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Vanderbilt Basketball Notebook: In-State Rivalry Renewed, Dores in the Pros

by:Thebacarlson•07/03/25•

TheBACarlson

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-Vanderbilt at St. Mary's
Mar 21, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Chris Manon (30) dribbles in the second half against the St. Mary's Gaels at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Vandy Renews In-State Basketball Rivalry

The non-conference schedule for Vanderbilt basketball continues to take shape as the program just announced a home and home series with the Memphis Tigers beginning this upcoming season.

The first game is scheduled for December 17 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. The Tigers will travel to Nashville for the 2026-27 season.

Memphis is coming off an impressive 29-6 season, winning both the AAC regular season and tournament championship. The Tigers were awarded a 5 seed for the NCAA tournament, but were upset in the first round by 12 seed Colorado State.

This has historically been a very entertaining rivalry. This season will see the 17th meeting between the two schools, with the series dead even at 8-8. Only four of those games were decided by double digits. Their last meeting came in December of 2023, when the Commodores lost a 77-75 thriller at the FedEx Forum.

Dores in the Pros

As expected, no Commodores were selected in the NBA draft, but a couple will be trying to make their mark in the summer league.

Vanderbilt Commodores guard Chris Manon (30) blocks the shot of Tennessee Volunteers guard Chaz Lanier (2) in the final seconds of their game at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.

Chris Manon will be playing for Golden State Warriors in the summer league. Manon played one season for the Commodores after playing his first three at Cornell. He started 26 games, averaging 6.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in his lone season at Vandy, but his calling card was his defensive versatility. He had 56 steals, 33 blocks, and arguably the biggest play of the year when he pinned Chaz Lanier’s layup attempt against the backboard with an emphatic block to clinch the home win against Tennessee.

AJ Hoggard also played just one year for the Commodores after spending his first three seasons at Michigan State. He will be playing for the New Orleans Pelicans in the Summer League. The point guard started 31 games at Vandy, averaging 9.6 points and 4.6 assists. Hoggard came in with impressive accolades but became a polarizing figure with Vandy fans. His play was brilliant at times, but all too often there were moments that left the crowd asking “what are you thinking?”

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