

Vanderbilt Commodores Head Coach Mark Byington works the sideline against the Tennessee Volunteers during their game at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Those in Nashville, and those who are fans of Vanderbilt basketball, know what this team has accomplished early in the season, but they were largely flying under the radar nationally because of their lack of top-notch wins.

That was clear when a Bracketology projection had them on the bubble as one of the first teams out of the NCAA Tournament.

But after their win against Tennessee, that is no longer the case.

The Commodores took down the Volunteers, one of the best teams in the country who came into this contest ranked No. 6 overall.

It was a huge victory for the program, not just putting themselves in a great position to make the NCAA Tournament with a signature win, but also because this was the first real stamp that new head coach Mark Byington has put on his tenure.

Vanderbilt hired Byington away from James Madison after he put together a historic season for the Dukes, and even though he was generating plenty of excitement in Nashville based on how the team was performing, beating Tennessee in his first opportunity when they were ranked inside the top 10 is a massive statement.

The Commodores don't have a rich history on the hardcourt.

They've only made the NCAA Tournament 15 times, reached the Sweet Sixteen on six occasions and the Elite Eight just once which occurred in 1965.

Byington knows all about coaching at programs that aren't necessarily focused on basketball.

At Georgia Southern from 2013-2020, he amassed a 131-97 overall record. He had four seasons where they won 20-plus games and finished third or better in the Sun Belt Conference four times. He then moved to James Madison, going 82-36 there during his four years, winning an NCAA Tournament game and Sun Belt Tournament title.

Now, Byington has taken his impressive resume to Vanderbilt with similar results.

If he can get the Commodores into the March Madness field, that will be the first time since 2017.

Beating Tennessee was the first step in making sure that becomes a reality, and it was also the first signature moment for the new head coach in a tenure that could be full of them.