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Vanderbilt basketball is in need of a win, but can it get it?
The Commodores are looking to steer its momentum back in the right direction after dropping their latest game to an Oklahoma team that was 1-9 in conference play entering the game. It was a game that Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington said that it was not prepared properly for.
“We obviously didn’t prepare well and we weren’t ready to play. This was a team that we knew was good, but that message somehow didn’t get through,” Byington said postgame Saturday.
Now, Vanderbilt turns its focus to an Auburn team that is also looking for a big win to put on its tournament resume, The Tigers are coming off a home loss to their in-state rival in Alabama and dropped to 5-5 in conference play and 14-9 overall.
Now, just one game separates the two teams in the SEC standings. But Neville Arena has not been too kind of an atmosphere to Vanderbilt as of late. Vanderbilt has not won in Auburn since 2016 and has only beaten the Tigers one time in the last nine meetings.
This is the 150th meeting between Vanderbilt and Auburn. Vanderbilt holds a 90-59 advantage all-time. Tipoff between the Commodores and the Tigers is set for 6 p.m. CT tonight.
3 days
No. 5 Vanderbilt women’s basketball beat No. 10 Oklahoma 102-86
No. 19 Vanderbilt men’s basketball at Auburn, 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
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Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
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