No. 10 Vanderbilt faces a major roadblock in its pursuit of a program record for wins to start a season when it travels to play Texas on Wednesday in a Southeastern Conference game in Austin, Texas.
The Commodores (16-0, 3-0 SEC) head to the Texan capital after an 84-73 home victory over LSU on Saturday in which Tyler Tanner scored 20 points to lead a balanced Vanderbilt attack. Tyler Nickel added 19 points and a game-high 10 rebounds while Duke Miles scored 17, AK Okereke added 12 and Jalen Washington hit for 11 in helping the Commodores overcome 26.7% shooting after halftime.
Vanderbilt led by as many as 20 points in the first half and by 14 at the break, but hit just one of its 15 3-point field goal attempts in the second half.
“I just like the resilience,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said after the game. “We went through that (shooting drought) and they still figured their way out of it. We were going against a team that really wanted to win but our guys just had a response, and we thought in different ways. I really hope we keep that the entire year.”
Saturday’s victory allowed the Commodores to match a program-best start to the season that was established by the 2007-08 team and allowed Vanderbilt to climb one spot in the latest Associated Press poll.
The Commodores are one of just five teams in Division I men’s basketball without a loss. Vanderbilt ranks No. 7 in the NCAA’s NET rankings with five Quadrant 1 wins, thanks mostly to the production of one of the nation’s top offenses. Vanderbilt is averaging 93.0 points per game, which is eighth in Division I and No. 4 in the SEC.
Meanwhile, the Longhorns (10-6, 1-2 SEC) seem to have awoken from an early-season slumber. Their most recent game was a 92-88 win at then-No. 13 Alabama on Saturday, which marked their first ranked victory in a true road game under coach Sean Miller.
Jordan Pope racked up 28 points, including six made 3-pointers and four key free throws in the final seconds, to lead the way for Texas. Pope tied his season highs in scoring, field goals made and free throws in the victory. Tramon Mark and Dailyn Swain each added 18 points for the Longhorns in a decision that snapped a two-game losing streak.
“This win gave us a real shot of confidence and an understanding of how hard you have to compete to have a chance to win in the SEC,” Miller said. “We competed at a higher level than we have recently. It’s important that you can get some joy, and you only can get joy through the win. So happy for our team.”
Miller openly criticized his team for its lack of effort in the run-up to the game against Alabama and the move drew dividends, at least for one game.
Wednesday’s game is the third straight for the Longhorns against an SEC foe ranked in the Top 25.
–Field Level Media
