The Vanderbilt Commodores men’s basketball team has been playing at an incredibly high level throughout the 2024-25 season.
They ran through their non-conference schedule, going 12-1 with their only loss being in a holiday tournament to the Drake Bulldogs.
Offense was the catalyst in those games, as they overwhelmed what was a relatively weak schedule. It was nice to enter conference play with so much momentum, as things were going to get much tougher in the SEC.
To this point, their success has stemmed from the other end of the court.
With their offensive efficiency faltering, it has been the team’s defense stepping up. Out of the gate, they have gone 2-2, winning the games they had to so that too big of a hole in the standings wasn’t created.
With an overall record of 14-3, the team is off to their best 17-game start since the 2009-2010 campaign when they started 16-3. Future NBA players Jeffrey Taylor, John Jenkins and Festus Ezili were part of that team.
However, the Commodores are going to experience a major step up in competition over the next few weeks, as seven of their next nine games are against teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the country.
The first of those matchups will be against the No. 6 ranked Tennessee Volunteers at Memorial Gymnasium, where Vanderbilt should enjoy a nice homecourt advantage.
9-1 at home thus far, there is going to be a little extra juice in the building the next few games.
For the first time since 2019, their homecourt is going to be sold out for a game. The only tickets available for Saturday afternoon’s matchup against the Volunteers are a limited amount of student tickets, which are anticipated to be gone and claimed before game time.
After the game against Tennessee, Vanderbilt will be heading on the road to face off against the No. 4 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
Following that road trip, they will return home to Memorial Gymnasium for a matchup against the No. 8 ranked Kentucky Wildcats for another game that all of the tickets have been sold out for.
This is the first time since the 2011-2012 season that the Commodores will be playing in front of a soldout crowd in back-to-back games.
Vanderbilt men’s basketball games are becoming a very popular ticket, as the next opportunity for fans – who aren’t students – to purchase tickets to a game will be on Feb. 8 when they host the Texas Longhorns.
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