Vanderbilt Commodores Men’s Basketball Team Accomplishes Feat Not Done Since 2015

The Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team has done something not accomplished by the program in a decade.

Vanderbilt Commodores guard Tyler Tanner (3) heads up court after stealing the ball from Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) during their game at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There was a lot of skepticism surrounding the Vanderbilt Commodores men’s basketball team following their incredibly successful non-conference schedule.

They went 12-1, already winning more games in Year 1 under Mark Byington than the team was able to achieve in three out of the five seasons that Jerry Stackhouse, the man the former James Madison Dukes leader replaced, was head coach.

The skepticism was appropriate, as the team didn’t play a very daunting schedule. Their opponent’s average NET Ranking put them in the bottom 50 of the country in terms of difficulty, but the team winning any amount of games was a step in the right direction.

Conference play would provide a glimpse into just how legitimate the Commodores were.

There isn’t a conference as deep and talented as the SEC, which boasts some of the best programs in the nation.

In this week’s AP Top 25, four out of the top eight teams all hail from the SEC; the No. 1 ranked Auburn Tigers, No. 4 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, No. 5 ranked Florida Gators and No. 8 ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

A little further down the list are the Kentucky Wildcats, Texas A&M Aggies and Mississippi State Bulldogs, ranked Nos. 12, 13 and 14 respectively. The Missouri Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels come in at Nos. 20 and 23 respectively, bringing the SEC’s total up to eight.

Rounding things out for the conference as the ninth team to be ranked in the AP Top 25 is none other than Vanderbilt.

On the backs of another huge upset at Memorial Gymnasium, the Commodores have cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time since the week of Dec. 7, 2015, when they were No. 21 in the country.

A drought of nearly 10 years has been snapped by Byington and his squad, who have proven their start to the campaign was no fluke.

Vanderbilt is now 3-3 against Quad 1 opponents and 2-1 against Quad 2 opponents, more than holding their own against the best competition on their schedule. There will be plenty of more challenges lying ahead, as they have the toughest remaining schedule of any team in the nation.

Out of the 11 games they have remaining on their schedule, only four opponents are currently not ranked inside the top 25.

Road rematches with Kentucky and Tennessee lie ahead, as does a visit to Gainesville to take on the Gators. Auburn will pay a visit to Memorial Gymnasium as well, where the Commodores hope their incredible homecourt advantage will remain.

Vanderbilt has earned that No. 24 ranking and they will certainly have to continue working if they want to hold onto it and not be one-and-done inside the top 25.