Vanderbilt Looks to Rebound at Auburn, Snap Decade-Long Road Drought
Vanderbilt heads into Tuesday night’s SEC clash at Auburn with two things on its mind: bouncing back from a tough home loss and finally ending a 10-year drought on the Plains. Ranked No. 15 in the country, the Commodores are still in the midst of a strong season, but their recent stumble against a struggling Oklahoma squad served as a wake-up call.
Let’s not sugarcoat it - Saturday’s 92-91 loss at home stung. Vanderbilt never led, trailed by as many as 15 with just over two minutes to play, and couldn’t complete a furious late rally. Oklahoma, losers of nine straight coming in, flipped the script on a Commodores team that had won three in a row and looked poised to keep climbing.
Head coach Mark Byington didn’t mince words afterward.
“In this high level of sports, you get what you deserve,” Byington said. “We didn’t play well, and we weren’t ready.
We’ve got to go back, figure it out, and fix some things. We can’t ever do this again.”
Despite the loss, Vanderbilt’s 19-4 record marks its best 23-game start since the 2007-08 season. That year, the Commodores also started 19-4 before finishing 24-4. So while the Oklahoma loss was a setback, there’s still plenty of reason to believe this group can right the ship - but it starts with getting things corrected quickly in a tough SEC road environment.
And that’s where the challenge gets real. Vanderbilt hasn’t won at Auburn since February 13, 2016 - a full decade ago. Auburn Arena has not been kind to the Commodores, and this year’s Tigers, while inconsistent, are still dangerous, especially at home.
Vanderbilt’s offense continues to be powered by sophomore guard Tyler Tanner, who has emerged as one of the breakout stars of the SEC. After averaging just 5.7 points per game off the bench as a freshman, Tanner now ranks fifth in the conference with 18.6 points per contest. He’s been the steady hand for a backcourt that’s been hit hard by injuries.
With Duke Miles (16.6 ppg) sidelined the past three games due to a knee injury and Frankie Collins (7.8 points, 4.7 assists) out since mid-December, Tanner has taken on a massive scoring load - and he hasn’t shied away. He dropped a career-high 37 points against Oklahoma, including 15 in the final two minutes as he nearly dragged Vanderbilt back from the brink.
“I’m just proud of his resiliency,” Byington said. “He was fighting and playing as hard as he could, and he almost got us back into it.”
There’s still no firm timetable for the return of either Miles or Collins, though Byington left the door open for both to return before the end of the regular season. Until then, it’s Tanner’s show - and so far, he’s proven he can handle the spotlight.
On the other side, Auburn is also looking for answers. The Tigers (14-9, 5-5 SEC) are trying to avoid back-to-back home losses for the first time since February 2021. First-year head coach Steven Pearl - son of longtime Auburn coach Bruce Pearl - has his hands full with a team that’s still trying to find its identity after last year’s Final Four run.
Auburn had a 10-point lead in the first half against rival Alabama on Saturday, only to allow 59 second-half points in a 96-92 loss. The Tigers have just a short turnaround before facing another high-powered offense in Vanderbilt.
“You’ve got to have a short memory,” Pearl said. “Vanderbilt runs a ton of offensive sets, so it’s going to be really hard to break that down to show the guys. I’ve got to do a good job of really identifying areas that we got exposed.”
And there’s plenty to prepare for. Vanderbilt ranks 12th nationally in scoring at 88.9 points per game.
Auburn, meanwhile, is giving up 78.4 - the third-most in the SEC. That’s not a great matchup on paper for a team trying to shore up its defensive execution.
If Auburn’s going to keep pace, it’ll likely be behind the scoring punch of Keyshawn Hall. The well-traveled senior - now on his fourth team in four years - is averaging 21 points per game, second in the SEC, and has been even hotter of late, putting up 23.8 per game over his last five outings.
Tuesday night’s game is more than just another SEC matchup. It’s a gut check for both programs.
For Vanderbilt, it’s about proving the Oklahoma loss was an outlier, not the start of a slide. For Auburn, it’s about holding serve at home and keeping postseason hopes alive.
Two teams, each with something to prove, meeting in a building where history hasn’t been kind to the visitors. Buckle up - this one has all the makings of a high-scoring, high-stakes battle.