Vanderbilt Seeks First NCAA Tournament Win Since 2012 Against McNeese State

The Commodores face the Cowboys in a South Region matchup in Oklahoma City.

Mar. 18, 2026 at 3:49am

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Vanderbilt, the No. 5 seed in the South Region, aims for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2012 when it faces 12th-seeded McNeese State in Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon. The Commodores nearly replicated the path of the 2012 team, which stunned powerhouse Kentucky to clinch the school's last Southeastern Conference tournament title, but fell short in the final against Arkansas. Vanderbilt's top players, guards Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles, led the team's tournament run, knocking off ranked Tennessee and Florida squads.

Why it matters

Vanderbilt is seeking its first NCAA Tournament win since 2012, a drought the team hopes to end against a tough McNeese State squad. The Commodores felt they deserved a higher seed, but coach Mark Byington is focused on the task at hand against the Cowboys, who are making their first tournament appearance under first-year head coach Bill Armstrong.

The details

McNeese State (28-5) was the Southland Conference's second-place finisher in the regular season and earned the league's automatic bid by defeating UT Rio Grande Valley and regular-season champion Stephen F. Austin. The Cowboys are led by a formidable backcourt trio of Southland Freshman of the Year Larry Johnson, fellow first-team all-league pick Tyshawn Archie, and last year's Southland Player of the Year Javohn Garcia. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, is led by guards Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles, who were instrumental in the team's tournament run.

  • Vanderbilt and McNeese State will face off on Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma City.

The players

Tyler Tanner

Vanderbilt's leading scorer, averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.4 steals per game.

Duke Miles

Vanderbilt's second-leading scorer, averaging 16.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.7 steals per game.

Mark Byington

Vanderbilt's head coach, who downplayed the team's seed and is focused on the matchup against McNeese State.

Bill Armstrong

McNeese State's first-year head coach, who is the first coach in Southland history to take his team to the NCAA Tournament in his first Division I season.

Larry Johnson

McNeese State's Southland Freshman of the Year, averaging 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game.

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What they’re saying

“One of the things I told the guys earlier, I was like, 'whatever number they put beside us, ignore it.' It does not make a difference. We are playing a good team.”

— Mark Byington, Vanderbilt Head Coach (statenews.net)

“We haven't lost a game that wasn't on someone else's home court this year. We're 19-0 now when we're not on someone else's home court. This group's been able to find a way to win games in different ways all year long.”

— Bill Armstrong, McNeese State Head Coach (statenews.net)

What’s next

The winner of the Vanderbilt-McNeese State matchup will advance to face the winner of the game between the No. 4 seed and the No. 13 seed in the South Region.

The takeaway

This first-round matchup between Vanderbilt and McNeese State features two teams with contrasting styles, as the Commodores aim to end their NCAA Tournament drought while the Cowboys look to continue their impressive season and make a deep run in the tournament.