Vanderbilt’s second game of the season arrives with a much stiffer challenge attached.
After cruising past Bellarmine 93-47 in Monday night’s opener, the No. 24 Commodores turn around to host Wake Forest on Thursday night in Nashville, a matchup that should tell Mark Byington’s team a lot more about where it stands this early in the year.
Byington isn’t pretending the calendar is small. He’s already looking at the long haul.
"I’m sitting here after game one, kind of thinking about how many games we’ve got left," Byington said. "It’s a long season.
It is a tremendously long season. So on the journey, the goal is to keep getting better along the way and see where you are at the end of it."
Against Bellarmine, Vanderbilt had plenty to like. Four starters reached double figures, with Tyler Tanner leading the way with 20 points. The Commodores also controlled the glass 38-20 and forced 23 turnovers, a sharp defensive start that set the tone for the opener.
For Byington, the first game was as much about discovery as domination.
"With us and with our team, the whole focus was we’ve just got to learn our team and get better," Byington said. "I played a lot of guys."
Tanner’s night stood out not just because of the scoring, but because of the way he set the tone on both ends.
"He plays so hard," Byington said. "I thought he did a really good job of being really aggressive on defense and pushing the pace on offense."
Wake Forest brings its own momentum into the matchup after opening with an 83-62 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday. Gavin Placide scored 20 points, while point guard Kevair Kennedy delivered 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in his first game after transferring from Merrimack.
Steve Forbes liked what he saw from Kennedy right away.
"I think that he embodies a lot of things that I believe in ... grittiness and toughness and relentlessness," Forbes said. "I think he’s about the right stuff. I think at that position, he’s got a joy to play."
The Demon Deacons also have a player on the roster who knows what this kind of game can demand. Forward Jamari McDowell transferred from Kansas and has already seen the kind of power-conference tests that come with a road game like this one.
"It slowly adds up, and before you know it, it snowballs, and you have a whole bunch of either problems or you got a whole bunch of things that your team can rely on," McDowell said. "So that’s kind of what we are striving for here to do at Wake."
Vanderbilt forward Sebastian Williams-Adams said the Commodores believe they have the ability to repeat the defensive edge they showed in the opener.
"We definitely feel like we have the talent to do it," Williams-Adams said. "It’s more so finding the want to every single day, every single game. We just have focused on that."
Thursday’s game is also a rematch of last December’s meeting, when Vanderbilt jumped out to a big early lead on the road and beat Wake Forest 98-67. Tanner finished that game with 11 points, seven assists and five steals.
The trip to Nashville is one of only two true road games Wake Forest has in its nonconference schedule. The other comes Dec. 1 at LSU.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Faces A Dangerous ACC Test As SMU Eyes Payback
The ACCs Week 11 schedule drop gave Wake Forest a clearer picture of what waits after its tune-up against Merrimack, and it is a tricky one. The Demon Deacons head to SMU on Nov. 14 for a matchup that carries some real weight in the league race, especially with the Mustangs still carrying the sting of a slow start and recent losses that have dented their standing.
This is also a series with a little history behind it. SMU won the first three meetings between the programs before Wake Forest finally broke through last season, so there is no shortage of motivation on either side. For Wake Forest, the challenge is simple enough: handle business first, then walk into a road game where the opponent will be eager to settle things on its own field. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forests Playoff Push Now Comes Down To One Huge Unknown
Wake Forests playoff push got a real jolt this week when the first College Football Rankings of the season slotted the Demon Deacons at No. 16, their first appearance in the rankings since 2022. At 7-1, with the lone loss coming against top-ranked Miami, the Deacons have put themselves in the conversation in a way they have not been for a while, and the path ahead is clear enough: keep winning, then see what the ACC Championship Game can do for their rsum.
The problem is that the biggest variable in all of it is still sitting on the injury report, and it is hard to separate Wake Forests ceiling from the status of starting quarterback Gio Lopez. FanDuels odds reflect the stakes, with the Deacons listed for both an ACC title run and a College Football Playoff bid, but those numbers only matter if the offense can keep its footing and Lopez is available when it counts most. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Has A Real CFP Ranking Argument Fans Will Love
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season brought the usual mix of validation and frustration, and Wake Forest landed in a spot that should at least keep its fan base engaged. With Miami, Georgia and Utah filling the top three and a few other high-profile teams drawing plenty of debate, the committees opening Top 25 already has the feel of a weekly argument board, and the Demon Deacons are right in the middle of it.
Wake Forest checking in at No. 16 gives the program a real case to make as the season moves deeper into November, especially with the rankings now setting the tone for how the rest of the field is viewed. The committees logic will be picked apart from every angle, and for a team trying to climb, the next few weeks will matter a lot in deciding whether this placement looks like respect or a missed opportunity. [Read more 🡒]