Vanderbilt’s final exhibition left no mystery about the night’s headline: Miami had the better team and Vanderbilt spent most of Friday in Coral Gables chasing the game.
The Commodores fell 109-96, never once taking the lead. Miami owned the scoreboard for all but 1:05 and looked every bit like a top-10 group, while Vanderbilt came away with a clear list of things to clean up before the Nov. 2 opener against Bellarmine.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing from Jerry Stackhouse’s perspective. In this case, the loss gave Vanderbilt exactly what an exhibition is supposed to provide: information. Byington can now go back through the film and attack the issues head-on, and sources around the program believe that’s the part he’ll welcome most.
Friday’s game wasn’t televised, but sources in the gym and the box score painted a fairly complete picture of what happened. And what happened was pretty simple: Miami shot 58.0% from the field, 48.0% from 3-point range and got to the foul line 23 times. Vanderbilt, a team that wants to become Byington’s best defensive unit, could not keep up with that kind of efficiency.
That defensive side is where the most urgent work sits. Byington and his staff didn’t build the kind of detailed gameplan they’d usually use for a regular-season opponent, but the bigger issue is that Vanderbilt still has to sort out its coverages and overall execution.
The good news, at least from the staff’s view, is that the personnel appears to be there. Now it’s a matter of tightening things up.
Berke Buyuktuncel’s absence in the first half because of foul trouble mattered. Byington said in his postgame comments that Buyuktuncel is his “best defensive guy,” which is a pretty clear sign of how much the staff values him on that end.
The frontcourt, though, didn’t fold. Early on it looked like Miami might control the paint in a way that would create a long night, but Vanderbilt eventually steadied itself. This group seems deeper and more capable at the four and the five than some of Byington’s previous teams, and that matters when the opponent has players like Somto Cyril around the basket.
Even with Miami’s shot-making, Vanderbilt finished with more rebounds than the Hurricanes, despite Miami missing only 29 shots. That wasn’t the cleanest stat line on the night, but it did show the Commodores weren’t completely overwhelmed on the glass.
Offensively, there were some mixed signals, but also a few useful ones. Tyler Tanner finished 3-for-10 from the field and Brown was 1-for-7, though Byington said Miami did a nice job on Tanner and noted that Vanderbilt would have done more to get him free in a real game. The team also had very little of its offensive package in Friday’s plan.
Brown had his freshman moments against an older, more experienced opponent, but he also handed out six assists and, according to those around the program, didn’t show signs that Monday’s double-double against UAB was a fluke. He’s still learning when to force the issue and when to make the right play.
The biggest individual offensive statement came from Bing. After two underwhelming exhibitions, he answered with 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting and got to the line seven times, making six.
Inside the program, there’s a belief that he has improved significantly and can be a useful complementary scorer alongside Vanderbilt’s higher-usage guards. This won’t be the version of Bing every night, but it was a strong reminder that he can provide real offense.
The shot chart as a whole still leaves some questions. Vanderbilt hit 36.4% from 3-point range, with makes from Ace Glass, Tyler Tanner, Berke Buyuktuncel and Bangot Dak.
Everyone else combined to go 0-for-7 from deep. The Commodores also shot 72.7% at the foul line.
There was some encouraging health news, too. TO Barrett and Gabe Nesmith both warmed up for Friday’s exhibition, though neither played. The sense is that both are trending toward being available for the opener against Bellarmine, even if that still isn’t fully settled.
As for Miami, those inside the Vanderbilt program have reportedly believed for months that Jai Lucas’ team has the look of a potential top-10 group, and Friday only strengthened that view. They’ve said all along that the Hurricanes have elements as dynamic as anything Vanderbilt will see this season, and that belief appears to have held up under direct inspection.
The takeaway for Vanderbilt is less about the final score than what it revealed. The Commodores have time to fix the defense, sharpen the offense and get healthier before the games start counting.
Friday showed where the gaps are. Now comes the work.
In Other News...
Vanderbilt Walks Into A Brutal SEC Test With Kentucky Rolling
Vanderbilt is heading into one of the toughest spots on its SEC schedule with Kentucky suddenly looking every bit like a program on the rise under first-year coach Will Stein. The Wildcats are 6-1 and ranked No. 12 nationally, carrying a five-game winning streak into a primetime home date, while the Commodores are still searching for their first conference win of the season and need something to change quickly against a surging opponent.
The atmosphere figures to be part of the challenge, too. Kentuckys social media account has already leaned into the moment with a one-minute hype video aimed at getting fans louder and more engaged for the game, a reminder that Vanderbilt will not just be dealing with a ranked team but with a crowd expecting another step forward from a breakout season. [Read more 🡒]
Miami May Have Uncovered A New Offensive Problem For Opponents
Miamis exhibition loss to No. 14 Hurricanes still came with a few things Vanderbilt will want to keep in mind, starting with the way Miamis younger pieces changed the game. Freshman Caleb Gaskins looked ready for a bigger role, scoring 20 points and giving the Hurricanes a boost when the pace picked up. Coach Jai Lucas, meanwhile, liked the way his team came out aggressive, which is a useful sign with the season opener against No. 1 Florida looming.
Acaden Lewis also gave Miami plenty to build on, finishing with a double-double in a game that had plenty of offense on both sides. The turnovers, though, were part of the same story, and they showed there is still some polish to be done even as Miami tries to sharpen its attack and keep pressure on opponents. For Vanderbilt, the takeaway is less about the final score than the type of shot-making and tempo Miami was able to sustain when the game opened up. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Heads To Kentucky With Pressure Rising On A Four-Game Skid
Vanderbilt heads to Lexington carrying the weight of a four-game losing streak, with No. 12 Kentucky next on the schedule after a recent loss to Arkansas. The trip to Kroger Field comes with the pressure only intensifying for a team still searching for a way to steady itself, and the Commodores will have to do it in a difficult road setting with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
The injury picture adds another layer of uncertainty for Vanderbilt as it tries to snap the skid. Several players are already ruled out, while a few others were listed on the latest availability report as probable, giving the staff at least some hope of getting key depth back before facing a ranked opponent that has been far more consistent this season. [Read more 🡒]