25. Vanderbilt (21-6)
The way Vanderbilt started this season really caught national attention and there’s a good reason why. Nobody can ignore a 16-0 start, especially with some impressive wins over teams like Alabama and SMU. A few tough efforts later on have sunken their star but this team is still one of those few contenders in the SEC. After all, they look pretty great in wins over Auburn and Texas A&M last weekend so who knows what could come next.
What came next was a tough road loss, as Vanderbilt fell 81-80 at Missouri to begin their week. Tyler Tanner was fantastic with 27 points but it wasn’t enough in Columbia. Their recent issues compounded over the weekend, with the Commodores falling at home in a 69-65 battle against rival Tennessee. Tanner led the scoring with 16 points while Duke Miles added 12 points and 6 assists off the bench, but they fell for the second time this week.
Let’s not let these recent struggles destroy Vanderbilt’s brilliance to start the year. After all, this team had won five of their last six before a rough week but that doesn’t torpedo their recent strides. They’re hanging onto this national ranking by a thread and have basically fallen out of the SEC race but can still prove themselves these next few weeks. They’ll host Georgia on Wednesday before a tough rematch at Kentucky.