Vanderbilt Commodores vs Texas Longhorns Picks and Predictions March 12th 2025

Texas in Desperation Mode Entering SEC Tournament

The stakes could not be higher for Texas as it enters the Southeastern Conference tournament. The No. 13-seeded Longhorns (17-14) must win their first-round game against No. 12-seeded Vanderbilt (20-11) on Wednesday afternoon in Nashville to keep their NCAA Tournament dreams alive.

With a second-round matchup against No. 5 seed Texas A&M awaiting the winner, Texas will likely need at least two victories to even be considered for an at-large bid. The Longhorns have dropped seven of their past nine games, including a disappointing 76-72 home loss to Oklahoma in the regular-season finale on Saturday.

Texas coach Rodney Terry knows the margin for error is gone.

“There is no game two in the SEC tournament if you don’t win game one,” Terry said. “It’s a one-game season right now, in terms of competing this time of year. So that’s where our focus is going to be in terms of controlling what you can control.”

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Texas Needs a Bounce-Back Performance from Tre Johnson

The Longhorns’ struggles on Saturday were highlighted by an off night from star freshman Tre Johnson. The SEC’s leading scorer and Freshman of the Year had a career-low seven points and missed all 14 of his shots from the field.

Despite that, Jordan Pope led Texas with 21 points, while Tramon Mark and Arthur Kaluma each contributed 12. But if Texas hopes to advance, it will need a much stronger outing from Johnson, who has been the team’s offensive engine all season.

Vanderbilt Looks to Regain Form

Unlike Texas, Vanderbilt is widely considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament, but the Commodores enter the SEC tourney on a two-game skid after dropping games to unranked opponents. The latest was a 79-68 road loss to Georgia on Saturday, a game in which Vanderbilt struggled to get defensive stops.

Jason Edwards led the Commodores with 24 points, while Chris Manon and Jaylen Carey each added 10.

Head coach Mark Byington, however, remains confident in his team’s body of work.

“We won eight games in the toughest league in the history of leagues,” Byington said. “Every game is a battle and we’re a little bit beat up right now. I’m proud of the way (my team) played, and (they’ve) done a lot of good things. There’s more to come. The regular season is over — onto tournament time.”

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Vanderbilt Beat Texas Once, Can They Do It Again?

Vanderbilt and Texas met earlier this season on Feb. 8, with the Commodores securing an 86-78 home win. The SEC tournament is in Nashville, giving Vanderbilt what amounts to a home-court advantage once again.

For Texas, it is win or go home. For Vanderbilt, a victory would help improve its seeding for the NCAA Tournament. The intensity should be high as both teams battle for their postseason futures.