No. 12 Vanderbilt Basketball Comeback Falls Short to No. 13 Texas In First Round of SEC Tournament

The Commodores couldn't overcome a slow offensive start in Nashville and lost to a hungry Longhorns team.

Mar 12, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard MJ Collins Jr. (2) goes under the arm of Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson (20) during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

It was one and done in the SEC Tournament for 12-seed Vanderbilt (20-12, 8-11) in Nashville as a desperate 13-seeded Texas (18-14, 7-12) jumped on top of the Commodores in the first half and cruised to a 79-72 Longhorn win.

Texas entered the game on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble and the Longhorns got after it on the glass out rebounding the Commodores 24-14 in the first half, including six offensive rebounds for seven second-chance points to help Texas take a 41-26 lead into the break. Texas' physicality showed up in the first half with a 22-16 advantage with points in the paint, but also got Vanderbilt into foul trouble as the Longhorns were 12-of-17 at the line to the 'Dores seven-of-nine in the first half.

Vanderbilt battled throughout the second frame and cut the lead to single digits with two minutes left in the second half but couldn't complete the comeback, closing the gap to as few as seven but running out of gas.

The Commodores offense shot just 41 percent in Bridgestone Arena, and the rims were especially unkind from deep as Vanderbilt converted just three-of-19 from beyond the arc. The shooting issues were specific to the first half as Vanderbilt made just 31 percent from the floor in the first frame to 51 percent in the second.

Vanderbilt forward Jaylen Carey, normally a significant contributor for the Commodores, only played 12 minutes and didn't score on two shots or get a single rebound, while accumulating three fouls as he was representative of the 'Dores being out of sorts Wednesday.

The Commodores were led offensively by Jason Edwards with 20 points on six-of-13 shooting and was two-of-four from beyond the arc. Tyler Nickel was next with 14 points but was just one-of-seven from deep, leaving points on the table for Vanderbilt. Forward Devin McGlocton recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds but battled foul trouble throughout the game.

Texas freshman superstar Tre Johnson and veteran guard Tramon Mark led to Longhorns offensively with 19 points each. The pair paced the Longhorns to the free throw line as they combined for 13-of-17 from the stripe and the team went 25-of-34.

Vanderbilt entered the SEC Tournament projected anywhere between a nine and an 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The opening round loss to the Longhorns puts the Commodores' resume to the test on Selection Sunday against the rest of the field.

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