NCAA Basketball News
The deadline for college basketball players to withdraw from the NBA Draft after testing the waters passed late Wednesday night at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, and Vanderbilt received the good news it was looking for from star point guard Tyler Tanner.
The Commodores have been to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments under head coach Mark Byington, who has proven to be an outstanding hire after posting 20 and 27-win seasons to begin his tenure.
With the return of Tanner, we’re more than comfortable in predicting a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for Vandy. Tanner started all 36 games as a sophomore, averaging 19.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. He garnered first-team All-SEC honors and was selected to the SEC All-Defensive Team.
The former star at Brentwood Academy High School in Nashville buried 48.5 percent of his field-goal attempts, 36.8 percent of his 3-pointers and 85.3 percent of his free throws. He had a 184/68 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Tanner scored in double figures 35 times, including a 37-point effort in a 92-91 home loss vs. Oklahoma. He led Vandy to its first NCAAT win since 2012 by producing 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one steal in a 78-68 win over McNeese.
In the Round of 32, Tanner had 27 points, four steals, two boards and four assists without a turnover in a 74-72 loss vs. Nebraska. His potential game-winning heave from beyond halfcourt was all in the hole before rattling out.
As a true freshman during the 2024-25 campaign, Tanner averaged 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 SPG. He had a stellar 63/15 assist-to-turnover ratio and hit 46.5 percent of his FGAs.
In a 59-56 loss to Saint Mary’s in the first round of the NCAAT, Tanner played 13 minutes and contributed three points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. He drained his only shot of the game from 3-point territory.
Tanner is joined by sophomores Chandler Bing and Jayden Leverett as Vandy’s three returning players. Byington has signed five transfers out of the portal and three incoming freshmen, leaving four roster spots still open.
Per 247Sports, the Commodores have the nation’s #18 overall recruiting class. Their transfer-specific group is ranked #21.
The trio of freshmen are each four-star prospects, consisting of small forward Ethan Mgbako, point guard Anthony Brown and center Jackson Sheffield. They’re ranked as the country’s #66, #81 and #129 incoming rookies, respectively, at 247Sports.
There’s a quartet of four-star transfers in shooting guard T.O. Barrett (Missouri), power forward Sebastian Williams-Adams (Auburn), shooting guard Ace Glass (Washington St.) and center Berke Buyuktuncel (Nebraska). Power forward Bangot Dak (Colorado) is another transfer that’ll provide Byington with size and rim protection.
Glass averaged 16.4 PPG for the Cougars, hitting 71 treys while shooting at a 36.4 percent clip from downtown. Dak started 30 of 32 games for the Buffaloes, averaging 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots per game.
Buyuktuncel started all 33 games he played in for the Cornhuskers, averaging 6.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 BPG. In Nebraska’s thrilling win over Vandy, he had 12 points and four rebounds, draining 5-of-6 FGAs and both of his launches from beyond the arc.
Barrett scored in double figures in 12 of Missouri’s last 16 games, including a 28-point effort to lead the Tigers to a 73-69 home win over 22nd-ranked Tennessee. He knocked down 12-of-17 FGAs against the Volunteers.
In Missouri’s 81-80 home win over Vandy, Barrett had 16 points, five assists, two steals and two rebounds.
Williams-Adams was ranked as the #37 overall player and #10 power forward in the portal. The 6-foot-8, 230-pounder started 21 times in 38 games for Auburn, averaging 7.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 BPG. He had 11 points, six rebounds and one blocked shot in an 84-76 home loss to the Commodores.
FanDuel has Vandy with 40/1 odds to win the 2027 NCAA Tournament.
