Why Mark Byington Was Not Satisfied in Vanderbilt’s Win Over McNeese

Despite the win, Vanderbilt’s head coach felt like his team could have been much better.

Mar 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Mark Byington stands on the sidelines during the first half against the McNeese Cowboys during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

OKLAHOMA CITY – Vanderbilt was able to pick up its first NCAA Tournament win since 2012 in a 78-68 win over McNeese in the Round of 64 Thursday, but Commodores’ head coach Mark Byington was not totally pleased with his team’s performance.

The Commodores started the game off slow on both ends of the floor. McNeese came out of the gates hot – above its season averages for shooting percentage – and built up a lead that was as big as 11 points in the early going. 

The crowd and the momentum was strongly in McNeese’s hands as anxiety and tension could be felt from the Vanderbilt fans that were in attendance.

“I just don't think we were ourselves for the majority of the game, especially the start. I don't know if it was something going on from the hangover. I know our guys prepared well. They were excited to play. We just didn't have the normal bursts we did,” Byington said.

Vanderbilt has been a team this season where the starts of games are a strong indicator of the type of games the Commodores will be in for. In the games where Vanderbilt has jumped on its opponents early, it has done a great job of shutting the door early and burying teams. 

When things do not start well, that is where Vanderbilt has either lost games or had to go overcome adversity. Thursday was a prime example of overcoming adversity to win. The positive Byington takes out of that is that his team found a way to win a win-or-go-home game despite not playing up to its standard.

“What I really like is I don't think we had our best game, but the guys just figured out a way. We didn't look like ourselves today, and I'm glad we won with this version, because I don't think it was our best version,” Byington said. “We know we're going to need that going forward. This was a hard turnaround. We had Friday, Saturday, Sunday, SEC, and then played the earlier game here on Thursday. I think it's good to get this out of our system.”

Vanderbilt cannot afford to have a slow start in its Round of 32 matchup against No. 4 seed Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have been one of the best stories in college basketball this season, having its best season in program history.

But a big reason why Vanderbilt cannot afford a slow start is the crowd Vanderbilt will be dealing with. With Oklahoma City just six hours south of Lincoln, Nebraska the Paycom Center was a psuedo-Nebraska home game.

The sea of red was more than apparent when Nebraska played its first round game against No. 13 seed Troy. It is essentially a guarantee those same fans will be showing up Saturday.

“Yeah, how lucky are we that we're going to play basically a road game in the NCAA Tournament. So much for a neutral site. The first thing is when I walked in, I really didn't see the crowd. I went straight to the locker room. Andy Katz told me that's the best opening crowd he's ever seen in all his NCAA Tournaments,” Byington said.

Vanderbilt is going to have to be better against a Nebraska team that does not allow its opponents to shoot the three-point shot well. The Cornhuskers have also been one of the best teams in the country at handling the ball.

Vanderbilt’s effort was good enough to survive in advance, but Byington feels it will need to be firing on all cylinders in round two.

“I do hope we play better on Saturday. We're capable of better, and we're going to need to be better,” Byington said.

Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.