Berke Buyuktuncel (No. 9) of the Nebraska Cornhuskers shoots as Alvaro Folgueiras of the Iowa Hawkeyes defends during the second half of a Sweet 16 game during the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Toyota Center on March 26, 2026 in Houston.
Berke Buyuktuncel (No. 9) of the Nebraska Cornhuskers shoots as Alvaro Folgueiras of the Iowa Hawkeyes defends during the second half of a Sweet 16 game during the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Toyota Center on March 26, 2026 in Houston.
Vanderbilt has its first reported basketball commitment of the transfer portal season.
The Commodores have signed former Nebraska forward Berke Buyuktuncel, according to the On3 website.
Vandy got a firsthand glimpse at Buyuktuncel in the ‘Dores’ final game of the 2025-26 season, as the 6-10, 244-pound native of Turkey scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds in the Cornhuskers’ 74-72 NCAA Tournament victory.
In that second-round game, Buyuktuncel made five-of-six field goal attempts, including both attempts from three-point range.
Buyuktuncel, who has one year of eligibility remaining, averaged 6.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists for Nebraska, which posted a 28-7 record and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tourney this season.
He shot 46.8 percent from the field overall and 24.1 percent from three-point range, while averaging just over 24 minutes per contest.
Buyuktuncel spent his first college season at UCLA before transferring to Nebraska, where he averaged 6.3 points per contest over the last two seasons.
Vandy will need more from the portal, as the team must replace Duke Miles (averaged 16.1 points, 4.5 assists during the 2025-26 season), forward Tyler Nickel (13.5 points), forward Devin McGlockton (9.5 points, 6.8 rebounds) and forward Jalen Washington (8.9 points, 5.6 rebounds), all of whom are out of eligibility.
Forward AK Okereke (9.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists) may be in the same boat, as he’ll need a waiver to obtain another year of eligibility.
In addition, five Vandy players entered the transfer portal, with guard Mike James committing to South Florida and guard Jaylon Dean-Vines committing to McNeese State. Forward Tyler Harris, guard Frankie Collins and guard George Kimble III have not yet committed to new schools.
It’s also possible that superstar guard Tyler Tanner might head to the NBA, after the Brentwood native averaged 19.5 points, 5.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds as a sophomore in 2025-26.
But Tanner appeared to offer some optimism to Vanderbilt fans Thursday, when he appeared in a school-sponsored social media video encouraging Commodores supporters to donate to the Competitive Excellence Fund and Vandy United.
“Hey Commodore nation, this is Tyler Tanner. Thank you for your support this season,” Tanner said in the video. “Today [Thursday] is Giving Day and we hope that you will continue to support our program by making a gift to the Competitive Excellence Fund or to Vandy United. We are thankful for all you do for our program. Anchor Down.”
Still, the only definite returnees — at this point — are guard Chandler Bing (3.6 points, 1.6 rebounds this season) and center Jayden Leverett (1.0 points, 1.2 rebounds). The Commodores are expected to add three incoming freshmen in point guard Baylor Allen, guard Ethan Mgbako and center Jackson Sheffield.
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