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Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How AJ Hoggard helped lead Vanderbilt basketball to win over Missouri as March Madness approaches
AJ Hoggard had a bad February, but when he woke up on Saturday, the Vanderbilt basketball guard felt like he had a clean slate. After all, the calendar had just turned to March. During a stretch running from Jan. 25 to Feb. 26, Hoggard scored in double digits in just two of nine games. In both of those games, he was inefficient, shooting less than 30% from the floor. Now that it's March, though? Hoggard led Vanderbilt (20-9, 8-8) to a 97-93 overtime win over No. 16 Missouri (21-8, 10-6) at Memorial Gymnasium. He scored 21 points on 6-for-12 shooting while also going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. He also had three rebounds, six assists and two steals. "AJ was the best teammate last game when we beat Texas A&M, and tonight, the final 10 minutes, was the best player on the court, and he deserves this for for the way he's stuck with it and everything else," Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said. "And so we need everybody." Byington pointed out that Hoggard was constantly cheering on his teammates during the win against the Aggies, in which Hoggard did not score a point. And after some previous games in which he'd made costly turnovers in crunch time, this time it was Hoggard with the ball in his hands as the Commodores were down three in the final seconds of regulation. The defense's focus on him allowed him to find Tyler Nickel on the perimeter, where he knocked down a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime. "It's March 1, and I struggled in February, so I had to figure out a way to help my team keep rolling," Hoggard said. "Chris (Manon) started off with energy. Kind of followed his lead and and the ball finds energy. I think that kind of helped us both out tonight." Hoggard, a transfer from Michigan State, is one of just two players on the roster who have experience playing in March Madness. Jaylen Carey is the other. With Vanderbilt now a near-lock to make the NCAA tournament, the Commodores will need Hoggard's experience. Even more importantly, the Commodores are beginning to find more options beyond Jason Edwards. Edwards is still Vanderbilt's leading scorer, but he hasn't been the one who stepped up in either of the last two games. Against Texas A&M, it was Nickel who hit seven 3-pointers. On Saturday, Manon had 23 points and 11 rebounds. "I'm the only one, Coach and Jaylen and the staff, who's been playing in March," Hoggard said. "So a lot of guys got that chip of wanting to get there, wanting to make it consistently. I just happen to be blessed to do it over a period of time, and I want to share with my guys so each and every night I could go out there, help get us closer to that, even though, when the jobs not done yet, we still got games ahead of us, still got work to put in, but it's definitely something that we're looking forward to, not looking ahead past nobody." POSTGAME CELEBRATION Vanderbilt basketball defeats Missouri in overtime after Tyler Nickel's game-tying shot Games like this are exactly what Hoggard had in mind when he decided to commit to Vanderbilt, where he hoped he could help lead a team to March that hadn't been there in a long time. And just as the calendar flipped, Hoggard had the game he's been looking for. Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@ or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: AJ Hoggard leads Vanderbilt basketball vs Missouri as March Madness nears
New York Times
02-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Vanderbilt upsets No. 14 Missouri: What overtime win means for Commodores' NCAA hopes
Foul or defend? No. 14 Missouri chose the latter, and Vanderbilt's Tyler Nickel made Missouri pay on Saturday, drilling a 3-pointer with four seconds left to force overtime and set up another dramatic Commodores win at Memorial Gym. SEC Coach of the Year? In most years, first-year Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington and Missouri's Dennis Gates — both of whom have engineered two of the sport's biggest turnarounds — would have been 1-2 in some order. And Byington's 97-93 overtime win might have been the difference. But most years don't have a coach winning possibly the best conference in men's basketball history outright with a week left in the regular season, as Auburn's Bruce Pearl just did. Advertisement Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament? That's a lock. A true lock. A 'lose the final two regular-season games and get blown out in your SEC Tournament opener, and you still won't sniff the bubble again' lock. That's the result of the best week for Vanderbilt men's basketball in many, many years: The Commodores will earn a bid for the first time since 2015-16, Bryce Drew's debut season. A dramatic Drew decline ensued, followed by the frustrating Jerry Stackhouse era. Byington has come in, essentially assembled an all new team and kept winning at a high rate as he did at previous stops James Madison and Georgia Southern. NICKELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL‼️ OT ⚓️⬇️ — Vanderbilt Men's Basketball (@VandyMBB) March 2, 2025 Vanderbilt is 20-9, 8-8 in the SEC and perhaps capable of a No. 6 or No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament after the Commodores went 9-23 last season in Stackhouse's last shot. Wednesday's win at Texas A&M was the program's biggest in years. Saturday's made this a week to remember. Vandy does it with rotating heroics, and it was Michigan State transfer point guard AJ Hoggard who sliced up the Tigers (21-8, 10-6) with 21 points, six assists and power drive after power drive in winning time that created excellent shots. Chris Manon had 23 points, primary bucket-getter Jason Edwards 17 and Nickel 12, including the tying dagger at the end of regulation on a pass from Hoggard. Missouri remains firmly in the hunt for a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament, coming off an 8-24 showing in Gates' second season. Caleb Grill had 28 points on Saturday, and Mark Mitchell had 20. The Tigers led for more than 32 minutes. But they were stung by the same 'Memorial Magic' that got Tennessee, Kentucky and Ole Miss earlier this season and by the decision to defend rather than foul. Of course, Vanderbilt was just 8-for-26 from 3-point range in the game, while collecting 18 offensive rebounds. (Photo of Chris Mañon: Carly Mackler / Getty Images)
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nickel's seven 3-pointers lead Vanderbilt to 86-84 upset at No. 12 Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Tyler Nickel scored 21 points on a career-best seven 3-pointers and Vanderbilt held on for an 86-84 upset over No. 12 Texas A&M on Wednesday night. The Commodores (19-9, 7-8 Southeastern Conference) were ahead by seven with 12 seconds to go when Zhuric Phelps made a layup before Texas A&M got the ball back on a turnover by Tyler Tanner. Phelps then sank a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 86-84 with 1.5 seconds remaining. Vanderbilt's Jason Edwards turned the ball over and it went out of bounds on the A&M end of the court, giving the Aggies the ball back with 0.2 seconds left. But the inbounds pass was grabbed by the Commodores to secure the victory. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Pharrel Payne had 23 points for Texas A&M (20-8, 9-6), which lost a season-high third straight game after winning its previous five. Takeaways Vanderbilt: The Commodores got a second straight win over an AP Top 25 team after downing then-No. 21 Ole Miss on Saturday, improving their resume to make the NCAA Tournament. Texas A&M: The Aggies went more than five minutes without a field goal in the second half. They must be more consistent on offense if they hope to finish the regular season strong. It won't be easy with games left against No. 3 Florida and top-ranked Auburn. Key moment Vanderbilt grabbing the inbounds pass to deny the Aggies a chance for a shot at the buzzer. Key stat The teams combined to shoot 75 free throws. Vanderbilt made 28 of 36, and Texas A&M hit 31 of 39. Up next Texas A&M visits No. 3 Florida on Saturday night, and Vanderbilt hosts 14th-ranked Missouri that day. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and
Associated Press
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Nickel's seven 3-pointers lead Vanderbilt to 86-84 upset at No. 12 Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Tyler Nickel scored 21 points on a career-best seven 3-pointers and Vanderbilt held on for an 86-84 upset over No. 12 Texas A&M on Wednesday night. The Commodores (19-9, 7-8 Southeastern Conference) were ahead by seven with 12 seconds to go when Zhuric Phelps made a layup before Texas A&M got the ball back on a turnover by Tyler Tanner. Phelps then sank a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 86-84 with 1.5 seconds remaining. Vanderbilt's Jason Edwards turned the ball over and it went out of bounds on the A&M end of the court, giving the Aggies the ball back with 0.2 seconds left. But the inbounds pass was grabbed by the Commodores to secure the victory. Pharrel Payne had 23 points for Texas A&M (20-8, 9-6), which lost a season-high third straight game after winning its previous five. Takeaways Vanderbilt: The Commodores got a second straight win over an AP Top 25 team after downing then-No. 21 Ole Miss on Saturday, improving their resume to make the NCAA Tournament. Texas A&M: The Aggies went more than five minutes without a field goal in the second half. They must be more consistent on offense if they hope to finish the regular season strong. It won't be easy with games left against No. 3 Florida and top-ranked Auburn. Vanderbilt grabbing the inbounds pass to deny the Aggies a chance for a shot at the buzzer. Key stat The teams combined to shoot 75 free throws. Vanderbilt made 28 of 36, and Texas A&M hit 31 of 39. Up next Texas A&M visits No. 3 Florida on Saturday night, and Vanderbilt hosts 14th-ranked Missouri that day. ___
