Looking to snap a two-game losing streak in its final home contest of the season, Vanderbilt jumped out to a 20-point lead against Georgia and then held on late for a much-needed 88-80 win.
The Commodores led 37-17 at the six-minute mark of the first half, but the Bulldogs gradually chipped away until they were able to tie the game at 62 with just under 10 minutes left.
But thanks to a whopping 6 different players scoring in double figures, Mark Byington’s team was able to regain control of the lead down the stretch to secure the wire-to-wire result.
Vandy shot 30-for-61 from the floor and assisted on 16 of those makes in a highly efficient offensive performance. In addition, 21 made free throws and a 44-26 points-in-the-paint advantage helped the ‘Dores earn the win.
Senior Devon McGlockton led the way for the home side with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Georgia’s Jeremiah Wilkinson exploded for 28 points as he tried to keep his team on the right side of the proverbial NCAA ‘bubble.’
Due to Vanderbilt having to originally swap its home-and-home with Ole Miss this season, the Commodores will now be on the road for their final 3 regular season games. The first in the trio will be a trip to face Kentucky on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Georgia will look to keep its head above water when it hosts South Carolina on Saturday.
It’s almost March, and the NCAA Tournament starts soon! Prediction market Kalshi is taking action on which bubble teams will make the Big Dance.
Parker is currently the sports editor for the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
