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Vanderbilt beats Kentucky, storms court for second consecutive weekend

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh01/25/25

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Vanderbilt HC Mark Byington
Denny Simmons | The Tennessean | USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For the second consecutive Saturday, it’s a party inside Memorial Gymnasium. Vanderbilt has once again taken down a top-10 opponent, with Kentucky being the victim this go-round. Mark Byington‘s team took down the ninth-ranked Wildcats and once the final buzzer sounded, madness ensued.

Security guards were there in an attempt to stop a court storm but did not have much luck. Students began to flock to celebrate the moment. Thankfully with the way Memorial Gymnasium is set up, coaches and players could stay out of the way if they wanted to.

A few Vanderbilt players got in on the fun, though. The Commodores are building one of the program’s best seasons in quite some time. Taking down Tennessee last weekend was huge but compiling another top-10 win with Kentucky continues a push for an NCAA Tournament appearance.

You can check out the full court storm from Nashville here.

A hefty fine is coming Vanderbilt’s way from the SEC. Storming the court means the team is winning but it’s going to cost the university some money. Last week against Tennessee was $250,000 and the team’s second offense. A third team means the sum will double to $500,000, with the notice coming in the near future.

Mark Byington speaks Vanderbilt working NCAA transfer portal while getting culture right

Vanderbilt has turned a team of ten transfers and a dozen new players in total into their best start in a decade in a half.

Mark Byington, in his first season coaching the Commodores, recalled on what it took to build this roster following their biggest win of his tenure thus far with a one-point victory over No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday. He remembered how much it was for them considering they had to take as many transfers as they did with nine names leaving following the coaching change.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a dizzy couple weeks there. I mean, it’s nonstop. Guys are in the office,” said Byington. “It’s a lot when you – it’s easier. I hope this is my future when you’re trying to replace three guys in the spring. We were in a situation where, whether we wanted to or they wanted to, we just had to replace the entire roster.”

On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report