In a game defined by runs from both teams, the undermanned Commodores were unable to match the physicality and size of the Georgia Bulldogs on their home court, losing 79-68. Vanderbilt was without guards Grant Huffman and MJ Collins Jr, both of which would have been key in competing against Georgia's size. A tie ball game at half, Vanderbilt fans watched a familiar site unfold in front of their eyes - another second half collapse on the road.

Jason Edwards led the Commodores with 24 points. AJ Hoggard really struggled, shooting 0-9 from the field, 0-5 from 3, and scoring just 2 points. Georgia's Asa Newell battled foul trouble a good portion of the game, but still posted 15 points and 4 rebounds. Silas Demary Jr also scored 15 points. Former Vanderbilt Commodore Tyrin Lawrence scored 13 points.

The offense was clunky to start the game for the Commodores but eventually got rolling. A back and forth first half that saw both teams go on a series of "mini-runs", ultimately resulted in a tie ball game at half, 39-39. Both teams struggled with foul trouble in the first half, but the impact was far greater on a short-staffed Vanderbilt lineup.

AJ Hoggard picked up 3 fouls in the first half, Devin McGlockton and Tyler Tanner also picked up 2. Georgia's RJ Godfrey had 3, while Newell, Demary Jr, and Cyril all had 2 fouls. Jason Edwards led the way in the first half for Vanderbilt with 16 points, no other Commodore scored more than 6. Tyrin Lawrence scored 9 points, leading all UGA scorers at halftime.

The second half did not start well for the Commodores. Georgia came out of the half playing inspired basketball and jumped out to their largest lead of the game, 51-44 with 16:11 remaining. UGA maintained a 6 to 10 point cushion until the Commodores made a run around the 12 minute mark, cutting the Georgia lead to 2 points on a Devin McGlockton layup off an AJ Hoggard pass with 9:51 remaining, 58-56.

A Dakota Leffew 3-pointer quickly stopped the Vanderbilt momentum and got the home crowd back into the ball game. Vanderbilt was never able to cut the deficit below 5. Georgia continued to dominate the pace of play and Vanderbilt was unable to execute their halfcourt offense against UGA's size. Devin McGlockton eventually fouled out at the 5:14 mark after picking up his 4th foul with over 8 minutes remaining in the game.

The Bulldogs dominated the final 6 minutes, defeating the Commodores 79-68 and securing their spot in the NCAA tournament, according to a majority of bracketologists. Vanderbilt ends the 2024-25 regular season 20-11 (8-10), 11 more wins than last season.

The SEC tournament begins Wednesday, March 12th. While the Commodores do not "have" to win their first round game, it would allow pessimistic Vanderbilt fans to breathe a huge sigh of relief. A disappointing end to an overall spectacular 2024-25 regular season.