Vanderbilt's Top 67 Moments Of 2025-26. Featuring Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt Basketball and Martel Hight – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE–It's June 7, and thus the time to perform the least serious analysis of Vanderbilt athletics all schoolyear. It's 6-7 day and a number of Vanderbilt athletes met the moment by embracing the viral trend.
The rest of the summer will include nearly daily exclusive interviews at Vandy on SI, but for today it's time to reminisce.
1. Martel Hight’s post-Kentucky press conference 
In the midst of a controversial time in regard to Diego Pavia’s height, a reporter asked Martel Hight if he felt as if Pavia played bigger than his listed height would indicate. Hight seized the moment and earned the No. 1 spot on Vanderbilt’s 6/7 moments of the year. 
While the reporter finished the question, Hight could barely hold in his laugh. 
“How tall does he play,” Hight replied, “67.” 
Hight did the hand motion while wearing a smile. It’s the type of thing that a group of winners can do in postgame press conferences, and this group felt as if it could because of its near-blowout win over Mark Stoops’ final Kentucky team. 
And for good measure, the temperature in the media room was 67 degrees during the press conference. 
2.  Vanderbilt basketball’s breakthrough 98-67 win over Wake Forest
Wake Forest put together a disappointing season with perhaps the most talented roster that Steve Forbes has had, but Vanderbilt made it look far worse than it was on that December Sunday. 
Byington’s team shot 59.3% from the field, 50% from 3-point range,  recorded 23 assists to 12 turnovers and led by as much as 34 en route to its 12th win of the season. It was the type of performance that defies the law of averages and indicated that when this Vanderbilt team had it going, it was a contender to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. 
That outing also said something about Tyler Nickel, who went for 26 points, a career-high eight makes from 3-point range and was 9-for-12 from the field as a whole. 
And, of course, Vanderbilt held Wake Forest to 67 points.
3. Diego Pavia finds Eli Stowers for a 67-yard touchdown
The moment might be No. 1 if Vanderbilt had recovered the onside kick against Texas and pulled off an all-time comeback. If Vanderbilt had won that game in Austin, it may have secured the first College Football Playoff berth in program history. 
Instead, though, this moment is a lost one in a season of distinct memories. It certainly isn't Pavia and Stowers' most memorable moment together, but it was 67 yards nonetheless.
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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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