Vanderbilt Doesn't Want To Be Called Little Brother Anymore, And It Shouldn't Be. Column
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NASHVILLE—In his first seconds of darkness since going to battle on the floor at Bridgestone Arena as if he was a gladiator fighting for honor, Tyler Nickel ran past the cameras and let out a scream as if he’d just begun to fathom what Vanderbilt did.
A week ago in Knoxville, Nickel didn’t need as long to let out a declaration that Vanderbilt had done what it came to Thompson-Boling Arena to do in its first win there since the 2016-2017 season. On Friday, though, Nickel may have been overcome with deja vu.
Vanderbilt had just taken down Tennessee for the second time in a week and had won the season series against the Volunteers for the first time since 2016. Perhaps Nickel’s delayed reaction didn’t have as much to do with his deja vu as it did Nickel knowing that this was coming.
The general summation of a number of interviews that Nickel conducted postgame on Friday and in Knoxville on Saturday was that he and this Vanderbilt team expected this. Vanderbilt’s players clearly believed that they should’ve swept Tennessee. They didn’t do that, but they proved on Friday that they’re the best college basketball team in the state.
They always believed that, but now they’ve got something to quantify their theory with. They’ve got room to speak, too. And speak Nickel did.
“The narrative of being the little brother in Tennessee or whatever,” Nickel told Vandy on SI, “We’re not hearing that. So, we got it done.”
Vanderbilt is now 3-2 against Tennessee in the Mark Byington era after Friday’s rubber match, and is on track to be one of if not the first core group in their lifetimes to decisively have the edge in this series.
At the very least, they’re not intimidated by this Tennessee team in any way. Nickel went at former Vanderbilt forward Jaylen Carey on the floor on Friday. Vanderbilt has never gone away easily when Tennessee’s made a run over its past two run ins with the Volunteers, either.
They don’t believe that’s an activity that would indicate its standing as the little brother in this series.
“We’re big bro now,” Vanderbilt wing Chandler Bing told Vandy on SI. “We’re not going for none of that little bro stuff.”
Perhaps this matchup indicated that Bing isn’t all that far off more than any matchup between the teams this season. This was on a neutral site–which leaned more towards Tennessee in the crowd. Tennessee was as close to full strength as it’s been at any point in the matchups between these two teams. The Volunteers also got their way on the glass, and it didn’t matter.
This was Vanderbilt’s day and it wasn’t going to let Tennessee take it from it. It wasn’t going to let it take this series or the informal title of best team in this rivalry, either. It certainly wasn’t going to let Carey emerge as a winner.
“It hurts it more when it's Vandy, for sure,” Carey said postgame. “But, we gotta move on and get ready for March Madness."
Byington said postgame that this Vanderbilt team played aggressive and was attacking for the entirety of Friday’s game. As a result of their mentality, he said, it was fun to coach this group as it emerged as victors at Bridgestone Arena.
The Vanderbilt coach says the two teams were evenly matched this season, but his group’s 83-77 win over Tennessee indicates that this thing is swinging Vanderbilt’s direction. That means something to this Vanderbilt team.
Perhaps the idea that a number of Vanderbilt’s players were acquired via the transfer portal would let on the belief that this group isn’t all that invested in the state of this rivalry. It is, though. Vanderbilt big man Jalen Washington says games like Friday’s are the type that he envisioned when he committed to Vanderbilt in the offseason. Nickel says this “feels good” and continues to promote the narrative that he believes Vanderbilt is better than Tennessee. Vanderbilt forward Devin McGlockton also appeared to be sick of being considered the little brother in this series.
“There’s nothing better than beating Tennessee,” McGlockton told Vandy on SI. “Being able to do it twice is even better. I’m glad we got a shot at them. I didn’t want to just come out even with them. So I’m glad we got this second win.”
McGlockton doesn’t show it as a generally understated, low maintenance person. He says that this feels “amazing,” though. Prior to this season, McGlockton had a 1-1 record against Tennessee and was a part of a program that had often had troubles within this series.
Those days are gone for this Vanderbilt program, though. Nickel and McGlockton are no longer part of the core group that’s fallen in line with Tennessee. If nothing else stands out about their legacies at this place, it should be this.
This group is the one that’s turned this rivalry upside down. Whether Vanderbilt can build on this or not, it’s time to remember what happened on Friday forever, even if Vanderbilt doesn’t believe it’s all that much of a miracle.
“The better team won today,” Vanderbilt’s social media team said in a Tweet as if it was wrapping the night with the group’s battle cry.
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_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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