Column: Vandy Should Be Proud Of Their Season, Despite NIT Exit

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Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Memorial Magic can’t last forever, and even this scrappy Vanderbilt men’s basketball team can’t pull out every win. All good things come to an end, and Vandy’s great 2022-2023 season ended Wednesday night (March 22) when they lost to the University of Alabama at Birmingham 67-59 in the NIT quarterfinals, ending their postseason run.

So many questions surrounded this postseason for the Commodores as they made a run in the SEC Tournament and picked up wins against ranked opponents, but didn’t get the recognition from the NCAA Tournament Committee that many thought they deserved. Liam Robbins had one of the best seasons by a Vandy player in years and Head Coach Jerry Stackhouse was named the SEC’s Co-Coach of the Year after leading the ‘Dores to their best season in nearly seven years.

Fans saw First Four teams Nevada and Mississippi State fail to make anything of their NCAA Tournament bid, and witnessed teams like Rutgers and Clemson, who were picked as the First Four out by the NCAA Tournament Committee, also fail to get past the opening round of the NIT. This made many Vanderbilt fans and some in the Nashville media even more frustrated that Vandy didn’t get a proper shot.

But Vanderbilt seemed to block all of that out and continued to play great basketball, beating Yale and then Michigan 66-65 after going on a 9-0 run in the final minute of the game. The Commodores were electric and created an atmosphere at Memorial that hasn’t been seen in years. Though their run was short lived, the team created memories that they can build off of next season and beyond. This foundation Stackhouse has laid is what Vandy fans have been waiting for since he took over as Head Coach.

Fans should be over the moon after this season and extremely proud of this team. Guys like Jordan Wright, Tyrin Lawrence and Ezra Manjon had fantastic seasons and some brilliant moments in both the SEC Tournament and the NIT. Lawrence is only a junior and has the potential to be that superstar Vandy needs to take the extra step towards an NCAA Tournament bid. Wright also has another year of eligibility, if he decides to take it. If he does, Vanderbilt will have another strong senior class that can lead.

After two consecutive seasons with strong NIT runs, Vanderbilt needs to push harder and get into the NCAA Tournament. Being so close to a bid this year and ultimately being snubbed should fuel the returning roster. That fuel combined with Stackhouse’s recruiting, which is arguably his best yet, (being ranked 43rd in the country and eighth in the SEC by 247Sports) could be enough to make the Commodores legit contenders.

This season was a fun one, but next season, there will be real expectations for this new era of Vanderbilt basketball.

Steven Boero
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