Vanderbilt men’s basketball will play Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tournament quarterfinals at Bridgestone Arena, according to a March 12 announcement. The Commodores, seeded fourth, will meet the fifth-seeded Volunteers after Tennessee defeated Auburn 72-62 in the second round.
The game is scheduled for approximately 2:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN with Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes, and Alyssa Lang providing commentary.
Sophomore Tyler Tanner has been recognized for his performance during the season. Tanner averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.3 steals over 18 league games and was named First Team All-SEC by both conference head coaches and the Associated Press. He is noted as the only SEC player in at least three decades to average more than 21 points, five assists, and two steals per conference game. For the full season, Tanner averaged 19.2 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.5 steals—reportedly making him the only player nationally to reach those averages this year—and also earned a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team with a conference-leading total of 76 steals.
AK Okereke has also contributed significantly for Vanderbilt by scoring double figures in four consecutive games to close out the regular season while averaging 14.5 points during that stretch. Okereke shot nearly sixty percent from the field over those games and contributed with rebounds and assists as well.
Vanderbilt secured its No. 4 seed after defeating Tennessee on the road in their final regular-season matchup—a win that gave them a double-bye into Friday’s quarterfinals. This marks Vanderbilt’s highest tournament seeding since capturing its last SEC Tournament Championship in 2012.
