Vanderbilt
From the heart of Nashville to the brightest stages in the SEC, Vanderbilt athletics blends tradition, resilience, and ambition. The Commodores take on college sports’ toughest competition while representing one of the country’s most respected academic institutions.
Football:
TAMPA, Fla. — No. 23 Iowa closed its season with a 34–27 victory over No. 14 Vanderbilt in the 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl on Wednesday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium. Quarterback Mark Gronowski was efficient through the air, completing 16 of 22 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. He also made an impact with his legs, adding 54 rushing yards and a score. DJ Vonnahme led the Hawkeyes’ receiving corps with seven catches for 146 yards and a touchdown, while Reece Vander Zee also found the end zone. Iowa’s ground game was paced by Kamari Moulton, who rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, the Hawkeyes applied consistent pressure, totaling four sacks on the day. Karson Sharar recorded two sacks, while Max Llewellyn added 1.5. TJ Hall and Jayden Montgomery led the team with eight tackles each. Kicker Drew Stevens was perfect on field-goal attempts, converting kicks from 44 and 47 yards to help secure the win.
Basketball:
Articles by: Vickie mathis
Men's basketball
Texas delivered a statement win Wednesday night, knocking off No. 10 Vanderbilt 80–64 at home and handing the Commodores their first loss of the season.
Tyler Tanner is the only SEC player since at least 1996 with 19+ points and 14+ assists in a conference game.
South Carolina has been tough to beat at home this season, posting a 9–1 record in Columbia. The Gamecocks sit fourth in the SEC in scoring defense, allowing just 68.2 points per game while holding opponents to 42.3% shooting from the field. Vanderbilt has been equally impressive away from home, opening conference play with a 3–0 road mark. The Commodores take care of the basketball, averaging only 9.6 turnovers per game, and are a perfect 11–0 when they win the turnover battle. From beyond the arc, South Carolina averages 8.8 made three-pointers per game, well above the 6.4 threes Vanderbilt typically allows. Offensively, the Commodores bring one of the league’s most explosive attacks, scoring 94.2 points per game — 26 more than the Gamecocks surrender on average. Saturday’s matchup marks the first conference meeting between the two programs this season. Top performers: Meechie Johnson Jr. leads South Carolina with 14 points and 3.5 assists per game, while Mike Sharavjamts has averaged 12.0 points over his last 10 outings. For Vanderbilt, Tanner is producing 16 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.7 steals per game, and Duke Miles is averaging 16.0 points across his last 10 contests.
Vanderbilt took the tip o> and the momentum in the first half here in Winston Salem, starting the game with a 14-5 run in the first 4 minutes of the game that included three 3-pointers from the Commodore’s senior Forward Tyler Nickel. Juke Harris led the way for the Demon Deacons, knocking down seven shots from deep on his way to a game-high 28 points. Tre’von Spillers added 16 points, converting eight of his 13 attempts. Early in the second half, Omaha Biliew’s 3-pointer nudged Wake Forest in front, and the momentum snowballed from there. Myles Colvin sank two free throws, Harris drilled consecutive triples, and Spillers capped the surge with a dunk that stretched the advantage to 47–36. West Virginia made a push when Honor Huff connected from long range to cut the gap to 61–56 with just over five minutes left. But Nate Calmese steadied Wake Forest, scoring on a put-back and setting up two straight baskets by Spillers to rebuild a double-digit cushion. Calmese matched his season best with nine assists while also contributing four points and four steals. Wake Forest (7–3) shot 51% from the floor, hit 10 threes, and turned 17 Mountaineer turnovers into 25 points.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tyler Tanner delivered a career-best 26 points as No. 17 Vanderbilt stayed perfect on the season with an 88–69 win over SMU on Wednesday night in the ACC/SEC Challenge. The victory moved the Commodores to 9–0 and continued their strong home success against the Mustangs, improving to 11–1 in the all-time series in Nashville. Head coach Mark Byington also notched his second straight ACC/SEC Challenge win, following last season’s victory over Virginia Tech. Fresh off a Battle 4 Atlantis championship, Vanderbilt climbed seven spots in the latest AP Top 25. Entering the night as one of the nation’s highest-scoring teams at 97.9 points per game, the Commodores were efficient once again, shooting 57.1% from the field. Devin McGlockton chipped in 13 points, while Tyler Nickel added 12 to round out a balanced scoring effort. SMU, which entered at 8–1 and had won the previous two meetings between the programs, was led by Samet Yigitoglu and Boopie Miller with 16 points apiece. Jaron Pierre Jr. finished with 13, and B.J. Edwards added 10. The Mustangs opened the game with the first four points and briefly held an early edge, but Nickel’s three-pointer broke a 6–6 tie and sparked a run Vanderbilt never looked back from. SMU pulled within one late in the first half before the Commodores closed strong, connecting on their final five shots to take a 48–38 lead into the break. After SMU trimmed the margin to six midway through the second half, Vanderbilt responded with a decisive burst, highlighted by Tanner at the free-throw line. The lead ballooned to as many as 21 points in the final minute, sealing another convincing win for the Commodores.
Women's basketball
NASHVILLE — Mikayla Blakes poured in 32 points to lead No. 12 Vanderbilt past LSU, 65–61, on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium. With the win, the Commodores stayed perfect at 15–0 overall and 2–0 in SEC play. LSU fell to 14–2 on the season and remains winless in conference action at 0–2. LSU will look to bounce back on Thursday, Jan. 8, when the Tigers travel to Athens for an SEC matchup against Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. CT and will stream on SEC Network+, with radio coverage available on the LSU Sports Radio Network. Junior MiLaysia Fulwiley and sophomore Jada Richard paced LSU with 13 points each. Making her first career start, Fulwiley added seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Richard contributed across the stat sheet with two rebounds, one assist, and two steals. Mikaylah Williams scored 12 points, while freshman ZaKiyah Johnson added 10 to give LSU four players in double figures. The game opened as a defensive struggle, with Vanderbilt holding a slim 15–12 edge after the first quarter. Blakes set the tone early, scoring 11 of the Commodores’ first 15 points and accounting for nearly all of Vanderbilt’s offense in the opening period. Vanderbilt held the lead into the second quarter before LSU found its rhythm. Richard tied the game midway through the period, and Fulwiley followed with a basket to give the Tigers their first lead. LSU stretched the advantage to as many as seven and carried a 28–22 lead into halftime. The Tigers maintained control early in the third quarter, leading 38–32 late in the frame, but Vanderbilt steadily chipped away. The Commodores knotted the score at 41 as the quarter wound down, setting up a tight final period. LSU briefly regained momentum to open the fourth, pushing the lead back to seven, but Vanderbilt answered with timely buckets down the stretch. In the closing minutes, Blakes delivered again, scoring five of the final eight points and sealing the win at the free-throw line with nine seconds remaining. The contest marked a back-and-forth SEC battle, with Vanderbilt’s star guard making the difference late to keep the Commodores unbeaten.