The best team you haven't watched yet: Vanderbilt
Amidst the chaos of Feast Week, the Vanderbilt Commodores snuck under the radar with two dominant, quality wins. Now, the Commodores boast one of the sport's best offenses and are metric darlings.
According to Kenpom and Evanmiya.com, Vanderbilt is the best team in the SEC. Both sites rank the Commodores ahead of Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee and even the defending national champions, Florida. The ‘Dores are 8-0 and absolutely ran over two quality opponents on the way to a Battle 4 Atlantis title. Here’s what you need to know about the 2025-26 Vanderbilt team and if it really can be a championship-level force.
The roster
I never trust a team that totally relies on new players. For example, I didn’t like when Kentucky would bring in a new starting five of freshmen every year or when teams nowadays build their entire roster out of the portal. I believe continuity and culture matter in order to win conference and national championships.
Vanderbilt rides that line beautifully, bringing back the heart of last year’s team while adding a collection of experienced and talented transfers.
Vandy relies on eight guys, all of whom average over 15 minutes per game. Of those eight, the average number of years each guy has played comes out to four. Six of them are seniors or graduates, and none are freshmen.
Chandler Bing (yes, that is actually his name) is the only freshman to get minutes; the 6-6 wing from Atlanta averages just over eight minutes a game and will be a huge weapon for head coach Mark Byington in the coming years, but isn’t relied on heavily yet. Side note on Bing, his personal profile on the Vandy website reads, “Has never watched Friends”.
Here’s a quick look at the eight guys Vanderbilt will rely on as the ‘Dores chase an SEC title.
Duke Miles (sixth-year senior guard from Oklahoma): Miles has seen it all, a starter in three conferences at this point of his career. He’s off to an incredibly efficient start, averaging nearly 18.8 points per game while shooting 56.3% from the field. He plays most possessions off the ball but makes decisions quickly when he gets the rock. He’s a lethal scorer from all over the floor, but also a good distributor of the basketball, racking up nearly five assists per game with a 3.45 assist/turnover ratio. He also averages 2.5 steals a game, good for second-best on the team.
Tyler Tanner (sophomore guard): Tanner is the only one out of the eight key players who has never transferred. After coming off the bench for Byington last season, the Tennessee native has blossomed as a sophomore, scoring 15 points per game and averaging four assists. Tanner is the primary ball-handler on the team and a stone-cold sniper, shooting a ridiculous 51.5% from three-point land so far. He is also Vanderbilt’s best defender according to the defensive bayesian performance rating, which measures defensive effect while on the floor (evanmiya.com).
Devin McGlockton (senior forward): I had the chance to watch McGlockton in-person last season and love how he plays. He’s an energizer bunny on both ends of the floor and a relentless worker on the glass. He is 6-7 and listed as a forward, but often has to defend the five, and he competes with physicality and effort. McGlockton leads the team in rebounding and is averaging 10+ points for the third straight season.
Tyler Harris (junior guard from Washington): After starting the majority of his games while at Portland and Washington, Harris has taken a smaller role at Vanderbilt. He’s a big guard who can score at all three levels; players like this are the reason I can see Vanderbilt truly competing for the SEC. Harris is one of the best bench options in the country and has averaged double-figures every season of his career.
Frankie Collins (fifth-year senior guard from TCU): Collins is every coach’s dream. I love this guy; he does all the little things wonderfully. He doesn’t start for Vandy but has been a spark plug off the bench and is one of the Commodores’ most important players. Collins leads the SEC and is seventh in the country with 3.17 steals per game. He leads the team and is third in the league in assists, with 5.5 per contest. Collins averages just under nine points per game, shoots 43.9% and hasn’t missed a free throw all year. On top of all of that, he has pulled in nearly five rebounds per game despite measuring just 6-1. And Collins is doing all of this in just 21 minutes per game with the second unit.
Tyler Nickel (senior guard): Nickel is a three-and-D guy who is shooting the ball at a career-high clip. Nickel is averaging 13.5 points per game shooting 50% from the floor and 46.3% from three. He’s a guy you can’t help off of in this pick-and-roll, drive-and-kick heavy offense. He plays off of the three-point line but can beat you inside if you don’t guard properly.
Jalen Washington (senior forward from North Carolina): If you like ACC hoops, you will know this name. Washington is a talented player and a tremendous athlete, but never found his groove at UNC. Despite not starting, Washington is averaging career-highs in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals and shooting percentage. He seems to finally be developing the way Tar Heel fans hoped he would, and should be one of the best backup bigs in the SEC.
AK Okereke (senior forward from Cornell): Okereke is yet another efficient shooter, scoring nine points on 49% shooting so far this season. The former Ivy Leaguer started every game but one for the Big Red last year, leading the team in assists and finishing second in points and rebounds. Despite his 6-7, 244 lb. frame, Okereke handles the ball and moves like a guard, and is quick enough defensively to guard the two, three and four. Another versatile piece with the size to compete in SEC play.
The schedule
Vanderbilt’s first-half schedule sets up very kindly. Vandy already beat two top-50 Kenpom teams handedly this weekend in the Bahamas (St. Mary’s and VCU) and is favored to win every game left until SEC play starts. Wake Forest on the road will be a good test.
Once SEC play rolls around, Vanderbilt will have the benefit of hosting Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and LSU in January. Its road games are more than winnable, featuring trips to South Carolina, Texas, Mississippi State and Arkansas. The back half of SEC play gets a bit tougher. Tennessee, Kentucky Ole Miss are the squads it will play both home and away, so February’s road games will be a real test.
The SEC is a gauntlet, we all know this. However, this schedule sets up kindly for the ‘Dores, as all of the other conference contenders have to visit Nashville.
Ascending coach
Byington is one of the best in the sport. He wins everywhere he goes. He won 20 games at Georgia Southern four times in seven years. The Eagles have not won 20 since. He won multiple conference championships at James Madison and led the Dukes to a 32-win season and a first-round victory against No. 5 seed Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament before getting the call up to Nashville.
Last season was Byington’s first at Vanderbilt. His team was picked dead last in the preseason SEC poll. Byington won 20 games and brought the team to the NCAA Tournament with a roster that many experts thought, on paper, lacked SEC-level talent.
This season, he brought back key returners and seems to have pushed all the right buttons in the portal. His offense is firing on all cylinders, averaging 97.9 points per game, including 96 against a notoriously tough St. Mary’s defense.
Team ranks and stats
The Vanderbilt offense is arguably the best in the country.
Offense national ranks:
97.9 points— No. 2
20.1 assists— No. 15
158.0 points+assists+rebounds— No. 5
52.1% from the field— No. 17
40% from three— No. 18
Advanced statistical rankings
Kenpom: No. 10
No. 1 in the SEC
No. 4 offensive efficiency
No. 24 defensive efficiency
EvanMiya: No. 11
No. 1 in the SEC
No. 3 offensive rating
No. 35 defensive rating
Final thoughts and predictions
I like this Vanderbilt team. I love Mark Byington. Duke Miles is a nice safety blanket, and I’ve been impressed with Tanner at the point. The shooting has been amazing; this November has been about as good as Vandy fans could have hoped it would be.
The offense is pick-and-roll heavy and relies on spot-up shooters being ready to hit shots. The Commodores shoot a lot of threes, but are not completely reliant on the long ball to win games, which is great. I worry that when some of these guys come back down to earth and stop shooting jumpers at a 45-50% clip the offense dives a little bit, but it should be in a good place all year. Scoring 96 against St. Mary’s is unheard of; the Gaels have only given up 96+ twice since 2010.
I do have my concerns. I think Vanderbilt is undersized. I can see Florida and Tennessee giving them real issues on the boards and defensive side of the ball. Also, while the team is full of veterans, no players have ever experienced real success in postseason action.
I love what’s being built in Nashville and think this team is a tournament lock and a conference contender, but I see no trophies for the ‘Dores just yet.
Final prediction: 3rd place in the SEC, a four seed in the Tournament, and an Elite Eight berth.