Vanderbilt basketball blew out UAB, 97-65, in an exhibition game at Memorial Gymnasium on Oct. 19.
Before getting the season going, the No. 21-ranked Commodores gave a look at their 2026-27 team, which returns Tyler Tanner but just two other players from last season's team that made the second round of the NCAA tournament. Tanner led Vanderbilt scorers with 18 points against UAB.
Vanderbilt basketball coach Mark Byington built this season's team with more of a focus on defense and size than last season.
Here's what I liked and didn't like:
What I liked
The Tyler Tanner and Anthony Brown Jr. combo
Tyler Tanner is known to be one of the most electric guards in the country, and he lived up to that billing with his 18-point performance. But another guard stood out alongside him — freshman Anthony Brown Jr.,
who put up a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.
"Now, I've got great teammates," Brown said. "I can get them the ball and they'll do the rest."
Brown is capable of running the point guard. That won't be his primary role this season with Tanner locked in at that position, but Tanner can also play off the ball and having Brown as a second player who can handle the ball will be crucial for the Commodores.
"Tyler Tanner ... needs another guard out there that can share the responsibilities with him," Byington said. "I learned that last year when Duke Miles went out. ... I was wearing him out. He could throw it to somebody and go back and get it and have to do everything else, and he was getting worn out. So having somebody where he can go on and off the ball and make plays is important to him and his longevity."
Bangot Dak dunks
Bangot Dak, the 6-foot-11 transfer from Colorado, put up 15 points, 14 of which came off dunks and layups. Dak had four dunks and proved to be an electric presence on the fast-break, at one point catching a lob from Brown for a slam.
There is a catch with Dak: UAB left him open whenever he was on the perimeter, and he proved why, missing four 3-pointers. Dak found his most success when he wasn't trying to make threes and instead focused on the paint.
The overall paint presence
Vanderbilt overwhelmed UAB with its size and length. The Commodores drove into the paint time and again, creating space around the rim and drawing fouls when the Blazers couldn't defend their size.
Vanderbilt took few midrange shots, something Byington said was intentional.
"We're supposed to be very selective on our mid-range shots," Byington said. "Our points per possession analytics say not to shoot them, but a lot of guys, it's a red-light shot for them."
What I didn't like
Bigs shooting threes
Dak is a career 26.5% 3-point shooter. Berke Buyuktuncel is a 27% 3-point shooter. Jayden Leverett attempted just two 3-pointers last season (though he did make one). For Vanderbilt's post players, the 3-pointer just isn't going to be a winning shot.
In the first half, those post players shot too many threes and bricked many of them. They are much better when trying to be disruptive in the paint.
"They can shoot them when they're open," Byington said. " ... I would say half of them were good shots that we wanted to shoot, and a couple of them just weren't right. But in the first half, I thought we were hunting threes. I thought our bigs, instead of putting rim pressure on the other team, were just drifting out on the perimeter."
Guards like Tanner, Brown and Ace Glass can shoot from downtown, but the fewer 3-pointers the bigs shoot, the better.
Missed free throws
Vanderbilt won in a blowout, but the margin could've been more if the Commodores hadn't left significant points on the table at the line. Vanderbilt shot under 60% on free throws, and while it wasn't a problem against UAB, it could become one against better teams.
Tanner and Glass are strong free-throw shooters, but the rest of the team lacks a track record from the charity stripe, which could make the end of games a little too interesting this season.
Chandler Bing's inconsistent offense
Chandler Bing established himself as a defensive force last season as a freshman, and he showed that again in the exhibition with the ability to force turnovers, generate pressure and grab rebounds. But his usefulness hinges on how much he can do on offense, and against UAB, Bing missed multiple easy layups and also missed a 3-pointer.
It's a small sample, but Bing will need to improve his scoring ability and his free throws to reach his ceiling.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What I liked and didn't like from Vanderbilt basketball exhibition rout over UAB
