Vanderbilt Basketball: Road to the NCAA Final Four

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Mar 4, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Riley LaChance (13) and forward Jeff Roberson (11) celebrate during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. Vanderbilt won 73-71. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /

The Vanderbilt Commodores have gotten hot at the right time and find themselves as a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Bryce Drew is in his first season as Vanderbilt basketball head coach, and this is only the program’s second tournament appearance in the last five years. The Commodores lost in the “First Four” of last year’s tournament to Wichita State 70-50.

Drew had previously taken his alma mater Valparaiso to two NCAA Tournaments in his five years as the head coach. But the program only has one tournament win all-time, and you have to go back to when Drew was the Crusaders’ star player for that victory.

For Vanderbilt you have to go back to 2012 to find the last time Vanderbilt won a tournament game. The Commodores were defeated in the second round that year 60-57 by Wisconsin.

Vanderbilt has been to the Sweet Sixteen four times since the field expanded to 64 teams, with the most recent appearance coming in 2007 before losing to Georgetown.

While it is a long shot, anything can happen come March. Here’s what it’s going to take for Vanderbilt to make a run to the Final Four:

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