Vanderbilt basketball is projected to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 after wins over Tennessee and Kentucky.
The Commodores (16-4, 4-3 SEC) are not yet a tournament lock. Vanderbilt, after all, did not make the NCAA Tournament in 2023 after two wins over Kentucky and one against Tennessee. But this team’s resume is better than that of the 2022-23 team, and analytics website Bart Torvik gave the Commodores a 78.5% chance of earning an at-large bid, with a projected No. 9 seed.
Coach Mark Byington is in his first season after replacing Jerry Stackhouse following a 9-23 season in 2023-24. Vanderbilt was fined a total of $750,000 for storming the court after the Tennessee and Kentucky wins.
Here’s where Vanderbilt is projected:
ESTES Vanderbilt, finally, got serious about winning in the SEC. And it’s showing | Estes
Vanderbilt basketball standing in latest bracketology
As of Jan. 28
ESPN: No. 9 seed, facing No. 8 seed Gonzaga in Milwaukee
CBS Sports: No. 8 seed, facing No. 9 seed UCF in Raleigh
USA TODAY: No. 9 seed, facing No. 8 seed UCLA in Raleigh
On3: No. 9 seed, facing No. 8 seed Saint Mary’s in Wichita
Vanderbilt basketball NCAA Tournament resume
On the plus side, Vanderbilt has two marquee wins, against Tennessee and Kentucky, that should continue to age well. The Commodores have good metrics, ranking No. 37 in the NET, No. 44 in KenPom and No. 38 in Torvik. They are a perfect 11-0 in Quad 3 and Quad 4 games.
One negative aspect of Vanderbilt’s resume is that the Commodores played one of the easiest non-conference schedules among power-conference teams. They also lack even a single win away from home against a projected NCAA Tournament team.
Vanderbilt basketball poll rankings
Vanderbilt is ranked No. 24 in the AP poll and is unranked in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. It’s the Commodores’ first time being ranked in the AP poll since the 2015-16 season.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt basketball bracketology: Latest March Madness projections
