Field Level Media college basketball writers submitted ballots for their Top 25 men’s basketball teams entering the 2026-27 season.
The poll results are in: Here’s a closer look at No. 25 Vanderbilt.
25. VANDERBILT
2025-26 record: 27-9
Outlook for 2026-27: The SEC is daunting, and there are bigger-name programs with bigger budgets, but Tyler Tanner alone makes the Commodores worthy of a spot in the preseason Top 25 as Vandy aims to reach its third straight NCAA Tournament to start the Mark Byington era.
What we like: Tanner is a preseason first-team All-American and a dark horse for SEC Player of the Year. He’s a five-tool point guard who averaged 19.5 points and 5.1 assists last season and could easily surpass those numbers with the help of a stellar incoming transfer class.
Trouble ahead: Last year, Vandy had a veteran roster, and its second- through eighth-leading scorers have graduated or transferred. Eleven players on this year’s squad are freshmen or sophomores who will need to learn and jell on the fly.
Top newcomer: Berke Buyuktuncel, a two-year starting forward at Nebraska, scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting for the Huskers in their Round of 32 win over Vanderbilt. At 6-foot-10 and 260 pounds, the Turkey native has the frame to hold his own against SEC big men.
–Field Level Media
