Mark Byington: Vanderbilt still worthy of March Madness berth after SEC Tournament loss to Texas
Mark Byington's first season atop the Vanderbilt men's basketball program has been a success by almost any conventional measurement.
The Commodores, picked to finish last in the SEC, won 20 games in the 2024-25 regular season, eight of which came in a league that's widely regarded as one of the best, deepest conferences in the history of the sport. The 20 victories were more than double what they had last season, when they limped to a 9-23 finish in what would be former coach Jerry Stackhouse's final season.
For the past several weeks, those accomplishments had Vanderbilt in a position few would have imagined entering the season — as one of the 68 teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament field.
REQUIRED READING: As March Madness awaits, Jason Edwards says Vanderbilt 'much better' than it played vs. Texas
After a first-round exit from the SEC Tournament, is that still the case?
The Commodores, the tournament's No. 12 seed, fell in a pseudo home game to No. 13 seed Texas 79-72 Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, a game in which they trailed by as many as 18 in the second half.
The loss was Vanderbilt's sixth in its past nine games and dropped it to 20-13 this season. Still, the Commodores came into the day No. 43 in the NCAA's NET rankings, which included five Quad One wins. In USA TODAY Sports' latest bracketology, they were a No. 10 seed, projected to face off against No. 7 seed Marquette in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
After the game, Byington was asked how confident he was in his Vanderbilt team making the NCAA Tournament. Here's how he responded:
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mark Byington: Vanderbilt basketball still worthy of NCAA Tournament berth
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