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Vanderbilt takes down Mizzou for 3rd straight ranked win entering March
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Vanderbilt understood the assignment with Saturday ushering in the first day of March.
March means madness, at least when it comes to the basketball court. And after Tennessee and Ole Miss delivered some big-time endings, the Commodores dialed up their own madness in Nashville.
Facing Mizzou, Vanderbilt did not tie things up until 2 seconds left in regulation. A 3-point jumper from Tyler Nickel was pure, tying the game at 81 points and forcing overtime.
Once in the OT period, AJ Hoggard and Chris Manon took over. They combined to score 12 of Vanderbilt’s 16 points in the period with Hoggard also delivering 2 assists. Manon led the Commodores with 23 points overall while Hoggard added 21 points and 6 assists in the game.
The win adds to what has already been a magical season for Vanderbilt under first-year head coach Mark Byington. The Commodores now have 3 straight wins against ranked opponents after beating No. 24 Ole Miss, No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 14 Mizzou in consecutive games.
Vanderbilt now has 5 overall wins against ranked opponents and is firmly looking at a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. Saturday was also the 20th win of the season for the Commodores, giving the program 20+ wins for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
Entering the final 2 games of the season, Vanderbilt is still playing for seeding in the SEC Tournament. They will face Arkansas and Georgia to end the year before entering postseason play.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
