In case you were wondering whether or not No. 11 Vanderbilt (15-0, 2-0 SEC) was a legit contender or not, their 96-90 win over No. 13 Alabama (11-4, 1-1 SEC) on Wednesday inside a raucous Memorial Gym should tell you all you need to know. Mark Byington’s Commodores were tied with Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide at halftime, but gradually pulled away over the second half, even stretching its lead to double digits in the closing minutes. Tyler Tanner led VU with 29 points, while Duke Miles added 19. Amari Allen led the Crimson Tide with scoring with 25, with Aden Holloway adding 22 of his own. The Commodores are one of only six unbeaten teams remaining in college basketball. Perhaps the biggest hindrance for Alabama was the exit of Labaron Philon Jr. in the second half. Philon left the game with 16:06 to play and did not return. He scored 18 points in 20 minutes of action, but only three of those came in the second half before an apparent knee injury sidelined him. Vanderbilt has an excellent chance to improve to
