These are happy times in Nashville. The Vanderbilt Commodores are off to an 11–0 start for just the fourth time in program history. They boast the fifth-best offense in the country and look like a team determined to erase the sting of last season’s first-round exit. Yet despite all the positives and early momentum, head coach Mark Byington isn’t entirely satisfied.

It took an extra five minutes of overtime for Vanderbilt to pull away and beat Memphis 77–70 on Wednesday night at FedExForum, and despite the win, head coach Mark Byington was far from pleased with what he saw from his team

“We just were hesitant today, and when they saw our hesitancy, they took advantage of it,” Byington said in the postgame press conference. “That’s why I love to get our guys back in practice again, because that wasn’t us. We’re much better than that.”

The frustration stemmed largely from Vanderbilt’s shooting struggles. Mark Byington’s side endured an ice-cold night, connecting on just 32 percent of their shots from the field and a mere 19 percent from beyond the arc. It was the Commodores’ lowest shooting percentage since 2022 and their worst in a win since 2014.

Turnovers only compounded the issues, as Vanderbilt coughed the ball up 20 times. Coming into the game, the Commodores ranked second in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio, recording 200 assists against just 97 turnovers, a little better than a two-to-one mark on the season. On Wednesday, however, that discipline slipped, as Vanderbilt finished with just 12 assists against 20 turnovers.

It was uncharacteristic in almost every way. Chandler Bing airballed an open layup. Frankie Collins got caught ball-watching and was blown by while defending off the ball in the press. Tyler Nickel turned it over while breaking pressure on a possession where Vanderbilt inexplicably failed to even let Tyler Tanner touch the ball.

Vanderbilt leaned on Duke Miles to survive the scare, as he finished with a game-high 22 points, including 12 at the free-throw line. Tyler Tanner added 16 points, while Jalen Washington chipped in 14 to help the Commodores hold off the Tigers. Miles also made his presence felt defensively, grabbing a season-high six steals, with Tanner adding four of his own.

It wasn’t the best performance by any stretch of the imagination, but there were still plenty of positives for Mark Byington’s side to take away.

What Makes This Win Special for Mark Byington

Wednesday marked just the fifth time in the past 30 seasons that the Commodores have managed to win a game despite committing 20 or more turnovers. That’s what elite teams do. They find ways to grind out wins even when things aren’t pretty, and under Mark Byington’s leadership, Vanderbilt is proving it can do exactly that.

And the performance in overtime is a bonus. “I’m really proud of the overtime,” Byington said. “To be able to get off the mat, a lot of teams would be down or dejected. You’re on the road in overtime, and they’ve got some momentum, but we came right back out.”

In the extra period, Vanderbilt seized control with a decisive 9–0 run, doing most of its damage at the free-throw line. The Commodores went 11-of-13 from the line in overtime, closing out a gritty 77–70 win.

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Despite all the flaws on display Wednesday night, Vanderbilt remains one of just seven undefeated teams in college basketball. The Commodores are now two wins away from completing an unbeaten non-conference slate, with matchups against Wake Forest and New Haven standing between them and a perfect run outside SEC play.

Can Vanderbilt keep this run going and stay unbeaten? Let us know what you think in the comments below.