Vanderbilt didn’t need long to separate itself from Prairie View on Friday night. After a shaky opening stretch, the Commodores found their rhythm, buried the visitors with a huge first-half run and cruised to an 89-62 win in Nashville.
The early minutes were a little messy for Vanderbilt. The offense started just 2-for-9 from three, the ball was loose with six turnovers, and the lead sat at only 19-11. But once the Commodores settled in, the game flipped fast.
Vanderbilt closed the half on a 27-6 surge, turning defense into easy offense and blowing the margin open before halftime. By the break, the Commodores were already in control at 46-17.
Ace Glass helped spark that separation right away. He scored Vanderbilt’s first eight points and went into halftime with 13 points after knocking down three triples. Tyler Tanner also played a major role in the first-half push, posting 10 points, four rebounds and three assists before the intermission.
The pressure never really let up after that. Vanderbilt opened the second half with another scoring burst and stretched the lead to as many as 45 points.
Against Prairie View, the Commodores did exactly what they were supposed to do: establish control early, put the game out of reach and keep attacking.
The shooting numbers were solid overall, with Vanderbilt finishing at 56% from the floor, though the three-point line was a little less friendly. The Commodores went 6-for-21 from deep.
Glass led the scoring with 19 points on 7-for-14 shooting and 5-for-11 from three. Tanner added 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting, while Chandler Bing chipped in 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
Vanderbilt also owned the glass from start to finish. The Commodores finished with a 44-19 rebounding edge, and Bangot Dak led the way with 11 rebounds.
The win pushed Vanderbilt to 4-0 on the season, with the Commodores rolling along for now.
Next up is a home game Tuesday night against Eastern Illinois at Memorial Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
In Other News...
Former Vanderbilt Receiver's Legal Case Took An Unexpected Turn
A legal case involving former Vanderbilt wide receiver Kayleb Barnett took a notable turn this week, with the Davidson County District Attorneys Office dropping the charges that had been filed against him. Barnett had been facing allegations of aggravated assault by strangulation, identity theft and false identification after his October 11 arrest, and he was set for a court hearing on November 13 before the case changed course.
Barnetts arrest had already carried football consequences, as he was dismissed from Vanderbilts program for violating team and university standards. For the Commodores, it closes one difficult chapter around a player who had once been part of the roster, even as the details behind the original allegations had already cast a shadow over his departure. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Still Draws Belief From The Win That Changed Everything
For Vanderbilt, the memory that still hangs over the program is the 2024 upset of Alabama, the kind of breakthrough that did more than fill a highlight reel. It gave Clark Leas team a proof point it had never really had before, a night that players and coaches have kept circling back to as the moment the Commodores started seeing themselves differently.
The ripple effect has been impossible to miss since then. The win helped push Vanderbilt into bowl eligibility and became part of the foundation for a program-record 10-win season in 2025, which is why the reflection around it still matters now. Lea and several players have talked about how one result can alter a programs identity, and for Vanderbilt, the bigger question is how long that belief can keep carrying over. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Quarterback Uncertainty Just Changed Vanderbilts Week 11 Stakes
Alabamas quarterback situation has added a fresh layer of intrigue to Vanderbilts Week 11 trip, with the Crimson Tide suddenly having to sort through injury concerns at the games most important position. The matchup is set for Saturday at 12:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network, and the uncertainty comes at a time when every detail around Alabamas offense matters for a Commodores team trying to measure itself against one of the SECs standard-bearers.
Keelon Russell has been getting attention as the key variable, while backup Austin Mack has seen increased first-team reps in practice as the week has gone on. For Vanderbilt, that means the prep work has to account for more than one version of the Alabama offense, and the stakes of the game feel a little different now than they did at the start of the week. [Read more 🡒]