Vanderbilt Basketball Reaps the Benefits of Quick Transfer Adjustment in win Over UCF; Column

In college basketball math, this part of the equation that Vanderbilt basketball is using to solve its figurative problem generally dormant net out positive results. But, it appears as if it’s working for Mark Byington and company.

Byington and his group of seven transfers passed their first litmus test on Saturday as they took down UCF in Orlando and have given no reason to believe that’s a fluke. The Commodores knocked off a good Virginia team in an exhibition, ran UAB–in an exhibition–and Lipscomb off the floor and are passing all the peripheral tests as well.

Who knows how this all ends–and Byington still says his team is a “work in progress”--but this doesn’t have the look of a team that’s full of transfers and played its first game together earlier this week.

This group shares the ball far too well for that to be the perception. It appears to have role allocation defined too well for a naked eye to tell its familiarity with each other. Perhaps a player or two still has to find how they fit into this thing, but the intention in which Byington has built this thing appears to be showing up.

The Commodores didn’t leave all that much doubt on Saturday afternoon as they shot 55.9% from the field, 38.9% from 3-point range, turned it over just six times, led for 36:28 and picked up right where they left off after an 100-point showing in Monday’s opener against Lipscomb. Perhaps the final score wasn’t quite as jarring as Monday’s 105-61 win was, but it was an equally impressive showing of what this Vanderbilt team appears to be made of.

“This is the most connected team I've ever been on,” Vanderbilt wing Tyler Harris–who is on his third school–said after the Commodores’ first exhibition game. “Everybody likes each other, is cheering each other on. When you care about someone making shots or something like that, it goes a long way.”

Harris is one of four Vanderbilt players that is on his third school, but appears to like his fit on this Vanderbilt roster and in Byington’s system more than any of his previous stops. Byington has been intentional in regard to finding players that can fit into specific roles, but not boxing them into a preconceived conception of what each individual can do by experimenting continually throughout the summer.

It’s a strategy that could often result in some growing pains, but Byington has proven to accelerate builds more quickly than just about anyone since taking the Vanderbilt job prior to the 2024-25 season. The Commodores finished non-conference play 13-1 last season and moved their NET ranking high enough to be in a favorable position come NCAA Tournament time.

This Vanderbilt team still has plenty to prove, but appears to be more talented than it was last season. At the very least, this group appears to be made of the right stuff.

“It's a learning experience and they're learning from each other,” Byington said prior to the season. “They want to get better. They want to be good. So the stuff that you're seeing right now, it's good, but it's going to get way better with experience and being able to learn with each other.”

Nov 3, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Mark Byington yells to his team against the Lipscomb Bisons during the first half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The fit and role allocation piece of this is rivaled by the experience that Byington brought in this offseason in regard to the most important factor in the rise of his second team. Vanderbilt is 10th in the country in Division-I experience and more than a year over the Division-I average in average player experience despite rostering a three-man freshman class.

It’s early in West End–as evidenced by Saturday’s figurative butt whooping of UCF being overshadowed by a football game–but this Vanderbilt team thinks it has what it takes to be a factor. It hasn’t shown anything that would indicate otherwise, either.

“I feel like Coach B and the staff did very well by putting us together like everybody knows the transfer reporter coming in bring a lot of older guys, younger guys, a little mixture is be a headache,” Vanderbilt guard Duke Miles said, “But Coach did good by getting good character guys, that have good habits. We all hang with each other. We all support each other. It's just a brotherhood.”