Vanderbilt Will Happily Pay Hefty Fine for Court Storming After Upsetting Tennessee

The Vanderbilt Commodores entered SEC play with a chip on their shoulder, looking to prove their legitimacy.

Their non-conference schedule wasn’t daunting, as they had a bottom 50 opponent average NET Ranking in the country. The team went 12-1, which was quite an accomplishment given how many struggles existed under the previous head coach, Jerry Stackhouse.

Out of the gate in SEC play, the team was 2-2 heading into a truly daunting stretch of games.

Starting with their matchup at Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday against the Tennessee Volunteers, Vanderbilt’s seven out of the next nine contests were against teams ranked in the top 10 of the country.

If they were going to prove they belonged in the conversation as an NCAA Tournament team, this was their opportunity to show that.

So far so good, as they made the most of the matchup against their rivals, who entered the game ranked No. 6 in the nation.

The Commodores picked up a 76-75 upset victory, moving to 15-3 overall and 3-2 in SEC play. After the game, their fans stormed the court, resulting in a massive $250,000 fine from the Southeastern Conference.

Because they are a repeat offender, as their first fine came when fans stormed the football field following a 40-35 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide, the total was increased; the football fan storming cost the school $100,000.

Any other fines handed down by the conference will cost $500,000 and Vanderbilt should be happy to pay it should it occur again.

After years of being stuck in the doldrums of the conference, the Commodores are beginning to move up the ranks in both sports. They are no longer the cellar dwellers in years past since Clark Lea has the football team improving and Mark Byington has the men’s basketball team playing at its highest level in years.

Fans are buying in as well. The game against Tennessee was the first sellout at Memorial Gymnasium since 2019. It provided the team with a massive homecourt advantage, which they used to defeat the visiting Volunteers for the second time in two seasons.

The last time they defeated Tennessee was in 2023, when they were also the No. 6-ranked team in the country.

A raucous crowd will be present again at their next home game on Jan. 25 against the Kentucky Wildcats with that matchup already being announced as a sellout, too.

It is the first time since the 2011-12 season that back-to-back sellouts have occurred for Vanderbilt.

Another court-storming could occur if they pick up another upset victory, and it will be a fine the school will gladly pay since it means their athletic program is moving one step closer to snapping their NCAA Tournament drought, something that hasn’t been done since 2017.