Where Vanderbilt Basketball Ranks in Bracketology After Second Tennessee Win: The Anchor – Sports Illustrated

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Vanderbilt men’s basketball got its second win of the season over Tennessee Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament by a score of 75-68. It was another win in which the Commodores put a really solid win on their resume.
After the win, Vanderbilt could have only helped its stock and standing in NCAA Tournament bracket projections. However, it seems that the Commodores’ seeding did not change much, if at all in ESPN’s latest bracketology.
Joe Lunardi kept Vanderbilt as a No. 5 seed in the tournament despite its win Friday afternoon. In the projection, Vanderbilt is slated to play No. 12 seed Akron out of the Mid-American Conference in Philadelphia.
The only thing that could have changed for Vanderbilt in Lunardi’s eyes would be which spot on the 5-seed line the Commodores are. Did the Vanderbilt win make it the best-rated team on the 5-seed line? It is possible. However, there is also an old saying in college basketball that says, “nothing matters after Thursday,” meaning that the selection committee does not put much value in what teams do in the final two or three rounds in conference tournaments leading up to the selection show.
After the win Friday, though, Vanderbilt does have a much stronger case to be on the 4-seed line and be squarely in the conversation to be a protected team based on location. Whether that turns out to be true or not has yet to be seen.
For now, Vanderbilt just needs to focus on what it can control. The Commodores play No. 1 seed Florida today. A win would certainly make a statement to the selection committee in terms of where Vanderbilt should be seeded.
175 days
Vanderbilt men’s tennis lost to No. 18 Auburn 5-2.
Vanderbilt men’s tennis beat Xavier 4-0.
No. 4 seed Vanderbilt men’s basketball beat No. 5 seed Tennessee 75-68 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.
Vanderbilt women’s tennis beat Mississippi State 5-2.
Vanderbilt baseball beat No. 13 LSU 13-12.
No. 4 seed Vanderbilt men’s basketball vs. No. 1 seed Florida at the semifinals of the SEC Tournament, 12 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Vanderbilt baseball vs. No. 13 LSU, Game 2 at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
Vanderbilt lacrosse at Xavier, 11 a.m. CT.
Vanderbilt swimming at the CSCAA National Invitational Championship, Day 3.
The better team won today 🎥 pic.twitter.com/6xbppJiBSf
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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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