24. Vanderbilt (22-7)
The Commodores were one of the final unbeaten teams this season, not losing until a tough loss at Texas nearly halfway through January. The SEC is filled with unique challenges and hard contests, and we’ve certainly seen this team tested time and time again. While they have nice wins over Alabama, Kentucky, and others, the losses have piled up in recent weeks, including a pair of close ones last week.
A strong effort got the Commodores back on track this week, winning 88-80 over Georgia on Wednesday. Six different Vanderbilt players scored in double figures, including 17 points and 10 rebounds from Devin McGlockton in the win. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t slow down a revenge-seeking Kentucky team on Saturday afternoon, falling 91-77 in Lexington. Tyler Tanner had 19 points and Jalen Washington added 16 points and 7 rebounds but Kentucky’s offense was on fire for most of the day.
With losses in three of their last four games, the Commodores are certainly falling out of contention and hurting themselves when it comes to Selection Sunday. Their metrics are still pretty great and we’re not expecting that kind of defensive showing to repeat itself, but you likely won’t see many ranking Vanderbilt next week. They have a major opportunity to turn things around with road games at Ole Miss and Tennessee to conclude the regular season.