NASHVILLE - Vanderbilt’s exhibition win over UAB had a breakout feel for freshman Ant Brown, and the freshman delivered the kind of all-around night that jumps off the page.
Brown opened his scoring by ripping down a loose ball on the defensive end and turning it into an up-and-under finish for two of his first points. From there, he kept stacking contributions until the box score read 10 points, 10 assists, two rebounds and a pair of made three-pointers on five attempts in the Commodores’ 97-65 victory.
The performance stood out because Brown wasn’t just finishing plays - he was creating them, defending, and helping run the offense in his first game at Memorial Gymnasium. He looked active everywhere, a player who could change the flow of a possession at either end.
Brown said the work leading into Monday night has been building since he got to campus.
“I feel like the coaches are pushing me to my limits on both sides of the basketball, especially defense. I feel like when my defense is top notch or I’m going to the ball as well, my offense just follows right behind,” Brown said of his performance Monday night.
Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington has seen that growth in practice and believes Brown’s role this season could be significant. Against UAB, Brown showed off both the passing and scoring that make him more than just another young guard trying to find his footing.
Byington also likes the edge Brown brings, even if it sometimes pushes him toward a play that tries to do too much.
“He makes other guys better. He is extremely aggressive and I don’t want to take that out of him,” Byington said.
“There’s a couple times where he tries to hit home runs, but maybe it could be a single or double. And he wants to get better.
I need him to get more experience and play.”
One of the clearest signs of Brown’s value came when he shared the floor with Tyler Tanner. Brown handled point guard responsibilities on some possessions, giving Tanner a chance to work off the ball and helping keep the offense moving.
That matters to Byington, who acknowledged Tanner was asked to carry too much of the offense at times last season. Vanderbilt wants Brown to be the player who can ease that burden, whether the two are on the court together or Brown is running things himself.
“Having somebody where he [Tanner] can go on and off the ball and make plays is important to him and his longevity,” Byington said of Brown’s ability to play the point guard position and let Tanner go off-ball when need be.
Brown appears comfortable in that spot already, and Monday offered a solid snapshot of how he fits into Byington’s system. If this is the early version of what he can bring, Vanderbilt may have found a freshman who can impact games in a hurry.
Tanner certainly sounds convinced.
“Ant Brown’s the goat. He’s the one,” Tanner told Vandy On SI about his thoughts on Brown.
“He’s my dawg. He's gonna surprise a lot of people this year.”
In Other News...
Vanderbilt Has A Painful Stock Up Stock Down Debate After Arkansas
Vanderbilts search for answers keeps getting tougher, and Saturdays 31-21 loss to Arkansas only added another painful entry to the ledger. The Commodores have now dropped four straight and are still trying to get traction in SEC play, even though there were individual bright spots worth noting. Junior Sherrill continued to give the offense a reliable target, Bryan Longwell was active all over the field, and Sedrick Alexander chipped in as both a runner and receiver to keep Vanderbilt within striking distance.
Still, the game turned on the kind of mistake that can define a young offense. Freshman quarterback Jared Curtis had a uneven afternoon, and a late interception in the final minutes came at the worst possible time as Vanderbilt was trying to push for a tying score. It left the Commodores sorting through the familiar stock up, stock down debate again, with some encouraging performances on tape and a result that leaves plenty unresolved heading into the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Just Earned The Respect Commodores Fans Have Been Waiting For
Vanderbilts preseason work has already given fans a first look at how Mark Byington wants this group to look in year three, with an exhibition against Virginia now in the books and another tune-up against UAB still ahead before Bellarmine comes to town for the regular-season opener. The roster has been reshaped again, this time with a mix of incoming transfers and freshmen around a core that still includes point guard Tyler Tanner.
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Arizona Is Back In The National Title Conversation Early
The preseason AP Top 25 has arrived, and it gives Vanderbilt a little early-season validation after what has been a long wait. The Commodores are back in the conversation with a spot in the preseason rankings, joining a list led by Florida at No. 1 and packed with familiar powers like Duke, Illinois and UConn.
For Vanderbilt, the placement matters because it marks the programs first preseason Top 25 appearance since 2015, a small but meaningful sign that the Commodores are starting the year with national relevance rather than having to earn it from scratch. The poll also brings a few notable benchmarks elsewhere, from Kentucky closing in on its 1,000th AP poll appearance to Purdues run of 79 straight weeks coming to an end, but for Vanderbilt the bigger takeaway is simply getting back on the board before the season even starts. [Read more 🡒]