Vanderbilt basketball sophomore guard Tyler Tanner will be a huge key to the Commodores’ success in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
No. 5 seed Vanderbilt (26-8) begins its March Madness trek against 12th-seeded Southland Conference champion McNeese State (28-5) in the South Region at 2:15 p.m. CT March 16 (TruTV) at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center.
Tanner, a 6-foot guard and former Brentwood Academy standout, is the program’s lone recruit from the Jerry Stackhouse era. Tanner led Vanderbilt to 26 wins this season, matching the school record for most victories entering the NCAA Tournament, and has blossomed into one of the SEC’s top playmakers in his second season under coach Mark Byington.
Tanner has scored in double digits in all but one game this season and leads the team in points, assists and steals. At Brentwood Academy, he became the Eagles’ point guard after former Vanderbilt standout Darius Garland graduated from BA.
Here’s all you need to know about Tanner before the NCAA Tournament:
Tyler Tanner stats with Vanderbilt basketball before March Madness
Tanner is leading the Commodores with 19.1 points, 2.3 steals and 5.1 assists per game. He’s shooting 49% from the field and 37% from 3-point range while playing a team-high 33.2 minutes per game.
Tanner played 20.5 minutes per game in his freshman season, averaging 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals. He set the Vanderbilt freshman record for steals in a season with 55.
Where did Tyler Tanner go to high school, stats
Tanner was a Tennessee high school basketball star at Brentwood Academy, was named DII-AA Mr. Basketball in 2024 and twice earned Gatorade Tennessee Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors.
He averaged 26.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.3 assists in his senior season with the Eagles. As a junior, he led them to a TSSAA state title, averaging 19.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.1 steals.
Tanner is one of just three players in Brentwood Academy history to score more than 2,000 points, alongside Garland and Brandan Wright.
Tyler Tanner height
Tanner is 6-feet tall, making him the smallest player on the Vanderbilt roster.
Tyler Tanner record with Vanderbilt basketball
Tanner tied Vanderbilt’s single-game assist record of 14 in its win over South Carolina on Jan. 3, while also scoring 19 points to secure his first career double-double. He joined former SEC Player of the Year Billy McCaffrey, who recorded 14 assists against Kentucky in 1993.
Tyler Tanner parents
Tanner’s father D’Wayne and mother Jenifer both played college basketball at Rice. D’Wayne set Rice’s single-season steals record with 95, while he also holds the program and Southwest Conference records for career steals with 291.
Tyler Tanner in latest NBA mock draft
The latest ESPN mock draft entering March Madness has the sophomore point guard as a second-round draft pick by the New York Knicks with the second pick in the second round (32nd overall).
When is Vanderbilt vs McNeese in NCAA Tournament?
No. 5 seed Vanderbilt (28-6) faces 12th-seeded Southland Conference champion McNeese State (28-5) in the South Region at 2:15 p.m. CT March 16 (TruTV) at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center.
- Nov. 3: Lipscomb, W 105-61
- Nov. 8: at UCF, W 105-93
- Nov. 12: Eastern Kentucky, W 92-62
- Nov. 15: Arkansas-Pine Bluff, W 104-75
- Nov. 20: Texas Southern, W 109-74
- Nov. 26: vs. WKU in Battle 4 Atlantis in Bahamas, W 83-78
- Nov. 27: vs. VCU in Battle 4 Atlantis in Bahamas, W 89-74
- Nov. 28: vs. Saint Mary’s in Battle 4 Atlantis in Bahamas, W 96-71
- Dec. 3: SMU, W 88-69
- Dec. 13: Central Arkansas, W 83-72
- Dec. 17: at Memphis, W 77-70 OT
- Dec. 21: at Wake Forest, W 98-67
- Dec. 29: New Haven, W 96-53
- Jan. 3: at South Carolina, W 83-71
- Jan. 7: Alabama, W 96-90
- Jan. 10: LSU, W 84-73
- Jan. 14: at Texas, L 80-64
- Jan. 17: Florida, L 98-94
- Jan. 20: at Arkansas, L 93-68
- Jan. 24: at Mississippi State, W 88-56
- Jan. 27: Kentucky, W 80-55
- Jan. 31: Ole Miss, W 71-68
- Feb. 7: Oklahoma, L 92-91
- Feb. 10: at Auburn, W 84-76
- Feb. 14: Texas A&M, W 82-69
- Feb. 18: at Missouri, L 81-80
- Feb. 21: Tennessee, L 69-65
- Feb. 25: Georgia, W 88-80
- Feb. 28: at Kentucky, L 91-77
- March 3: at Ole Miss, W 89-86 (OT)
- March 7: at Tennessee, W 86-82
- March 13: vs. Tennessee, SEC Tournament quarterfinals, W 75-68
- March 14: vs. Florida, SEC Tournament semifinals, W 91-74
- March 15: vs. Arkansas, SEC Tournament final, L 86-75
- March 19: vs. McNeese State, NCAA Tournament in Oklahoma City, 2:15 PM (TruTV)
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at [email protected] and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
