How Devin McGlockton led Vanderbilt basketball to win on senior night
When Vanderbilt basketball coach Mark Byington entered the postgame interview room, he wanted a new chair.
He thought the one already set up was too sweaty and asked who had been sitting there. It was Devin McGlockton.
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That told you, Byington said, how hard McGlockton played in the Commodores’ 88-80 win over Georgia.
McGlockton was the key to the victory over the Bulldogs (19-9, 7-8 SEC) on Feb. 25. He put up a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, both of which were a team high, while handling Georgia‘s paint presence. Making the moment sweeter for McGlockton was that it was his senior night and final game at Memorial Gymnasium.
On one possession, with the No. 21 Commodores (22-6, 9-6) up by three points and just over three minutes to go, they got three offensive rebounds, McGlockton getting two of them. He was fouled and made both free throws, then got a defensive rebound on the other end. Georgia never again got within one possession.
“Devin, he was possessed,” Byington said. “He was not going to let us lose this game. And that one possession, the rebounds, the amount of effort it takes to do that, it’s absolutely incredible. So he wasn’t going to let us lose. You can see his determination. He plays hard every night, and just so many plays like that.”
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This season, McGlockton has not typically been the primary scorer, often taking a backseat to guards Duke Miles and Tyler Tanner. While neither of those two played poorly against Georgia — Tanner had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Miles scored 15 points — it was McGlockton who had his time to shine.
The Commodores needed the win. They were coming off two straight losses, including one at home to Tennessee. They end their season with three straight road games after a home-and-home against Ole Miss saw its dates swap because of the ice storm in Oxford, Mississippi.
The most impressive part for McGlockton and Jalen Washington was the defense. Georgia attempts more dunks than any team in the country, but it went just 2-for-4 on dunks against Vanderbilt and was 8-for-13 on layups. The Commodores were 19-for-22 on layups, albeit 0-for-2 on dunks.
“We knew their bigs, they didn’t do much off the dribble, so we had to disrupt their guards,” McGlockton said. ” . . . I think they’re first in dunks in the country, something like that. So we just disrupted their guards so they couldn’t get those lobs off to their bigs.”
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The moment was extra meaningful for McGlockton because he spent two seasons with the Commodores, and along with Tyler Nickel were the only transfers who joined Vanderbilt ahead of Byington’s first year and stayed for another season. They ended that second season with a senior night win.
“I had some of the best memories in my basketball career in here,” McGlockton said. “I’m going to miss it for sure. Yeah, it’s emotional. It’s our last game here.”
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Devin McGlockton led Vanderbilt basketball to win vs Georgia