Last season, Vanderbilt made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years, the Commodores’ first appearance under head coach Mark Byington.
This season, Vandy has upped the ante.
The No. 11 Commodores (16-0, 3-0) tied their best start in program history with an 84-73 win over LSU (12-4, 0-3 SEC) on Saturday.
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Vanderbilt also started the 2007-08 season on a 16-game winning streak, winning 26 games during that span – the second-most in a single season in Commodores history – and earning a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, but surprisingly lost to Siena in the first round.
Those metrics suggest this year’s team is better suited to run.
In fact, according to KenPom, Kevin Stallings’ 07-08 lineup ranked 47th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 88th in adjusted defensive efficiency, while Byington’s team ranked fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency and 11th in adjusted defensive efficiency this season.
Vanderbilt has five players averaging more than 10 points per game, including three players averaging more than 14 points per game. The trio scored 56 points in Saturday’s win over LSU, a game that could have used leading scorer Dedan Thomas Jr., who is currently sidelined with a calf injury.
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Vandy sophomore guard Tyler Tanner led the way with 20 points. Power forward Tyler Nickel followed with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Graduate transfer guard Duke Myers, previously a transfer from Oklahoma State, High Point and Troy, scored 17 points and dished out five assists.
The Commodores also got nine rebounds from versatile senior forward Devin McGlockton, who is the team’s leading rebounder.
A closer look at Vanderbilt’s early success
The Commodores have only played one ranked opponent so far, but they took care of business in that game. Earlier this week, Vanderbilt defeated No. 13 Alabama 96-90 in Nashville.
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Of Vandy’s 16 wins, 13 were by double digits.
The Commodores take care of the ball. According to KenPom, their turnover rate is 13.5%, ranking 12th in the country. They only offer 10 giveaways per game.
Vanderbilt is shooting 36.8% from three-point range, ranking in the top 50 in that range this season. On the other hand, it ranks 13th nationally in block rate (15.3%) and 16th nationally in steal rate (13.4%), according to KenPom.
The Commodores won in many ways. They have enough experience and enough depth to make a run.
However, they will continue to be tested, with a handful of ranked opponents remaining in SEC play.
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Another recent shift in college sports
Vandy men’s basketball has a proud history. The Commodores have reached the Sweet Sixteen six times, including twice since the turn of the century and all the way to the Elite Eight in 1965.
But during a seven-season drought in the NCAA tournament from 2017-24, they failed five times, recording just nine wins three times.
Byington stepped in and immediately put Vanderbilt back in the AP poll and March Madness. The season before earning the Vandy job, he took James Madison to the dance.
While at JMU, Byington overlapped with current Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti, who built the Hoosiers into a national championship contender on the football field.
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Byrington’s turnaround isn’t as earth-shattering as Bloomington’s, nor as surprising as what Clark Lee accomplished during his time coaching Vanderbilt football — however, it’s still noteworthy, especially since the Commodores were undefeated on the hardwood into January.