Vanderbilt Women Lands High Seed in Bracketology Entering SEC Opener
The Vanderbilt Commodores women’s basketball team is off to a terrific start as they prepare for their SEC opener on Thursday night against the Georgia Bulldogs.
Tip-off for Thursday’s game is at 6:30 p.m. at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
While Vandy (13-1) isn’t ranked, the Commodores are getting votes in both the AP Top 25 and the coaches’ poll. In fact, Vandy received the most votes outside of the Top 25 on Monday.
ESPN’s Bracketology seems to believe in Vandy’s great start. When its latest bracketology for the women’s tournament dropped earlier this week, the Commodores were a No. 4 seed.
That would be a big deal as a top four seed means the highest-seeded team gets to host in the first two rounds. That would give the Commodores a homecourt advantage.
Vanderbilt is hoping to build on last year’s success in snapping its 10-year NCAA playoff drought under coach Shea Ralph, the UConn legend who took over as head coach in 2021.
The Commodores went 23-10 last season, with a 9-7 record in the SEC and a sixth-place finish for a team that was projected to finish last in the league. That led to an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, where Vanderbilt lost in the first round.
Vandy enters SEC play with a six-game winning streak. Its only loss was to Michigan State, but the Commodores won three other games against high-major teams.
The Commodores are No. 12 in NCAA NET, with four SEC teams ahead of them.
Khamil Pierre is leading the way for Vanderbilt, as she is averaging a double-double, with 22.7 points and 11.7 rebounds. She’s one of a handful of players in the country averaging a double-double. She also has a team-high 51 steals
Behind her is Mikayla Blakes, who is averaging 19.2 points. She also has a team-high 49 assists and 40 steals.
Iyana Moore is the other Vanderbilt player averaging double figures with 12.2 points per game. She is one of the Commodores’ top 3-point threats as she’s shooting nearly 35% from the arc. Madison Green averages nearly 10 points and shoots nearly 35% from the arc as well.
Vanderbilt will be working its way through an 16-game league schedule in the hope of getting a high seed in the SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C., March 5-9. Due to the explosion of the SEC to 16 members, Vandy plays every team once and only plays Ole Miss twice.
