Unexpected Game-Changers: How Vanderbilt’s Exhibition Win Over Virginia Sets the Stage for a Surprising Season

Kicking off the 2025-26 season with a promising nod, Vanderbilt basketball wrapped up a preseason exhibition triumph over Virginia on October 16th—a warm-up that unfolded in an unconventional format, split into two halves, each packed with two 12-minute quarters. The Commodores carved out narrow victories in both segments, signaling potential but keeping expectations on a tight leash, especially with Coach Mark Byington emphasizing not to jump the gun on lineups or performances. Still, the emergence of freshman Tyler Tanner—dropping a commanding 20 points and handling the ball with new-found assertiveness—brought a fresh spark to the court. Meanwhile, transfers Tyler Harris and Duke Miles showed off their versatile scoring chops, hinting at the dynamic impact they could have this season. And yes, there’s plenty to dissect—from the added size in the post to that nagging free throw inconsistency that needs ironing out if Vanderbilt hopes to make noise when the games truly count. The road ahead is certainly intriguing for this team eager to build on last year’s foundations. LEARN MORE

Vanderbilt basketball defeated Virginia in a preseason exhibition game, winning both segments of the contest.
Freshman Tyler Tanner made a strong case for the starting point guard position with a 20-point performance.
Transfers Tyler Harris and Duke Miles were standout performers, showcasing versatile scoring abilities.

Vanderbilt basketball unofficially started its 2025-26 season with an exhibition win over Virginia Oct. 16.

The exhibition was structured differently from an actual game. This exhibition had two segments that each consisted of two 12-minute quarters. Vanderbilt won the first segment, 44-41, and the second segment, 51-46.

Vanderbilt’s starting lineup for the first segment consisted of Tyler Tanner, Duke Miles, Tyler Harris, Tyler Nickel and Devin McGlockton. In the second segment, it was Tanner, Harris, AK Okereke, McGlockton and Jalen Washington. But coach Mark Byington cautioned against reading too much into those lineups.

“You can’t overreact on anything that happened today,” Byington said. “We’ve got 17 days to get better before our first game.”

Later, Byington said, “That group tonight won’t be our starting five.”

Here are our main observations from the exhibition:

Tyler Tanner makes his case to start at point guard

Tyler Tanner was one of three scholarship returners on Vanderbilt’s roster, but the Commodores took fifth-year point guard Frankie Collins in the transfer portal.

Tanner stole the show, though, significantly outplaying Collins on the night. He scored 20 points in the two halves combined and served as Vanderbilt’s primary ball-handler for much of the exhibition. Tanner became notable in 2024 for going through the entire non-conference slate without a turnover. That probably won’t be repeated this season − Tanner had a few turnovers in the exhibition − but maybe that’s a good thing.

“You can just see the aggressiveness with him with the ball,” Byington said. “Last year, I think he played sometimes not to make mistakes. … This year, we’ll live with some mistakes and let him be aggressive and I loved his aggressiveness tonight.”

Don’t count out Collins, though. He missed some practice in the last week, which caused him to be on a minutes restriction. Some of that rust was evident. Byington said that several lineups this season could feature both Collins and Tanner together.

Two Vanderbilt transfers showed out

Two transfers in particular played well in the exhibition. One was Tyler Harris from Washington and the other was Duke Miles from Oklahoma.

Harris was known for shooting 49.5% from three with the Huskies last season, but he seems to have expanded his game somewhat. While Harris did make a few threes, he also showed a smooth midrange jumper and a fiery transition dunk. He’s worked on being a more versatile defender with the ability to guard anyone from smaller guards to power forwards.

Miles was Vanderbilt’s go-to scorer in the second half. He showed the ability to score from multiple levels, putting up 20 total points.

“Coming from Oklahoma last year, I’ve already been in the SEC,” Miles said. ” … Just having Coach B and the whole staff and all my other teammates behind me, pushing me every day, whether it’s to get better with dribbling, playing on the floor, cutting, whatever that may be.”

Vanderbilt shows more size in the post

One of the biggest issues Vanderbilt had in 2024-25 was a lack of size among its bigs. McGlockton was often left playing the ‘5’ despite being just 6-7.

The Commodores still played some smaller lineups in the exhibition, but new transfers Jalen Washington (6-10) and Mason Nicholson (6-9) plus freshman Jayden Leverett (6-11) should add some size.

It was a mixed bag performance-wise for those players. Washington showed the ability to rebound and block shots. He has some mid-range ability, but he missed every 3-pointer he attempted. Nicholson and Leverett saw limited minutes.

“I thought Jalen was a little worn out in the first half,” Byington said. “I didn’t think he had his wind, or maybe a second wind, and then I thought he did a much better job in the second half. He’s better than what he did today.”

This wasn’t McGlockton’s best game, either. He scored just three points and got in foul trouble during the second segment. But he did his traditional “little things” well, including rebounding and passing.

One area of concern for Vanderbilt

It’s hard to take too much stock in an exhibition. But one area that popped up as a significant concern for Vanderbilt? Free throws.

By The Tennessean’s tally, the Commodores shot just 56% on free throws in the exhibition. Even some of Vanderbilt’s better shooters, like Nickel and Harris, missed free throws. That will need to imrpove once the games start to count.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.