They have a losing record, they lost a tough one to the Ole Miss Rebels this past Saturday, and they do not appear to belong in the top half of the SEC.
But in his first year as head coach, Bryce Drew has his team slowly climbing up the rankings.
The Vanderbilt Commodores have won three of their last five, and in addition to that Ole Miss loss, a one-point loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks is their only other blemish during that time.
This team has really come together, and before that Ole Miss loss, is scored a huge road win against the Texas A&M Aggies.
Keep in mind, Vanderbilt is currently No. 60 in the RPI thanks to its No. 2 ranked strength of schedule, and the Commodores do have a huge road win over the Florida Gators. Taking those things into account, just notching a winning record puts them on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
That could be hard next with the Arkansas Razorbacks on the road, but after that they have what should be a sure win at the Missouri Tigers, then they get to face the Texas A&M Aggies again at home.
So they should win two of the next three, and then four of their final five teams are in the Top 40 of the RPI, so it will only increase their schedule strength. Again, just a winning record gets this team on the bubble.