The Vanderbilt men’s basketball program has announced a second preseason exhibition prior to the 2025-26 season.
Vandy will travel to UAB on Oct. 23 for a game against the Blazers at Bartow Arena in Birmingham.
Devin McGlockton
Photo: David Russell
The schools have met six times previously in official contests, with the Commodores holding a 4-2 series edge. UAB won the last matchup, earning a 67-59 win in Nashville during the 2023 NIT Tournament.
The Blazers finished 24-13 overall last season, including a 13-5 mark in the American Athletic Conference — which is now called the American Conference (and is home to Memphis). UAB reached the quarterfinals of the NIT before falling 81-77 in overtime to UC Irvine.
Vandy won’t be seeing former Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who transferred to Michigan after leading UAB last season in scoring (17.7 points per game), rebounding (11.4 per game), assists (4.2 per game), blocks (1.8 per game) and steals (1.7 per game).
The Commodores had previously announced an Oct. 16 preseason contest against Virginia at Memorial Gymnasium.
That contest will be open to the public, with ticket information and tip time to be announced at a later date. Vanderbilt has beaten the Cavaliers in five of the schools’ seven match-ups, though Virginia won the last meeting, 68-42, in 2017.
Vandy coach Mark Byington is a Virginia native who served two stints on the staff at U.Va., working there as a graduate assistant from 1999-2001 and as director of operations in 2004-05.
The Cavaliers finished 15-17 overall last season (8-12 in the ACC), their first losing record since 2009-10.
Virginia will have an overhauled roster under new coach Ryan Odom, whose NCAA transfer portal class was ranked 28th in the nation by 247Sports.