Tyler Tanner Earns SEC and Lute Olson National Player of the Week After Historic Performance
Updated January 12, 2026 5:31 PM ET
Tyler Tanner Shines as SEC & Lute Olson National Player of the Week
Vanderbilt men’s basketball sophomore Tyler Tanner was named the SEC Player of the Week and Lute Olson National Player of the Week today for his performances in wins over Alabama and LSU.
Tanner dropped a career-high 29 points in Wednesday’s top 15 matchup against Alabama. He added seven assists and four steals in the win over the Crimson Tide.
That stat line put Tanner in some pretty elite company. He’s the first player to score at least 25 points with seven assists and four steals in a top 15 matchup since Trae Young did it in 2018. Over the last 30 years, only Chris Paul, Mike Bibby and DeAndre Kane have pulled off that combination, according to Vanderbilt Athletics.
Tanner’s four steals against Alabama disrupted the Crimson Tide’s offense, and his seven assists kept Vanderbilt’s offense moving and got his teammates involved. It was the complete two-way performance you want to see in that type of a game.
Saturday against LSU, Tanner showed again that he can score in different ways. He didn’t hit a three-pointer but still put up 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting. He gets to the rim and finds ways to put points on the board. He scored nine in the second half, mostly by going 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Tanner’s ability as a player shows up on both ends. He grabbed three more steals against LSU and he’s one of the best in the country at creating turnovers. Tanner plays with a big mentality. He attacked LSU and that’s what you see from him game after game.
Tyler Tanner has became a big name to watch in this season, as Vanderbilt is climbing week after week as one of the best teams in college basketball. He’s been a huge part of Vanderbilt’s 16-0 start which matches the best beginning in program history.
The Commodores are back in action Wednesday night, as they hit the road to face the Texas Longhorns.
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