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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt basketball took down UAB 97-65 in a Monday-night exhibition game at Memorial Gymnasium in which it led big for most of the way and never really let up, even when the end of its bench got into the game.
Vanderbilt played every player on its roster in the game, outside of TO Barrett–who missed the game and was in street clothes on the bench, but is considered close to a return–and Gabe Nesmith–who is in a similar situation–and learned some about each.
Here's player-by-player takeaways from Vanderbilt's exhibition win.
Tyler Tanner. Splash. Vanderbilt leads 70-48. pic.twitter.com/k4EezflcV0
Tanner fulfilled the expectations that surrounded him Monday as he went for 18 points, grabbed six rebounds, recorded six steals and threw an assist. Tanner still isn’t playing full games, but he clearly hasn’t skipped a beat.
The interesting storyline surrounding Tanner at this stage is how much Byington will use him off the ball. When Tanner and Ant Brown were in the game alongside each other, Brown brought the ball up every time and Tanner was playing off of it. Byington likes the idea of playing two point guards at once, and appears to like the idea of getting Tanner off the ball.
Perhaps that’s part of Byington looking to get Tanner in positions to take a third-year leap.
Ace Glass
Ace Glass grabs an offensive rebound and turns it into a trip to the line. pic.twitter.com/nozXLkaYLe
Glass appears to be what Vanderbilt believed he was when it landed him as a transfer from Washington State.
He’s a dynamic secondary scorer alongside Tanner, can shoot it better than anyone on Vanderbilt’s roster besides Tanner and appears to be far from a liability defensively. Glass needs to be a little more steady in regard to turning it over and staying disciplined defensively, but he’s as advertised otherwise.
There’s been positive buzz coming out of the Huber Center in regard to the leap Chandler Bing could make in year two all summer. What does he think the future holds?
“A big leap,” he told @VandyOnSI.
More:https://t.co/0Nn7UPUGRY
Bing doesn’t look like a new player, but he does look like the guy he was at the end of 2025-26. If he’s that for all of 2026-27, then he’ll take a significant step.
He’s a better, more confident shooter. He’s bigger and stronger, which manifests around the bucket. He guards the ball slightly more confidently than he did a year ago. Overall, he’s reminiscent of the guy that was one of Byington’s go-to bench options down the stretch and was a winning player for Vanderbilt in general.
Bing looked the part of a good complementary player on Monday.
Williams-Adams got the start for Vanderbilt in place of Bangot Dak on Monday and appears to have earned the minutes he’s getting. Vanderbilt is clearly giving Williams-Adams more offensive rope than Auburn did a year ago and he appears to have the green light from 3-point range.
It’s going to be a matter of finding a definitive offensive role for Williams-Adams, who can clearly contribute more than he did in his eight-point Monday outing while learning to play alongside Vanderbilt’s high-volume guards.
Some days this season it’s going to be his night on that end. Otherwise, he’ll rebound it, defend and do all the things that got him into the every-night rotation at Auburn a year ago.
Buyuktuncel was relatively quiet on Monday, but demonstrated what he’ll bring to Vanderbilt.
He’s its most physically-imposing player, he’s unselfish–as evidenced by his _ assists–rebounds the heck out of it when he’s on his game and is a deceptively good shotblocker. Buyuktuncel didn’t make shots at a high clip, the difference being that he missed a 3 to open the game rather than making one like he did against Virginia.
Buyuktuyncel is as advertised and it’s telling that he’s started both exhibitions amid frontcourt transition.
Bangot Dak two-hand punches it to put Vanderbilt up 40-19 on UAB. pic.twitter.com/7EoqBjYmHw
Man, was Dak good on Monday.
That was the full package. He created his own shot on the perimeter. He blocked a 3-point shot and one around the rim. He punched it around the bucket. He made a few nice passes. He took it up and down the floor in transition. He was a competent roller. That’s what Vanderbilt paid the big bucks for and it hoped to get all offseason.
Dak came off the bench, but he didn’t look like Vanderbilt’s sixth man. Instead, he looked like its second-best player.
Jackson Sheffield, and one. pic.twitter.com/vnfdEEckxV
Sheffield won’t score it much for Vanderbilt this year, but he will play significant minutes for it.
His motor is too good and he’s too physically imposing as a freshman for that not to be the case. Sheffield is limited offensively outside of a few feet right now, but that’s okay for him–as a piece who will likely be a glue guy more than a go-to guy.
The first step for Sheffield to become a real scoring threat and to be playable in SEC games is for him to become a competent free throw shooter. Right now, he is not.
Ant Brown with a nice finish in transition to put Vanderbilt up 15-9. pic.twitter.com/EyoTYSHjU1
Brown was the story of the night for Vanderbilt. It may not always be this way, but he looked like one of its best players.
He went for 10 points and 10 assists while taking heavy reps at point guard and get Vanderbilt into its offense. Brown was advertised as one of the best scorers in the high school class, but Vanderbilt is getting more than that out of him.
Brown has it in him to be a composed lead guard that changes games by manipulating the defense, generating good shots for others and not turning it over. Byington raved about Brown’s passing ability over the summer and he clearly wasn’t exaggerating. He’s probably Vanderbilt’s second-best facilitator on the roster. He’s got the potential to be an elite table setter.
That may be the biggest pleasant surprise of the preseason.
Mgbako was assumed to be the most college ready of Vanderbilt’s three top 100 freshmen, but he may give it the least. He still looks like he needs to add weight and needs to grow more comfortable in a complementary role.
Even then, Mgbako did showcase that he’s got a nice feel for the game, made a catch and shoot 3 from the corner and dunked it in transition. More where that came from is needed.
Jayden Leverett dunks it with some authority in transition. Vanderbilt leads 29-17. pic.twitter.com/fuxjopE6yp
After putting on the best performance of his career in Vanderbilt’s first exhibition, Leverett was up and down on Monday after coming into the game last of any Vanderbilt big man.
Leverett had a nice dunk in transition and scored it off a duck in, but fouled a 3-point shooter and made a few mistakes on the offensive end. That’s the more accurate representation of Leverett’s game than what he showed throughout the summer.
He’s going to help Vanderbilt, but he won’t be a high-volume scorer or play mistake-free basketball for long stretches.
Vanderbilt believes it has something in Hawkins, but it still appears to believe he needs more time to develop into a rotational piece for it.
Hawkins is still learning to play at this level in this type of system, but he flashed by making a top of the key 3 late in the game. Vanderbilt has to like Hawkins' effort at this stage, too.
Allen got loud ovations every time he touched the ball on Monday. It–and Vanderbilt’s bench–erupted when he put it on the floor and zipped it to Jayden Leverett for a dunk.
Good for Allen.
Still a career 100% 3-point shooter!
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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