Here’s a quick rundown of Vanderbilt’s 13-game nonconference schedule, which includes eight home games, three road games, and two neutral-site games.
November 10: Alabama State (4-14 in 2020-21, 354 in KenPom)
I’m not going to go a deep dive into who’s returning and who’s incoming at all of these schools, but let’s just say that a team that ranked 354th in KenPom last season (out of 357 Division I teams) is a safe bet to be bad again in 2021-22. So, Vanderbilt should open the season with an easy win.
November 14: Texas State (18-7, 183 in KenPom)
This is the kind of game you schedule if you maybe want some heft in your computer rankings (no, the NCAA doesn’t use the RPI any more, but it’s not that different from the NET) without really risking a loss.