Vanderbilt Basketball Makes History With AP Top 25 Ranking

Vanderbilt basketball is ranked the highest it's been since the 2011-12 season.

Dec 3, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Mark Byington talks with guard Tyler Tanner (3) and guard Frankie Collins (1) against the Southern Methodist University Mustangs during the first half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt basketball is ranked No. 15 in the AP Top 25, per the Monday afternoon release of the poll. 

The Commodores moved up two spots from their No. 17 ranking last week after an 88-69 win over SMU that indicated that they can win without a strong performance from 3-point range. The No. 15 ranking is the program’s highest since its preseason ranking of No. 9 in 2011-2012. Vanderbilt will face Central Arkansas on Saturday as it looks to move to 10-0. 

“We have a chance to have a good team,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said after the Commodores’ opener. “When you’re a coach you want hope for the season, you want optimism for the season. Some people lie about it, but I can say the truth and say I’m excited about this group. We’ll get better and better.”

Vanderbilt has put itself among the nation’s elite as a result of its 9-0 start to the season that includes wins over SMU, Saint Mary’s, VCU, UCF, Western Kentucky and four buy-game opponents. The Commodores’ rèsumè is among the strongest in all of college basketball as a result of their upper-quad wins as well as their drastic margin of victory in non-power five games.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Vanderbilt guard Duke Miles said after the Commodores’ Battle 4 Atlantis win over Saint Mary’s . “We’re trying to get to the end goal and March to be out there playing for a national championship, so that’s the main goal.” 

As Vanderbilt looks to take a leap in 2025-26–Byington’s second year at the helm–it does so with a roster including just three returning scholarship players in Tyler Tanner, Devin McGlockton and Tyler Nickel. All three of which are expected to have significant roles on a team that possesses an eight-man transfer class headlined by TCU point guard Frankie Collins, North Carolina big man Jalen Washington, Washington wing Tyler Harris, Miles and Cornell wing AK Okereke. 

Vanderbilt finished last season with its first NCAA Tournament berth since the 2016-17 season after a 20-win season, but this team has all the signs of being better than that one.

“The priority this recruiting season was to gain some more length, size,” Vanderbilt assistant coach Xavier Joyner told Vandy on SI over the summer. “We knew going into last year we were maybe the smallest team in the SEC regarding length, size so we wanted to upgrade that, which we did.”