Vanderbilt Earns Double Bye in SEC Tournament

Commodores complete regular season with 24-7 record, 11-7 in SEC

Published on Mar. 7, 2026

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Vanderbilt led wire-to-wire on Saturday to defeat Tennessee 86-82, finishing the regular season with a 24-7 record, 11-7 in the SEC. The win secures Vanderbilt a 4-seed in next week's SEC Tournament, the first time since 2012 the Commodores will get a top-four seed and be seeded directly into the quarterfinals.

Why it matters

Vanderbilt's victory over Tennessee marks the first time in school history that the Commodores' football, men's basketball, and women's basketball teams have all won at Tennessee in the same academic year, a significant accomplishment for the university's athletics program.

The details

Vanderbilt's 24 regular season wins are the most for the Commodores since the 2007-08 team, which went 25-6 before the SEC Tournament. The Commodores will finish tied for fourth place in the SEC standings but win all tiebreakers thanks to their January victory over Alabama.

  • Vanderbilt beat Tennessee on Saturday, March 7, 2026.
  • Vanderbilt finished the regular season with a 24-7 record, 11-7 in the SEC.

The players

Vanderbilt Commodores

The men's basketball team of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tennessee Volunteers

The men's basketball team of the University of Tennessee, a public research university in Knoxville, Tennessee.

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What’s next

Vanderbilt will play on Friday afternoon in the second game of the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

The takeaway

Vanderbilt's successful season across multiple sports programs, capped by the men's basketball team's win over rival Tennessee, demonstrates the university's growing athletic prowess and ability to compete at the highest levels of collegiate competition.