As in the past years, Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament brought several surprises. But that's also what makes March Madness perpetually interesting, although the teams that didn't earn a berth this year might vehemently disagree.
One of the teams that made it was Vanderbilt. It was named the fifth seed in the South Regional, with coach Mark Byington already expressing his displeasure. They will face McNeese, which earned the 12th seed.
Vanderbilt finished with a 26-8 record, including 11-7 in the SEC. For NCAA analyst Matt Norlander, the Commodores were handed the short end of the stick.
“Vanderbilt got screwed more than any other five-seed. At worst, it should've been a four. You could make a case that it could've been a three, and it gets a McNeese team that brought back pieces from a year ago that won an NCAA Tournament game. Will Wade is no longer there, but Bill Armstrong, who was on the staff, he's there,” said Norlander on CBS Sports.
“Vandy was delivered a cold, cold hand. I'm surprised by that.”
"Vanderbilt got screwed more than any other 5-seed."@MattNorlander on Vandy's first round vs McNeese. pic.twitter.com/skyAAGcmiu
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 15, 2026
Vanderbilt shocked defending national champion Florida in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament, 91-74, before succumbing to Arkansas in the title game, 86-75.
Some argued that the Commodores' victory over the Gators should have earned them a higher seed, as mentioned by Norlander. The selection committee, however, did not see it that way.
The other fifth seeds are St. John's (28-6), Wisconsin (24-10), and Texas Tech (22-10).
Led by Tyler Tanner, Duke Miles, Tyler Nickel, Devin McGlockton, and Jalen Washington, the Commodores are looking to advance to the Final Four for only the second time in program history.
