Where Does Vanderbilt Basketball's Rèsumè Stand After Three-Consecutive Losses?
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Mark Byington’s Vanderbilt team is 16-3, but has plenty of problems it has to sort out before it takes the floor again on Saturday against Mississippi State. It’s been that type of week for the Commodores–who have lost three in a row.
The Commodores take the floor on Saturday as the No. 15 team in the AP Top with a top 10 offense in KenPom as well as the No. 13 defense. Vanderbilt’s last three performances indicate that its rèsumè may not be as strong as it initially seemed, though.
Vanderbilt’s latest loss–a 93-68 trouncing by Arkansas, which Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington called embarrassing–emphasizes its need for change and could be considered an indicator that it may be limited. This group still believes it has something, though.
“We have a chance to have a good team,” 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.”
As Vanderbilt has taken a leap 2025-26–Byington’s second year at the helm–it’s does so with a roster including just three returning scholarship players in Tyler Tanner, Devin McGlockton and Nickel. All three of which have taken on 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 transfer Tyler Harris, Miles and Cornell wing AK Okereke.
“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.”
That class has given the Commodores a chance to be a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament than they’ve ever been. Here’s where their rèsumè stands these days.
Quad wins and losses:
Quad 1A: 1-2
Wins: Alabama
Losses: Florida, Arkansas
Quad 1: 4-3
Wins: Alabama, UCF, Saint Mary’s, Wake Forest
Losses: Texas, Arkansas, Florida
Quad 2: 4-0
Wins: LSU, VCU, Memphis, South Carolina, SMU
Quad 3: 2–0
Lipscomb, Western Kentucky
Quad 4: 5-0
Eastern Kentucky, Texas Southern, Arkansas Pine Bluff, Central Arkansas, New Haven
Other valuable metrics:
NET: 16th
Torvik: 16th
KenPom: 16th
Strength of record: 15th
KPI: 9th
Wins above bubble: 12th
BPI: 18th
NCSOS: 138th
_(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, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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