Vanderbilt proves SEC's depth with win over No. 9 Kentucky

Vanderbilt's resume-building win over No. 9 Kentucky was another illustration of the SEC's 2024-25 depth. After all, how many other conferences can say their 10th-best team can beat a top-10 team in the country? How about twice? 

The Commodores followed last Saturday's 76-75 home win over No. 6 Tennessee (17-2, 4-2 in SEC) with a 74-69 win over the Wildcats.

According to the ESPN broadcast, the wins mark the first time since 2007 that Vanderbilt won two games against AP top-10 teams. That season, Vanderbilt beat No. 10 Alabama, 94-73, and No. 1 Florida, 83-70, and eventually reached the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in program history.

Per Stathead, Saturday's win was Vanderbilt's first against a top-10 Kentucky team since 2012, when it beat No. 1 Kentucky, 71-64, in the SEC Tournament championship game.

The Commodores haven't had much to celebrate in the years since that SEC tourney win, reaching the NCAA Tournament twice (2016, 2017) and posting five losing records in a seven-season span.

Vanderbilt (16-4, 4-3 in SEC), which entered Saturday ranked 10th in the conference standings, has built a strong case for a March Madness invite with three Quad 1 wins. And with nine more upcoming on its SEC schedule, the Commodores can improve their tournament seeding.

According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi's most recent bracketology, the Commodores are a projected 10-seed, receiving one of the last four byes.

Per Lunardi, they're one of 13 SEC teams on track for an NCAA Tournament bid, which would break the Big East's record 11 teams in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

It will certainly be justified if underdogs like Vanderbilt keep beating the conference's powerhouses.