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The Vanderbilt sports surge has hit March Madness.
Saturday night will mark a monumental moment for the often-overlooked SEC university that has recently found great success across multiple athletic programs.
The Commodores men’s basketball team is set for a primetime showdown with Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA tournament after winning a March Madness game for the first time since 2012. On Thursday, No. 5-seeded Vanderbilt fended off No. 12 McNeese, which was looking to pull off a tournament upset for a second consecutive year. Vanderbilt-Nebraska is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. ET on TNT.
Meanwhile, the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team is hosting NCAA tournament games for the first time since 2012, as the Commodores earned a No. 2 seed, their highest since 2007. The 14,000-seat Memorial Gymnasium is hosting the first and second round of the Fort Worth region. Vanderbilt is playing No. 15 High Point in the first round, which will air on ESPNEWS at 7 p.m. ET. Should Vanderbilt win, the Commodores will play the winner of No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 10 Colorado on Monday.
The expanding March Madness footprint for Vanderbilt comes after the women finished the regular season ranked No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll with a 27-4 record. The men’s team ended the season ranked No. 16 with a 27-8 record.
From the Gridiron to Hardwood
Improved play on the basketball court follows Vanderbilt’s best football season in school history.
Led by outspoken quarterback Diego Pavia and head coach Clark Lea, the Commodores finished the 2025 season 10–3, including a loss to Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl. With a 10–2 record during the regular season, Vanderbilt was a College Football Playoff contender for the first time, finishing No. 14 in the final CFP rankings.
The Commodores’ 2025 campaign followed a 2024 season that ended with a win over Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl. The postseason victory clinched Vanderbilt’s first winning season since 2013, after the program amassed a 36-83 record from 2014-2023, including a 2-10 mark as recently as 2023.
After completing a football stadium renovation project last year, Vanderbilt is now eyeing another $300 million project to build a football experience center and other venues.
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