Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Mark Byington directs his team against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

No. 11 Vanderbilt stays unbeaten with huge win over No. 13 Alabama

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Jan 8, 2026 12:41 AM ET

In case you were wondering whether or not No. 11 Vanderbilt (15-0, 2-0 SEC) was a legit contender or not, their 96-90 win over No. 13 Alabama (11-4, 1-1 SEC) on Wednesday inside a raucous Memorial Gym should tell you all you need to know.

Mark Byington's Commodores were tied with Nate Oats' Crimson Tide at halftime, but gradually pulled away over the second half, even stretching its lead to double digits in the closing minutes.

Tyler Tanner led VU with 29 points, while Duke Miles added 19. Amari Allen led the Crimson Tide with scoring with 25, with Aden Holloway adding 22 of his own.

The Commodores are one of only six unbeaten teams remaining in college basketball.

Ain't played nobody ‍♂️#AnchorDown⚓️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/qNaJAsnOl9
— Vanderbilt Men's Basketball (@VandyMBB) January 8, 2026

Perhaps the biggest hindrance for Alabama was the exit of Labaron Philon Jr. in the second half. Philon left the game with 16:06 to play and did not return. He scored 18 points in 20 minutes of action, but only three of those came in the second half before an apparent knee injury sidelined him.

Looking ahead

Vanderbilt has an excellent chance to improve to 3-0 in SEC play on Saturday, as it'll host a struggling LSU squad that is 0-2 in SEC competition this season. Meanwhile, Alabama will host another 0-2 team in Texas on Saturday evening.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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