No. 5 seed Vanderbilt takes first March Madness win in 14 years

Vanderbilt Commodores guard Tyler Tanner (3) shoots a basket during a first-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament game between McNeese and Vanderbilt. BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 5 seed Vanderbilt carries SEC tournament momentum to first March Madness win in 14 years

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Mar 19, 2026 6:57 PM ET

The Vanderbilt Commodores won their first NCAA Tournament game in 14 years on Thursday. Among the hottest teams in the country earlier this season, they might be once again, and at the perfect time.

The South Region No. 5 seed defeated the No. 12 seed McNeese Cowboys (28-6, 19-3 in Southland), 78-68, fighting back from an 11-point first-half deficit to comfortably win. Per ESPN, Vanderbilt (27-8, 11-7 in SEC) led for 58 percent of the game.

Sophomore guard Tyler Tanner continued his strong play, finishing with a game-high 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one steal. The Commodores shot 51 percent while holding McNeese to 36.2 percent, its third-worst performance of the season.

Streaky Vanderbilt could be getting hot again

For the first time in 14 years, @VandyMBB is moving on to the Round of 32. pic.twitter.com/Ho8P1eIhbl
— CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) March 19, 2026

Vandy has won five of its last six, including two in two days at last week's SEC tournament, the latter a 17-point blowout over the South Region No. 1 seed Florida Gators (26-7, 16-2 in SEC). It also began the season 16-0, the best start in program history.

Tanner's play of late has been a major factor. During the current six-game stretch, the 2025-26 first-team All-SEC team member is averaging 23.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

The Commodores are 11-17 all-time in the NCAA Tournament but haven't advanced to the second weekend since 2007. They had just one win in six appearances since then and had most recently blown a seven-point halftime lead in a loss as a No. 10 seed to the No. 7 Saint Mary's Gaels last year.

Vanderbilt hasn't reached an Elite Eight since 1965, although that could soon change. Per EvanMiya.com, it entered the tournament with the highest odds (16 percent) of making the regional finals of any team outside of the top three seeds.

Vanderbilt has the highest odds to make the Elite 8 of any team outside the 1s, 2s, and 3-seeds according to tournament probabilities at https://t.co/cegyfz96ax.

The Commodores have a 16% chance of getting to the Elite 8. pic.twitter.com/FEDLvS5HID
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) March 17, 2026

Thursday's win sets up a fascinating second-round game with the No. 5 Nebraska Cornhuskers (27-6, 15-5 in Big Ten), who won their first NCAA Tournament game in program history earlier in the day. Like Vanderbilt, Nebraska can get hot for an extended period, beginning the year 20-0, also a program best.

Per KenPom, Vanderbilt is a slight favorite, given a 52 percent chance to win.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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