08. Vanderbilt Commodores
2024-25 Record: 20-13 (8-10 SEC)
Mark Byington already did in his first season what many Vanderbilt coaches have struggled to do - make the NCAA Tournament. And even though the Commodores were bounced in their opening round game, Byington set the program up for success for the future. Nearly everyone on the roster was added from the transfer portal, so there was absolutely no continuity from the prior coaching staff, which might have played a big role in the success.
However, Byington isn’t starting from scratch this season. Double-digit scores, Tyler Nickel and Devin McGlockton return to provide a solid core to build around. And unlike last season, Vanderbilt landed a handful of transfers from power conference teams to round out its roster. The biggest additions were Frankie Collins (11.2 ppg) from TCU, Tyler Harris (11.8 ppg) from Washington, and Duke Miles (9.4 ppg) from Oklahoma. The Commodores also added AK Okereke (13.6 ppg, 4.1 apg) from the Mid Major Ranks.
Vanderbilt struggled in some games last season due to its complete lack of size, but Byington added a couple of decent bigs, Jalen Washington from North Carolina and Mason Nicholson from Jacksonville State, from the transfer portal, which should have an immediate impact on the Commodores' ability to defend the rim.
I like the pieces that Byington has assembled this season. He pushed the pace last season to compensate for his lack of size, which worked for his roster. It will definitely hurt not to have Jason Edwards as the team's leading scorer, but Vanderbilt should have a much more balanced offense this season, meaning that the Commodores shouldn’t need to rely solely on a single player to keep the offense moving.
Vanderbilt hasn’t had this much hype going into a college basketball season in quite some time. I was completely sold on Mark Byington last season. His first season at Vanderbilt could only be categorized as a success - winning 20 games and earning an NCAA Tournament bid - with a roster that wasn’t chalk full of power conference talent. Just imagine what he could do with a team filled with P5 caliber players.