The Vanderbilt Commodores knew that they had a lot to prove despite the scorching hot start they got off to during the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season.

Vanderbilt scored two wins over ranked teams for the first time since the 2015-16 season, with both wins coming over the last week, earning the Commodores NCAA.com Team of the Week honors.

It had been over a decade since Vanderbilt was among the elite women’s basketball teams in the nation. Now, coach Shea Ralph has the No. 23 Commodores back among the best as the team entered the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2014.

Michigan State ascended to its highest ranking in the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll this season on Monday with a move up one spot to No. 7 after another perfect week in Big Ten play. The Spartans went 2-0 on the week with wins over Illinois and Rutgers to improve to 8-0 in conference play.

It is a mid-week SEC clash as we continue our College Basketball odds series with a Vanderbilt-Alabama prediction and pick.

Vanderbilt women's basketball has a No. 6 seed in the latest March Madness bracketology after recent wins vs Alabama and Tennessee.