Latest news with #MarkByington
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vanderbilt, Mark Byington pick up two 6-foot-10 transfers, including former UNC player
Vanderbilt men's basketball coach Mark Byington landed a tall 1-2 punch Friday, when he plucked a pair of 6-foot-10 players and former high school teammates from Gary, Indiana, from the transfer portal. Jalen Washington, who spent the past three seasons playing for North Carolina, is one, according to The senior-to-be forward was good for 5.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 36 games for the Tar Heels this season when they finished 23-14. The West Side High School graduate averaged 4.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 93 games spanning three seasons in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Nicholson, who played for Jacksonville State for three seasons is the other, also according to Like Washington, Nicholson is a senior-to-be. He averaged 7.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 36 games during the 2024-25 season for the Gamecocks, who finished 23-13. Nicholson averaged 6.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks 76 career games for JSU. COMINGS AND GOINGS: Vanderbilt basketball transfer portal tracker: Who is leaving, joining for Mark Byington Former Vanderbilt guard Jason Edwards, who led the Commodores with 17 points per game during the 2024-25 season, committed to Providence on Friday, his third school in three years. Vanderbilt was 20-13 this season, which ended with a loss to St. Mary's in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@ and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina. Follow his work here. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt basketball picks up two 6-foot-10 transfers
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vanderbilt dragged down by Saint Mary's kind of game, with little chance to escape
CLEVELAND — Vanderbilt basketball's season ended Friday with a 59-56 first-round loss to seventh-seeded Saint Mary's, denying the 10th-seeded Commodores an NCAA Tournament victory that would've been the program's first since 2012. Here are some postgame takeaways from Rocket Arena: Even as the Commodores led most of the way, climbing in front by 12 early in the second half, this was a physical, defensive slog that always figured to benefit the Gaels. Ultimately, it did. Vanderbilt missed two potential game-tying 3-pointers in the final seconds to fall just short. A prominent Saint Mary's stat entering this game: It was 24-0 when scoring 70 points. That's because its well-respected defense kept opponents from reaching 70 in 28 of 33 games. It's the brand of game Saint Mary's preferred, and it was unlike what Vanderbilt has wanted this season. Perhaps predictably, the Gaels made a rally in the second half that allowed them to inch ahead. Wasn't the first time this season that the Commodores have struggled to make a lead stick in the second half, but the culprit here was a horribly timed offensive slump just when it seemed they might be about to pull away for good. Instead, a 9-1 run by Saint Mary's came as Vanderbilt struggled to do anything offensively, going about five minutes without a field goal as the Gaels finally heated up. With 6:54 remaining, they took the lead for the first time since the game's opening minutes. After struggling to make shots early, Saint Mary's was 5-for-9 from 3-point range after halftime, and it was the difference in the game. Vanderbilt has achieved plenty this season because of coach Mark Byington's offense. This afternoon, though, was more about highlighting its defense. It produced one of its best defensive performances of the season, trapping and harassing Gaels shooters from the jump. At halftime, Vanderbilt's 29-22 lead had a lot to do with a 10-0 edge in points off turnovers — and Saint Mary's 35% shooting clip, including a 2-for-16 mark from 3-point range. Vanderbilt, though, didn't take advantage offensively, It was only 3-for-13 from long range in the first half, leaving a sense that someone was going to start getting and making perimeter shots in the second half to seize a tightly contested game. Someone did. On a day where Vanderbilt's offense rarely looked comfortable against a strong Saint Mary's defense, Edwards still stepped up. With 18 points on 8-for-18 shooting, Edwards was the lone Commodores player to score in double figures, proving a difficult cover for the Gaels, much as he had been for opponents in the SEC. He says he coming back to Vandy next season, by the way. Saint Mary's was whistled for only four fouls in the first half, but they were important fouls. Starting guard Augustas Marciulionis and center Mitchell Saxen each had two early fouls and exited the game before returning prior to halftime. Marciulionis, the Gaels' leading scorer and the West Coast Conference player of the year, picked up his fourth on an offensive foul with 16:03 remaining, forcing him to the bench with only six points at the time. He returned with 8:48 to play. Saint Mary's, to its credit, had fared well without him, cutting the deficit to 42-40. Meanwhile, Saxen — who stands 6-foot-10 and was the WCC defensive player of the year — picked up two fouls in the first 5:35 of the game, forcing him to the bench for a brief time. He returned, however, at the 10:40 mark, with Gaels coach Randy Bennett opting to take the risk and bolster his team's height advantage. Their starting front line went 6-10, 6-8 and 6-6, as opposed to the Commodores, who didn't have anyone on the roster taller than 6-8 (and famously have all players listed as point guards). Saint Mary's did outrebound Vanderbilt 41-28. And Marciulionis did drill some big shots late when he got back into the game. Vanderbilt's Grant Huffman returned for the NCAA Tournament after missing the previous three games with an ankle injury. The Commodores had gone 0-3 without him, losing to Arkansas, Georgia and then to Texas in the SEC Tournament. Showing no apparent limitations, Huffman played early and drained one of Vanderbilt's three 3-pointers in the first half. Props to Mr. C, who brought the A game to the Big Dance. Vanderbilt's mascot destroyed counterpart The Gael from Saint Mary's in an on-court dance-off during a game timeout. After Mr. C went first with an array of moves, The Gael barely even tried to match it, waving the white flag quickly. Well done, Mr. C. Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@ and hang out with him on Bluesky @ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt basketball couldn't get by Saint Mary's in March Madness
CBS News
21-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Saint Mary's climbs back out of shooting slump to top Vanderbilt, 59-56
Saint Mary's Gaels came from behind and hung on for a win against the Vanderbilt Commodores moving on with a 59-56 win in the first round of the NCAA East Region of the March Madness men's basketball tournament. Saint Mary's (28-5) came into the game at Cleveland's Rocket Arena as the No. 7 seed against the No. 10 Commodores (20-12) and were 4.5-point favorites. The Gaels won the West Coast Conference regular-season title but lost to Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament title game. Vanderbilt finished ninth in the Southeastern Conference, but faced much stronger competition throughout the season. The Commodores, led by first-year head coach Mark Byington, are/were making their first March Madness tournament appearance since 2017, while Randy Bennett is in his 24th year as the Gaels head coach. The Gaels were hamstrung in the first half by their continued lack of a 3-point game. Saint Mary's shot 34.6% shooting in the opening half (9-of-26). Vanderbilt led by as many as 12 points before Saint Mary's led a steady comeback while WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis sat on the bench after picking up his fourth foul just 3 minutes into the second half. With 8:48 left, Marciulonis returned and his 3-pointer with 6:40 left gave Saint Mary's its first lead of the game. Vandy's Jason Edwards tied it up with a 3, but Marciulionis immediately hit another 3 to put the Gaels back in front with 4:23 left. Luke Barrett buried a 3 at 2:03 to extend the lead to 6, the largest lead of the game for the Gaels. The Gaels will now meet top-seeded Alabama in the round of 32.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will Commodores make NCAA Tournament? Where Vanderbilt stands in latest ESPN bracketology update
Vanderbilt basketball was eliminated from the SEC tournament with a first-round loss to Texas on Wednesday, and it might've impacted its NCAA Tournament chances. Vanderbilt fell to Texas 79-72 on Wednesday but finished the season with a 20-12 record and an 8-10 record in the SEC, which is expected to lead all conferences in NCAA Tournament bids. The Commodores also have impressive wins, with victories over Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Missouri this season. Vanderbilt and first-year coach Mark Byington are looking to reach the big dance for the first time since 2017. REQUIRED READING: Vanderbilt basketball still confident in March Madness bid even after SEC tournament 1st-round loss "We beat a lot of teams that are probably gonna be 1- or 2-seeds this year, so we're a little bit banged-up right now," Byington said after the Texas loss. "I anticipate us being fully healthy the next couple days, and then we will look like we did maybe a week and a half ago. We played great basketball the entire year, but I think we had a stretch there in February, I think we were one of the best 20 teams in the country." While Vanderbilt has an NCAA Tournament-worthy resume, its three-game losing streak against Arkansas, Georgia and Texas haven't helped its cause. Here's a look at the latest on Vanderbilt's NCAA Tournament chances, according to ESPN's bracketology: The Commodores were listed as a No. 10 seed in ESPN's latest bracketology update and are firmly in the field as of now. Vanderbilt was listed one spot behind Oklahoma in the "Last Four Byes" section, with six teams projected behind the Commodores for an at-large bid. Vanderbilt should be fairly safe, barring chaos scenario bid stealers. Vanderbilt is 5-9 in Quad 1 games and 4-3 in Quad 2, with no losses in Quad 3 or 4 games this season. The Commodores fell to No. 48 in the NCAA's NET rankings after the Texas loss, which ranks behind North Carolina (37), Utah State (38), Texas (41), Oklahoma (43), Xavier (45) and Boise State (46), who are all also on the NCAA Tournament bubble. While Vanderbilt should be fine come Selection Sunday, ending the season with three consecutive losses leaves some room for concern as it awaits its NCAA Tournament fate. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Where Vanderbilt basketball stands in latest ESPN bracketology update
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
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
