Vanderbilt Stays Perfect, Blows Past Wake Forest Behind Tyler Nickel’s 26-Point Outburst
Vanderbilt didn’t just win on Sunday afternoon - they made a statement.
The Commodores rolled into Winston-Salem and handed Wake Forest a 98-67 loss that never felt close. With the win, Vanderbilt moves to a flawless 12-0 on the season, while Wake drops to 9-4.
The star of the show? Tyler Nickel.
The junior forward was locked in from deep, drilling eight three-pointers - just one shy of the school record - on his way to a game-high 26 points. Every time Wake tried to claw back, it felt like Nickel had the answer from beyond the arc.
And he wasn’t alone. Vanderbilt was electric from deep, hitting 16-of-32 from three and shooting 59.3% overall from the field.
That kind of offensive efficiency is tough to beat, even when the opponent gets to the line as much as Wake did. The Demon Deacons actually held a 25-12 advantage in free throw points, but it didn’t come close to making up the gap.
After being held scoreless in his last outing, Tyler Harris bounced back in a big way. He dropped 14 points - his first double-digit game in seven contests - and looked much more like the scoring threat Vanderbilt needs him to be.
Duke Miles continued to be the engine of this team, stuffing the stat sheet with 17 points, nine assists, and five steals. Tyler Tanner added 11 points, seven rebounds, and five assists of his own in a well-rounded effort.
Devin McGlockton chipped in with 12 points and a team-high seven boards, helping Vanderbilt control the glass and maintain their tempo.
On the Wake Forest side, Juke Harris and Myles Colvin were the lone bright spots, scoring 19 and 20 points respectively. But the Deacons, who came in 7-1 at home, never found their rhythm - especially after halftime.
The game’s defining stretch came early in the second half. Up 54-37 at the break - the most points Wake had allowed in a half all season - Vanderbilt came out firing.
A quick McGlockton layup, followed by a Tanner steal and a Miles bucket, pushed the lead to 58-37 just over a minute in. From there, it was all Commodores.
A Miles block turned into a transition three for Nickel. Then another deep ball from Nickel pushed the lead to 64-39 with 17 minutes still to play. By the 11:32 mark, Harris knocked down a smooth 16-footer from the left wing to stretch the lead past 30.
That kind of offensive avalanche is hard to stop - and Vanderbilt was relentless.
Nickel had already poured in 20 points by halftime, including six of Vanderbilt’s 10 first-half threes. The Commodores shot 55.9% in the opening frame and never trailed, jumping out to an 8-0 lead less than two minutes in. Wake was forced to burn a timeout before they’d even scored.
Foul trouble did cause some turbulence in the first half. Vanderbilt committed 13 fouls to Wake’s seven, and the Deacons capitalized with a 13-6 edge at the line.
Several Commodores - including Tanner, McGlockton, Harris, Mike James, AK Okereke, and Jalen Washington - picked up two fouls apiece before the break. But even with the whistles, Vanderbilt’s shot-making was simply too much to overcome.
They led by as many as 16 in the first half after back-to-back threes from James and Harris, and Nickel’s corner triple pushed the margin to 17 shortly after. Every time Wake showed signs of life, Vanderbilt had a counterpunch ready.
Now, the Commodores head back to Nashville to face New Haven on December 29 - their final non-conference tune-up before the grind of SEC play begins. If Sunday’s performance is any indication, this team is locked in, loaded with shooters, and more than ready for what’s next.