24. Vanderbilt (15-3)
It’s pretty remarkable what a breath of fresh air a coaching change can be to a program. Vanderbilt is flying high under first-year head coach Mark Byington and this is only the beginning for the Commodores. They did great work against a weak schedule in nonconference play, but they earned their way into these rankings with their performance this week against this strong SEC.
Coming off two tough losses last week, the Commodores bounced back on Wednesday with a 66-63 win against South Carolina. It wasn’t the prettiest thing, but AJ Hoggard scored 14 points and Vanderbilt survived despite horrid shooting outside the arc. Saturday’s performance was the clear highlight of the season to date, as Vanderbilt won 76-75 over in-state rival Tennessee, knocking down a Top 10 opponent on their home floor. Jason Edwards led the way with 18 points while Jaylen Carey had a double-double off the bench.
Whether or not this truly is a team that could make a run this season Vanderbilt has impressed based on what we’ve seen from this program in recent years. Their most efficient performance on offense came when they needed it most against the Volunteers but what matters is where they go from here. The schedule is murderous going forward, with Alabama and Kentucky on the agenda for next week.