Where Does Vanderbilt Stand in the NCAA Tournament Field After Auburn Loss?

Losing to a top five team in the country never hurts too bad, unless you almost win, right?

Vanderbilt guard Jason Edwards (1) loses the ball next to Auburn guard Chad Baker-Mazara (10) during the second half at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington put it best after his team's loss to Auburn last night.

"That team is really good," said Byington. "I'm not saying any breaking news."

Touché, coach. Touché.

However, when it comes to the actual game itself, how much does it hurt Vanderbilt going forward? In all reality, not that much, and when someone like a selection committee gets down to the nitty gritty, the fact that it was so close of a missed opportunity might benefit Vanderbilt in the long run.

Obviously, bracketology is typically analyzed on a daily basis, so by the time you're reading this, new information will be available. For right now, though, the last update was as of 9 a.m. yesterday morning, so let's dig deeper.

Kenpom, which is updated nearly immediately after every game, still has Vanderbilt as No. 46 overall. Auburn, however, sits right at the top at No. 1. In short, the loss to Auburn wouldn't hurt anyone in the country right now all that much, even less so for what Pomeroy's rankings consider to be the 46 best team in the country.

Before the loss, Vandy was predicted to be an 11 seed come selection Sunday, and not a soul on the college basketball landscape that didn't preview the game through gold colored glasses thought the Commodores would emerge from last night as winners, meaning that the result most likely won't affect Vanderbilt's tournament chances at all.

The NET rankings back up that sentiment, too. Vanderbilt ranked No. 42 there before the loss, and again, Auburn sits upon the mountaintop with the No. 1 spot. The loss pushed Vanderbilt's Q1 record to 2-6 overall, which will hurt Vanderbilt if the team doesn't manage a few more, but won't spell death for its NCAA Tournament hopes by any means.

Yes, any loss like last night's stings, but make no mistake about it - Vanderbilt is very much still in the field, and still has plenty of opportunity to help its case over the course of the next few weeks as selection Sunday inches nearer.