Location Nashville, TN Colors Black and Old Gold Division Division I (NCAA) | Away Alternate 2015–16 record 19–14 (11–7 SEC) | |
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The Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represents Vanderbilt University in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Commodores have won three SEC regular season titles (1965, 1974 and 1993) and two SEC Tournament championships (1951 and 2012). They have competed in thirteen NCAA Tournaments, making it to the Elite Eight once (1965) and the Sweet Sixteen six times (1965, 1974, 1988, 1993, 2004, and 2007). Vanderbilt has played in eleven National Invitation Tournaments, winning it in 1990 and finishing runners-up in 1994.
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Memorial Gymnasium
The Commodores play their home games in Memorial Gymnasium. Memorial Gymnasium was built in the early 1950s. It was dedicated as the campus memorial to students and alumni killed in World War II; a plaque commemorating those who died is displayed in the Gym's North lobby.
At the time of the Gym's construction, there was a serious discussion within the Vanderbilt community about whether the school should de-emphasize intercollegiate athletics and refocus on its academic program. As a compromise between those who advocated increased athletics competition and those who argued in favor of de-emphasis, the Gymnasium was built to hold only about 9,000 seats, and it would be readily adaptable to other uses—significantly, as a possible concert hall.
Consequently, the gymnasium floor was built up above its surroundings, more in the nature of a stage. The areas out of bounds along the sidelines were very wide, in contrast with the small facility which it replaced, where the walls were right along the sidelines and players could scrape their shoulders bringing the ball up the court. This necessitated the placement of the benches at the end of the court, which was not highly unusual at the time.
In addition, each goal was anchored by two far-reaching beams attached to support columns, with extra support coming from cables stretching all the way to the gym's ceiling. In the case of a backboard shatter or beam fracture, replacing these goals would be highly difficult, compared to the usual goal setup at most venues.
Memorial Gym is well known for its unusual design. The end-of-the-floor bench location is now unique in major college basketball, and SEC coaches who travel to Memorial, along with coaches from other schools who have played at Vanderbilt as a post-season venue, have said that the unusual setup gives Vanderbilt a tremendous home court advantage, since no other facility in which opponents play is arranged in such a way.
Year-by-year season records
Note: Fansonly.com reports Vanderbilt's overall record in 1937–38 as 9–12, while SECSports.com reports it as 10–11.
Source: Soconsports.com
Source: SECSports.com
Source: Fansonly.com
Retired numbers
Only two male Commodores have had their jerseys retired by the university:
Consecutive games with a 3-point field goal
Vanderbilt is one of only three teams to make a 3-point field goal in every game since the rule was implemented in the 1986–87 season. The other two teams to do so are Princeton and UNLV. The Commodores have made a 3-point shot in 998 consecutive games as of March 11, 2017.
NCAA tournament results
The Commodores have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 15 times. Their combined record is 10–16.
NIT results
The Commodores have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 12 times. Their combined record is 20–11. They were NIT champions in 1990.
All-Americans
Source: VUCommodores.com
SEC Players of the Year
Source: VUCommodores.com
Olympians
Vanderbilt Alums Coaching in College Basketball
Coaching awards
All-time leaders
Totals current as of March 15, 2012.
Blocks
Source: 2015–16 Vanderbilt Commodores Media Guide