Despite an impressive 21-7 record, a No. 14 overall ranking, and 10 wins within the SEC—easily the best in the NCAA this season—with three more games to be played, head coach Dennis Gates has still struggled with one thing all year long: winning on the road.
Six of the seven losses Mizzou has suffered this season have come away from Mizzou Arena, where they are 18-1, one of the best home records in the country this season.
They were undefeated at home until a heartbreaking loss to No. 12 Texas A&M, courtesy of a last-second three-pointer, in early February. Apart from that, they’ve defended their home court throughout the season.
They’ve been upset on the road numerous times, most recently by the Arkansas Razorbacks last Saturday night, a team that is just 17-11 on the season.
They bounced back with a blowout win at home against South Carolina on Tuesday evening, but now they hope to put their past road woes behind them and take down a conference rival that has upset numerous teams this season.
The Commodores are 19-9 and are looking for their 20th win for the first time in three seasons. It's clearly a new era for Vanderbilt basketball, as this is quickly becoming their most successful season in the past decade.
They reached No. 24 in the AP rankings, their first time cracking the top 25 since the 2015-16 season. They haven't reached the NCAA Tournament since the following year, when they were bounced in the first round as a No. 9 seed. However, they absolutely have a chance to make it again this season.
Head coach Mark Byington, in his first season after taking over for NBA legend Jerry Stackhouse, has led Vanderbilt to new heights, reaching milestones they haven't seen in several years.
Byington is a former NCAA player and coached at Georgia Southern and James Madison over the past decade before joining the Commodores.
Vanderbilt began the season with dominant wins over their first few out-of-conference rivals, and they only lost one game before conference play started, a home loss to Drake.
Despite opening SEC play with a win at LSU, Vanderbilt suffered back-to-back losses to ranked rivals, Mississippi State and then our Missouri Tigers. However, they have since upset No. 5 Tennessee, No. 12 Texas A&M, No. 17 Kentucky, and Ole Miss.
However, both Tennessee and Kentucky dominated the Commodores in their second meetings.
Just as it was last time, the offense runs through junior Jason Edwards. In his second collegiate season and first at Vanderbilt, the six-foot-one guard plays the most minutes on the team, averaging 17 points per game on 44% shooting, and has a knack for taking games over.
Jason Edwards saves a Vanderbilt possession at the end of the clock.
— Joey Dwyer (@joey_dwy) February 15, 2025
Up to 10 points without missing a shot. pic.twitter.com/sKiSXuIE6P
Though he's solid from deep, shooting 36%, and a decent defender around the perimeter, his small frame isn't ideal for paint defense. Additionally, he's not much of a facilitator, averaging just one assist per game, which isn't ideal for your primary ball handler.
Apart from Edwards, six-foot-seven, 230-pound Devin McGlockton is crucial for successful game planning. Also a junior in his first year with the Commodores, McGlockton has started every game, averaging 11 points on 59% shooting and 8 rebounds per game, ranking in the top 60 nationally.
He isn’t bad from three either, shooting over 36% from beyond the arc on a couple of attempts per game. Defensively, McGlockton leads the team with more than a block and a steal per night, while keeping his turnovers under one. He’s an overall ideal big man who can be a headache for opposing defenses.
This matchup is dangerously similar to last week’s at Arkansas, where an underachieving conference rival, previously beaten at home, is put to the test—this time on their home court.
Sweeping any team in any situation is always a challenge, but if there’s any squad that can do it, it’s this year’s Tigers.
They tip off in Nashville at 5 p.m. on Saturday evening.