Vanderbilt all but clinches NCAA Tournament berth with signature win

The win for the Commodores was their second straight over a ranked opponent, as they just knocked off No. 24 Ole Miss on Saturday.

A 41.7% shooting night from three-point range was crucial in a two-point victory. 

Tyler Nickel was a huge part of that, as he knocked down seven of the Commodores' 10 total threes for the game. Nickel finished the game with 21 points, his most since he scored his season-high of 24 all the way back in November.

MJ Collins Jr. was the second leading scorer for Vanderbilt with 16 points off the bench. He knocked down seven free throws, second behind Jason Edwards who finished with 15 points and went 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Texas A&M has now lost three straight games, and it is costing them seeding in not only the SEC Tournament but the NCAA Tournament as well.

The Aggies had two players score 20+ points, as Pharrel Payne finished with a team-high 23 points and Wade Taylor scored 21.

Taylor made just three shots from the field, but he made up for that at the free-throw line, going 13-for-16.

With an upcoming two-game stretch against Florida and Auburn, the Aggies are in danger of dropping five straight games and falling to just one game above .500 in conference play. 

For Vanderbilt, with an NCAA Tournament berth basically secured at this point, it is important for the Commodores to get hot at the right time and begin to play some of their best basketball.