Commodores Advance: Vanderbilt Survives McNeese 78-68, First NCAA Tournament Win in 14 Years
Vanderbilt survived a relentless, physical McNeese team to win their first NCAA tournament game in 14 years, 78-68.
The game opened up in nightmare fashion for the Commodores. McNeese came out scorching, shooting 70% from the field and 100% from three, jumping out to an 11-point lead less than five minutes into the contest. Vanderbilt started out 0-4 from beyond the arc before Tyler Tanner finally got the lid off the basket. Vanderbilt battled back despite sloppy turnovers against an aggressive McNeese defense. Tyler Nickel buried a three with 4:09 remaining in the first half to give the Commodores a 30-28 lead, their first since it was 3-2 in the opening minutes. Vanderbilt entered halftime with a 38-35 advantage.
Vanderbilt opened the second half strong with threes from Duke Miles and Nickel to extend the lead to double digits.
McNeese battled back behind a three from Garwey Dual and key contributions from freshman star Larry Johnson. The Cowboys refused to go away. Vanderbilt held a lead for the entirety of the second half, but the lead never felt comfortable until the final buzzer sounded. Time and again, McNeese cut the deficit to one possession but Vanderbilt always responded. Tyler Tanner, Tyler Nickel, and Duke Miles sealed the game at the free-throw line down the stretch. No. 5 seed Vanderbilt defeats No. 12 seed McNeese 78-68. The Commodores advance to the Round of 32, where they will face No. 4 seed Nebraska.
Tyler Tanner led all scorers with 26 points. Vanderbilt shot 51% from the field compared to McNeese’s 36%. Vanderbilt outrebounded the Cowboys 37-34, despite losing the offensive rebounding battle 16-9. McNeese forced Vanderbilt into 13 turnovers, while the Cowboys committed just six. Vanderbilt also controlled the paint, outscoring McNeese 34–22.
Box Score
rapid fire player performance takeaways
Overall, Vanderbilt struggled early against McNeese’s three-quarter court pressure. Across the board, guards struggled early with turnovers, especially Tyler Tanner. He was over-dribbling and putting himself in uncharacteristically bad situations. By the second half, Tanner had adjusted. He took over in the second and led the Commodores to victory, as your best player should.
McGlockton was incredibly efficient and carried Vandy early when they were struggling to find consistent offense. Duke Miles couldn’t get going early, scoring just two points in the first half (I believe). Miles found his rhythm in the second half after adjusting to the speed of McNeese’s defense.
Bing really struggled with the pressure in this matchup—a nightmare matchup for a freshman guard whose strength is not ball-handling. Nickel wasn’t on fire, but he hit some key shots in big moments, similar to A.K. Okereke’s offensive performance.
Overall, this was a C+ to B- level performance from the Commodores, but it was enough to survive and advance – and that’s all that matters.
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