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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt basketball made as much of a statement as possible in its Monday-night opener against Bellarmine.
Mark Byington and company rolled to a 93-47 win in which it led by as much as 50 and went on what appears to be the biggest run of the Byington era after being tied 14-14 with Bellarmine. Vanderbilt moves to 1-0 as it hosts Wake Forest Thursday.
Here’s a few takeaways from its Monday showing.
This is the new-look Vanderbilt basketball
Vanderbilt went on a 45-5 run Monday against Bellarmine. That may be its biggest run of the season, but it’s a sign of things to come.
Bellarmine turned it over 23 times and recorded just eight assists. Vanderbilt outrebounded it 38-20 total and 11-6 on the offensive glass, which was particularly impressive considering it missed seven shots less than Bellarmine did. It held Bellarmine to 47 points on 23.8% shooting from 3-point range. It forced four shot-clock violations. It scored 37 points off turnovers, compared to Bellarmine’s five.
Byington clearly sacrificed some things when he opted to allocate his funding more towards the frontcourt and defense and less towards stretching the floor and playing up tempo, but he saw the fruits of his labor on Monday.
What Vanderbilt did Monday didn’t merely happen because this was Bellarmine. This happened because of how Vanderbilt built its roster. This can happen regardless of who it plays. It could happen to Wake Forest when it comes to Memorial Gymnasium on Thursday for Vanderbilt’s first real test. It could happen to an SEC team when it comes in here. This is what the way Byington built this team allows it to do.
Tyler Tanner could set the steals record, again
Tanner set the program’s single-season steals record a year ago with 86, but he could chase his own history.
If Tanner is healthy, 87 steals or more looks attainable again. He ripped the ball away from Bellarmine four times on Monday, and can clearly do that in every Vanderbilt buy game if he plays enough minutes.
He’s also proven that he can do it in SEC games already.
Vanderbilt’s shooting didn’t appear to be much of an issue on Monday
This group didn’t attempt all that many shots from 3-point range, but it really didn’t need to. It could’ve won in blowout fashion without shooting a single one.
But, Vanderbilt made 36.8% of its shots from 3-point range on 19 attempts. Its shooting problem isn’t solved–as evidenced by Chandler Bing being the popper in Spain action instead of Tyler Nickel–but that isn’t a story coming out of Monday night.
At this point, that’s all it can ask for in its buy games.
TO Barrett had one of the most realistic performances of the night
Every Vanderbilt player’s numbers were inflated Monday because of the blowout nature of its Monday win, but Barrett appeared to have a performance that indicates what he is more than just about any Vanderbilt player.
Barrett didn’t score it much and didn’t overwhelm Bellarmine, but he set the table with four assists, turned it over just once and appeared to be a steadying force for this Vanderbilt team. Vanderbilt won’t rely on Barrett to lead its offense, but it will rely on him to do what he did Monday.
Vanderbilt was without Barrett for most of the preseason, but he’s now back and Vanderbilt will have two point guards on the floor at almost all times as a result.
Gabe Nesmith will be out awhile, and it doesn’t seem like Ethan Mgbako will get an extended look as a result
Mark Byington on Gabe Nesmith:
"He'll be out a couple months. It could be season ending. We don't know quite yet. But, I really enjoy coaching him. I think he's going to be a heck of a player for us. I'm excited by his future."
More @VandyOnSI: https://t.co/AClRX2EuGS pic.twitter.com/SQbOuIw6Mh
Nesmith emerged pregame with a scooter propping up his right leg and a cast wrapping his ankle.
Vanderbilt thought that Nesmith would be alright at the time of his injury, but it appears as if he’ll have a long road back from his injury after further consultation. Byington says it may be all season. Nesmith projects to be a rotation guy for Vanderbilt when he returns to the lineup.
His absence appears to provide a path for highly-touted freshman Ethan Mgbako to play more, but Mgbako didn’t check into the game until it was all but out of hand.
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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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