Coming Through in College Station
Tyler Nickel makes 7-of-10 from deep to lead Vandy past Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Tyler Nickel connected on a career-best seven 3-pointers Wednesday on his way to a team-high 21 points to help lift Vanderbilt to an 86-84 SEC men’s basketball victory over No. 12 Texas A&M at Reed Arena.
Nickel shot 7-of-13 from beyond the arc to post his second 20-point game of the season, with MJ Collins Jr. adding 16 points and Jason Edwards 15. Devin McGlockton recorded his 10th game of the campaign with a double-figure rebounding total after pacing the Commodores (19-9, 7-8 SEC) with 10.
Tyler Tanner scored all nine of his points in the second half, while Jaylen Carey chipped in with eight points and five rebounds and Chris Mañon finished with six of each.
Pharrel Payne and Wade Taylor IV led the Aggies (20-8, 9-6 SEC) with 23 and 21 points, respectively, and Andersson Garcia was credited with a game-high 11 rebounds as well.
Vandy made twice as many 3-point field goals as Texas A&M after shooting 10-of-24 from deep, committing just seven turnovers while the Dores’ reserves outscored the Aggie bench 40-15.
Neither team led by more than three points through the first half of the opening period until an 8-0 run capped by back-to-back Nickel 3-point field goals in a 26-second stretch put Vandy up 21-14. The Commodore lead grew to as many as 12 points on two occasions before the break, but the Aggies did not allow a field goal over the final 4:54 of the opening half to cut the deficit to two after 20 minutes.
A Payne three-point play with just over 17 minutes remaining gave Texas A&M its first lead since the 12:43 mark of the first half, however when Collins Jr. sank a pull-up jumper with 11 and a half minutes to go Vandy would lead the rest of the way.
Texas A&M finished with a 44-36 rebounding advantage, with 18 offensive rebounds leading to 22 second-chance points.
The Dores will be back in Nashville Saturday at 5 p.m. to play host to No. 14 Missouri in the first of back-to-back contests at Memorial Gymnasium. The game can be seen on SEC Network, and Vanderbilt’s Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be recognized on the floor during halftime festivities.
Vanderbilt heads to No. 12 Texas A&M looking for back-to-back ranked wins
Vanderbilt (18-9, 6-8 SEC) at No. 12 Texas A&M (20-7, 9-5 SEC)
Wednesday, Feb. 26 • 6 p.m. CT
Reed Arena • College Station, Texas • SEC Network
AT THE TIP
MAÑON’S MONSTER DAY
KNOCK DOWN NICKEL
A WEIRD STREAK
SERIES HISTORY
Captain of Vanderbilt’s first SEC men’s basketball regular season champions helped create Memorial Magic
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Shortly before Vanderbilt welcomed second-ranked Duke to Memorial Gymnasium for a men’s basketball showdown in 1963, Commodore head coach Roy Skinner lamented to The Hustler that he didn’t have anyone who could match Blue Devils All-American Jeff Mullins and “go out and get 30 points.” He was correct. But in John Ed Miller, it turned out he had someone who could go out and get 39 points in what the newspaper called “the greatest single-game performance ever seen in Memorial Gymnasium.”
To be fair, Memorial was barely a decade old at the time, but Miller and the teams he helped lead did much to build the lore that fuels Memorial Magic to this day.
Playing alongside Hall of Famer Clyde Lee, Miller was captain and point guard on the 1964–65 juggernaut that went 24-4 and won Vanderbilt’s first SEC regular season championship en route to its first Elite Eight appearance. Only a controversial travelling call in the closing seconds of the Elite Eight game against Michigan denied the Commodores a trip to the Final Four and a potential meeting with John Wooden’s mighty UCLA for the national title.
With the 1963 game against Duke as just one example, Miller was at his best in the biggest moments—often in Memorial. He led Union City to the state high school tournament finals, then played at Vanderbilt, before he ever took the court for the Commodores. As a Vanderbilt sophomore, less than a month after beating Duke, he hit what the Associated Press described as a 30-footer at the buzzer to beat second-ranked Kentucky.
Miller’s heroics that season are all the more remarkable considering those were two of the first 12 varsity games he played (freshmen were then ineligible for varsity games).
A year later, by then team captain, Miller’s late free throws defeated Kentucky at Memorial to sweep the season series from Adolph Rupp’s mighty Wildcats. That win came just three days after Vanderbilt’s first and ultimately only SEC setback. With only the conference champion eligible for the NCAA Tournament, Vanderbilt defeated DePaul in overtime in the Sweet 16 before the 87-85 heartbreaker against Michigan.
In all, the Commodores amassed a 59-17 record in Miller’s three varsity seasons. At the time, that represented the best three-year stretch in school history.
In the same Hustler edition that reported Skinner’s scoring concerns ahead of the game against Duke, another story discussed significantly expanding Memorial’s seating capacity by adding the balcony areas now such an important part of the venue’s unique layout. Vice Chancellor Rob Ray Purdy suggested the school would consider the addition only if fan support continued to grow.
“It will take more than one successful season to justify as much money as the balconies will cost,” Skinner told the paper. “My job is to see that the teams keep improving. I would like to see them build the balconies.”
The fans kept coming. The wins that followed in Miller’s wake helped. But the Memorial Magic he created mattered most.
Vanderbilt notches its third top 25 win of the season over 24th-ranked Ole Miss
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt men’s basketball held off a second-half comeback to defeat No. 24 Ole Miss 77-72 in Memorial Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
The Commodores (18-9, 6-8 SEC) went on a 7-0 run midway through the first half to extend their lead to 19 points. A late 10-0 run from Ole Miss (19-8, 8-6 SEC) cut into Vandy’s advantage but a triple from Jason Edwards with under a minute to play kept the Dores up by eight heading into the break.
Ole Miss came out fast in the second half, going on a 9-0 run to take its first lead of the game at 16:08. The two squads traded blows for the next 11 minutes, with neither team leading by more than four points. Down 64-63 with 5:17 on the clock, Vanderbilt put up nine unanswered points to pull away from the Rebels and close out the Dores’ sixth SEC win of the season.
Vanderbilt had four players in double figures. Chris Mañon led the Dores in scoring with a season-high 16 points and added seven rebounds. Edwards extended his double-digit scoring streak to 12 games, contributing 15 points for Vandy. For the second straight contest, Devin McGlockton scored 10 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Tyler Nickel totaled 13 points in the win.
Malik Dia paced the Rebels with 22 points and seven boards. Sean Pedulla and Jaylen Murray each contributed double-digits for Ole Miss adding 21 and 10 points, respectively.
The Commodores never trailed in the first half and maintained a lead for 35:37. The team shot 46.2 percent from the field and went 11-for-22 in the second half.
Vanderbilt hits the road to College Station, Texas, to play No. 7 Texas A&M on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Vanderbilt men’s basketball head coach Mark Byington and student-athletes Tyler Nickel and Chris Mañon discuss the Dores’ 77-72 win over No. 24 Ole Miss
Vanderbilt hosts No. 24 Ole Miss in Saturday clash
Vanderbilt (17-9, 5-8 SEC) vs. No. 24 Ole Miss (19-7, 8-5 SEC)
Saturday, Feb. 22 • 2:30 p.m. CT
Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, Tenn. • SEC Network
AT THE TIP
HOME BOUNCE BACK
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DEV
SERIES HISTORY
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Nickel’s seven 3-pointers lead Vanderbilt to 86-84 upset at No. 12 Texas A&M
Vanderbilt goes on the road and narrowly defeats No. 12 Texas A&M 86-84.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — — Tyler Nickel scored 21 points on a career-best seven 3-pointers and Vanderbilt held on for an 86-84 upset over No. 12 Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
The Commodores (19-9, 7-8 Southeastern Conference) were ahead by seven with 12 seconds to go when Zhuric Phelps made a layup before Texas A&M got the ball back on a turnover by Tyler Tanner. Phelps then sank a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 86-84 with 1.5 seconds remaining.
Vanderbilt’s Jason Edwards turned the ball over and it went out of bounds on the A&M end of the court, giving the Aggies the ball back with 0.2 seconds left. But the inbounds pass was grabbed by the Commodores to secure the victory.
Pharrel Payne had 23 points for Texas A&M (20-8, 9-6), which lost a season-high third straight game after winning its previous five.
Takeaways
Vanderbilt: The Commodores got a second straight win over an AP Top 25 team after downing then-No. 21 Ole Miss on Saturday, improving their resume to make the NCAA Tournament.
Texas A&M: The Aggies went more than five minutes without a field goal in the second half. They must be more consistent on offense if they hope to finish the regular season strong. It won’t be easy with games left against No. 3 Florida and top-ranked Auburn.
Key moment
Vanderbilt grabbing the inbounds pass to deny the Aggies a chance for a shot at the buzzer.
Key stat
The teams combined to shoot 75 free throws. Vanderbilt made 28 of 36, and Texas A&M hit 31 of 39.
Up next
Texas A&M visits No. 3 Florida on Saturday night, and Vanderbilt hosts 14th-ranked Missouri that day.
——
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Game Information
2024-25 Southeastern Conference Standings
Men’s College Basketball News
| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| VAN | 34 | 52 | 86 |
| TA&M | 32 | 52 | 84 |
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 14-1 | – | 26-2 |
| Alabama | 12-3 | 2 | 23-5 |
| Florida | 11-4 | 3 | 24-4 |
| Tennessee | 10-5 | 4 | 23-5 |
| Missouri | 10-5 | 4 | 21-7 |
| Texas A&M | 9-6 | 5 | 20-8 |
| Ole Miss | 8-7 | 6 | 19-9 |
| Kentucky | 7-7 | 6.5 | 18-9 |
| Mississippi State | 7-8 | 7 | 19-9 |
| Vanderbilt | 7-8 | 7 | 19-9 |
| Arkansas | 5-9 | 8.5 | 16-11 |
| Texas | 5-9 | 8.5 | 16-11 |
| Georgia | 5-10 | 9 | 17-11 |
| Oklahoma | 4-10 | 9.5 | 17-10 |
| LSU | 3-12 | 11 | 14-14 |
| South Carolina | 1-14 | 13 | 11-17 |
How Vanderbilt basketball win over Texas A&M affects NCAA tournament resume
Vanderbilt basketball may have secured a spot in the NCAA tournament with its win at Texas A&M on Wednesday.
In a bracketology update posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday morning, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi said, “Vandy can all but clinch an NCAA bid with a victory.” His bracket projection posted Tuesday morning had the Commodores as a No. 10 seed, which is consistent with the majority of other bracket projections.
Vanderbilt has been in a “bubble-in” position for the majority of SEC play, ever since notching a win over Tennessee in January. A week later, the Commodores also beat Kentucky. However, blown leads also became a theme, especially on the road. Vanderbilt led at halftime against Oklahoma and lost by 30, then blew a 16-point first-half lead to Tennessee in the teams’ second matchup.
Coming into Wednesday, Vanderbilt was 3-8 in Quadrant 1 games and 4-1 in Quadrant 2, with no Q3 or Q4 losses. The Aggies provide a fourth Quadrant 1 win, but most importantly, the Commodores’ first Quadrant 1 road win, after road struggles had been a common theme throughout the season.
MORE BRACKETOLOGY Where Vanderbilt basketball ranks in latest March Madness bracketology after Ole Miss win
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt basketball March Madness resume update after Texas A&M win
Texas A&M (20-7, 9-5 SEC) moved down to No. 12 in the AP Top 12 poll after finishing 0-2 in Week 17 with consecutive losses to Mississippi State and Tennessee before the Aggies host Vanderbilt on Wednesday night. This week, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi is still high on A&M’s resume but has moved the program down a peg in his latest bracket update.
Flirting with a 2-seed for most of February, the Aggies would need an excellent and likely shocking finish to the regular season to finish at the two-line, knowing that Florida (on the road), Auburn, and LSU (on the road) are ahead after taking on the Commodores. Texas A&M fans know that any future success will be based on senior guard Wade Taylor IV, who, despite scoring 18 points, finished 0-9 from beyond the arc against the Volunteers.
Realistically, if the Aggies finish 2-2 with wins over Vanderbilt and LSU, the 3-seed is still in play. Still, it may take another Quad 1 over Florida or Auburn to solidify their standing. According to Lunardi, Texas A&M is the 9th overall seed positioned in the West (San Francisco) portion of the bracket, taking on 14-seed Towson with a chance to face either 6-seed UCLA or 11-seeds Arkansas or Wake Forest.
pic.twitter.com/7JMx5lyAAy
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 25, 2025
Texas A&M’s longest losing streak has only reached two games twice this season, and knowing what’s on the line over the next week, coach Buzz Williams should have a plan in place to get back to playing more efficient and less erratic, starting and ending with Wade Taylor’s performance.
Texas A&M will host Vanderbilt in Reed Arena on Wednesday, February 26 at 6:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on the SEC Network.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M is predicted as a 3-seed in latest ESPN Bracketology update
