Vanderbilt basketball misses NCAA Tournament despite late-season surge
Vanderbilt basketball did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament, it was announced on the Selection Show on Sunday evening.
Although a late-season surge that included winning 10 of their past 12 games put Vanderbilt (20-14) back in the conversation, too many bad losses early in the season sunk the Commodores' hopes. Home defeats to Southern Miss and Grambling State, as well as a road loss to LSU in February, weighed down the resume, and Vanderbilt ranked just 81st in the NET on Sunday morning.
Among the final teams in the field were Arizona State, Pitt, Mississippi State and Nevada.
Vanderbilt players and coaches advocated to make the NCAA Tournament during a run to the SEC Tournament semifinals, in which it lost to Texas A&M.
"We belong in the NCAA Tournament," Jerry Stackhouse said after a loss to Texas A&M. "Ain't no doubt in my mind about that.”
Instead, the Commodores will have to wait another year.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt basketball left out of NCAA Tournament bracket
