Appreciate 20 Wins, But Know That The Program Wins Record is On The Table For Vanderbilt Basketball; Column – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt’s athletic communications staff has had to spend some time deep into a few recent nights looking into some history. Perhaps that’s not the best barometer of Mark Byington’s success as Vanderbilt’s head coach, but it’s one that indicates how far this program has come in a short period of time. 
Byington’s Vanderbilt team secured its 20th win in its Tuesday night win over Auburn and secured back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2012 in this program. It did so seamlessly, too, as if the 20-win mark was a meaningless plateau. 
Tuesday night included a few milkshakes–which a Vanderbilt basketball road win always does–but it didn’t include much more celebrating than that. In the public speaking opportunities within this Vanderbilt program, the 20-win mark didn’t come up. It was almost as if the marker–and the idea that an NCAA Tournament berth will come with it–was a foregone conclusion. 
With the way this roster was constructed and the way it began this journey indicated that something would’ve had to go horribly wrong for it to be anywhere near the 20-win mark and NCAA Tournament bubble when this was all said and done. In fact, things have gone horribly wrong in some ways as this group has lost Duke Miles and Frankie Collins. It’s still hit this benchmark with seven regular season games left to go–all but one it’s projected to win–though. 
“He’s the elite of the elite,” an opposing coach told Vandy on SI. “[Byington] is the best in the country in my opinion in spreading defenses out by removing help side tags through good actions and having serious threats that defenses get caught chasing while the primary action is going on.” 
The ease in which this program has gotten here with is an indicator that the mark doesn’t mean as much as it does to other places around the Huber Center and Memorial Gymnasium. This group has bigger aspirations than that–like a deep NCAA Tournament run, a high seed and a finish at the top of the SEC. It’s not any less impressive because of that, though. 
This program hit the 20-win mark just twice between the 2011-12 season and the beginning of Byington’s tenure in 2024-25. Vanderbilt didn’t hit 20 wins in the regular season–nonetheless in February–in either of those seasons. The last time this program hit the 20-win mark before the five-loss mark was 2007-08–the Shan Foster days. 
Accomplishing that kind of feat requires a businesslike approach in buy games–Vanderbilt has never lost one under Byington–an MTE win in most cases, as well as a strong start to league play. 
Vanderbilt’s buy game success is unprecedented in recent memory around these parts. Prior to Byington’s tenure, it had lost to a midmajor team at home at least once in every season since 2014-15. It was the program’s first undefeated showing at an MTE since it went to the Diamond Head Classic in 2020-21 and went 2-0 before the championship game was cancelled. This was the first time it started SEC play 3-0 since 2011-12. 
However this thing ends, hats off to Byington as well as Vanderbilt’s administration making it happen. In an important moment, Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee needed to nail it. She did, and now her program is reaping the benefits. 
“Having spent time with him especially early on in the interview process, I was convinced that he would do a great job here,” Storey Lee told Vandy on SI over the summer. “I don't ever predict scores or wins, I don't ever do that, but I just knew I could tell by the way that he worked at how passionate he was and how he viewed the opportunity. I felt confident that he was going to do a good job.”
Storey Lee called Byington’s first season–in which he won 20 games–”remarkable.” If that was true, then this transcends remarkable. Byington believes that his program has had to reinvent itself at times this season as a result of losing two of its three starters in the backcourt, but it hasn’t skipped a beat. 
This Vanderbilt team is on track to break the program record for wins in a season–which was set in 2007-08 and tied in 2011-12–if it can make a late-season push. The margin for error as this Vanderbilt team chases that record may not be all that thin, either. KenPom has this group tying the record in the regular season and it will get a seed in the NCAA and SEC Tournament that will allow it to be favored in its first games.
That’s not a dream. This is reality on West End these days. Yes, really. 
“As someone who played as a student athlete in that gym, knowing what it can feel like when it's rocking and it's full energy, it feels so good to see some of that return,” Storey Lee said in that same summer interview. “I remain excited about what's happening in both of our basketball programs. There's just some really magical things happening in Memorial.”
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, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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