Vanderbilt Basketball Isn't Afraid of Anyone in the Country After Florida Win – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—There Duke Miles sat on the ground, strumming the imaginary cords of an invisible guitar as if he was one of the multitude of artists that perform on the floor of Bridgestone Arena each year. In his own way, Miles is. 
When Miles puts it on the floor and creates his own shot, it’s an art form in its own way. This wasn’t one of his most intricate pieces, but it was one of his most meaningful. Miles crept over a dribble handoff from Vanderbilt big man Jalen Washington and let it go in front of Florida center Micah Handlogten. 
It was the ultimate statement of fearlessness from the Vanderbilt guard. Handlogten has a wingspan among the best in the SEC and is a monster of a figure to attempt a shot over, but there Miles was letting it fly with an immeasurable confidence. In a way, the Miles four-point play was a microcosm of how Vanderbilt got this thing done. It’s been through a lot, but that’s only made it believe more strongly in what it can do. 
“You can’t tell our guys that they can’t beat anyone in the country,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington told Vandy on SI. “They just approach it that way. They act that way in everything they do. I think different things have helped us throughout the year and you might go through like a losing streak, but we learned from it and we got better. We went through injuries, and we got deeper, we got better with some guys stepping up, and so now I think you're seeing all that come together.”
It was the ultimate act of fearlessness and was an indicator that this group wasn’t fazed whatsoever by the accolades of this Florida team–and there are plenty of them. 
Florida is likely to be a one seed in the NCAA Tournament. It was ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25 prior to Saturday’s game and it was the SEC’s odds-on favorite to win the conference championship as the No. 1 seed. Vanderbilt wasn’t having it, though. 
It always believed it was capable of going out and doing what it did on Saturday, and it did it. Vanderbilt led Florida for 34:42, led by as much as 25 and sealed a 91-74 win to get itself to the SEC title game. This wasn’t Vanderbilt just beating Florida. This was it proving that Todd Golden’s team–which had won 11 games in a row prior to Saturday’s game–isn’t invincible. This was Vanderbilt punking the No. 4 team in the country on a neutral floor. Vanderbilt was better than Florida in just about every way, and in most ways it wasn’t even close. 
“It does send a message,” Vanderbilt wing Tyler Nickel told Vandy on SI. “But, at the same time we kind of expected it.” 
The 7.5-point spread wouldn’t have indicated that this was all that likely, neither did the trajectory of this Florida team. Nickel and company never bought into that, though. They always believed that their time for a win like this was coming. They appeared to believe it was inevitable. 
The belief that this group has doesn’t stop here, though. They can envision a similar Miles play happening in the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight when it faces off against a No. 1 seed that appears to have a chance to overmatch it. They can envision a result like this, too. 
“That just shows how good we can be,” Vanderbilt big man Jayden Leverett added in a conversation with Vandy on SI. “We are a national contending team, and we can play with anyone.”
When Leverett and this team say anyone, they mean anyone. Saturday proved that. That was as good of a team as Vanderbilt has played all season in as big of a game as it’s played all season. There it was running into the tunnel as victors and addressing media members after a mild locker room celebration that indicated it still believes it has more out ahead of it, though. 
Whether Vanderbilt is a four seed or a three seed in the NCAA Tournament, it feels as if it’s got a chance to prove itself right again. Seed it wherever you want, that won’t change its mind about itself. 
“We’re here to stay,” Miles told Vandy on SI. “We’re a tough team, man.”
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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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