Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles Named to the 2026 Naismith DPOTY Watchlist – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE – The name Naismith and college basketball have a long, storied history, as long as it possibly can be. Dr. James Naismith is credited with being the creator of the game of basketball, and since then, his name has become synonymous with some of the highest honors in basketball. Since 1969, the Naismith trophy has been given to college basketball's best player of the season, with Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) being the first recipient.
Rewarding Success on Both Sides of the Ball
More recently, in 2018, the Naismith Men’s and Women’s College Defensive Player of the Year Awards were added to the list of prestigious honors given out in the name of Dr. Naismith. Since then, no Vanderbilt player has ever won the award, but the Commodores have two chances to take home the prize this season. 
The 25-player watchlist for Men’s College Defensive Player of the Year was announced Thursday. Vanderbilt’s Duke Miles and Tyler Tanner were both named to the list as potential recipients of the award come the end of the season. 
Tanner and Miles Success
Vanderbilt currently holds the top three spots in the SEC for steals per game. Duke Miles sits atop the list, averaging 2.8 steals per game. Tanner and teammate Frankie Collins sit tied for second with an average of 2.4 steals per game. Collins has only played in nine games this season and has been sidelined with an injury since Dec. 17. 
Coaches around the league have been quick to praise the way Miles and Tanner have put pressure on their teams defensively. 
“[Vanderbilt] is very difficult to attack on their defensive side. I think Tanner and Miles’ ability to get after the basketball makes it very difficult on you,” LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon said after Vanderbilt’s 84-73 victory over the Tigers on Jan. 10.
Vanderbilt has the fifth-fewest points per game allowed in the SEC this season, and Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles' defensive presence have been a huge part of that. 
Breaking Down Who Made The List
Vanderbilt was one of six schools to have two players on the watchlist, joined by Duke, Iowa State, Illinois, UConn, and Michigan. 
Tanner and Miles were two of the four players named to the watchlist from the SEC. Rueben Chinyelu of Florida and Somto Cyril of Georgia are the other two from the conference on the list. 
The full 25-player watchlist for Naismith Men’s College Defensive Player of the Year: Flory Bidunga (Kansas), Cameron Boozer (Duke), Kylan Boswell (Illinois), Jaden Bradley (Arizona), Maliq Brown (Duke), Javontae Campbell (Bowling Green), Rueben Chinyelu (Florida), Somto Cyril (Georgia), Silas Demary Jr. (UConn), Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s), Kyle Evans (UC Irvine), Zvonimir Ivisic (Illinois), Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State), Jaquan Johnson (Bradley), Keba Keita (BYU), William Kyle III (Syracuse), Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan), Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), Aday Mara (Michigan), Duke Miles (Vanderbilt), Tarris Reed Jr. (UConn), Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt), Joseph Tugler (Houston), Ernest Udeh Jr. (Miami), Caleb Wilson (North Carolina).
The award winner will be announced on April 5, 2026.
Tyler Jorden is currently interning with Vanderbilt Commodores on SI. He's currently studying Sports Media at nearby Lipscomb University in Nashville. Tyler has worked with ESPN, announcing live sporting events. He enjoys watching all sports, has a love for great crowd atmospheres at live games and is the president of the Lippy Lunatics student fall group at Lipscomb.
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