If there is one thing that Shea Ralph knows how to do, it’s have a successful non-conference. In her last two seasons at Vanderbilt, Ralph’s teams have only lost two games in non-conference play and are undefeated at home. I don’t care what teams are being played, that is impressive. Even though the overall non-conference record is the same as last year, this season was a bit different. Vanderbilt absolutely demolished almost all of the teams that they played this year and performed extremely well against the power conference competition that it faced. Going 13-1 with their only loss being against a very high-quality Michigan State team (a game in which stars Khamil Pierre and Mikayla Blakes both got into early foul trouble) speaks to just how good this team is. Within that strong record are some impressive wins. The ‘Dores beat Miami, Arizona, and USF (three proud programs who are all either on the bubble or tournament teams) handily and asserted that they have arrived on the national stage.

The ‘Dores have gotten some recognition too. They are ranked as the number 12 team in the NET and have been bumped up to a projected 4 seed – meaning they would host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament – in Charlie Creme’s latest ESPN Bracketology. Despite this, Vanderbilt is the only team in either the top 12 of the NET or as a projected top 4 seed that is not ranked by the AP Poll, something that will likely change quickly in SEC play.

Once again we’ll start with the positives, anyone who has even loosely followed Vandy women’s hoops over the last 3 months will know where this has to start: Khamil Pierre and Mikayla Blakes are superstars. A D-Wade/LeBron comparison might seem egregious at this point in their careers but I would argue it’s not unwarranted. Khamil Pierre is statistically the best player in the country. Here are her stats so far: 22.7 PPG (5th in the country), 11.2 RPG (7th in the country), 3.9 steals per game (2nd in the country), 59% from the field, oh, and a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 49.4 (1st in the country). Pierre’s sophomore jump has been absolutely meteoric. She has flown onto draft boards and now looks like a surefire first round, if not top 5, pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft. As far as how impactful she has been for Vanderbilt, I’m not sure that can be put into words. The team seems to go how Pierre goes and her presence opens up so much for the rest of the team. She is the heart and soul of this team.

On the rare occasion that a team can contain Pierre, who’s next up? Nobody of note, just emerging superstar and surefire first round pick Mikayla Blakes. Blakes has been a revelation for Vanderbilt, adding another level of scoring from the guard position that has really opened up this offense. Blakes is a true three level threat as well, she can blow by just about anyone, can knock down the three, and has a lethal stepback mid-range shot which I genuinely cannot recall her missing. Blakes is also a pest on defense. She’s not afraid to get her hands dirty and force some turnovers whenever she’s one-on-one with an opposing guard. These two have been and will continue to shoulder the majority of the load for this Vanderbilt team. You would be hard pressed to find a better duo in all of college basketball.

The next takeaway is that this team is extremely deep. Beyond Blakes and Pierre, you have all-SEC guard Iyana Moore, former all-BIG 10 wing Leilani Kapinus, all-WCC wing Jane Nwaba, Madi Greene (who would start for a good number of SEC teams), emerging center Aiyanna Mitchell, and the ultimate glue guy Jordyn Oliver. There is so much quality on this team that Aga Makurat and Justine Pissott, players who would at least be highly used rotational pieces have found themselves fighting to get on the court. As the grind of the SEC season goes on this depth will be invaluable. Injuries and some wear-and-tear are inevitable in what is by far the most physical conference in the country. As long as the stars stay healthy, this team has the depth to be able to outlast a good number of teams.

Finally, this team is really well rounded. Vanderbilt ranks 7th in offense and 35th in defense nationwide. You do not have to be an aficionado to know that if a team is very strong on both offense and defense, they are going to have success. While both of those rankings are very strong, it is worth noting that there have, on occasion, been lapses where Vanderbilt’s defense becomes porous. A complete lack of ability to get a stop for a quarter or so almost lost Vandy games against Dayton and Arizona and did cost them against Michigan State. Offense has been consistently solid all year, but if this team is to meet their own expectations of making a run in the NCAA tournament and contending for a national championship, they cannot have these mental or physical lapses.

Moving on to negative observations or lingering questions – there are not many – the primary concern is once again a lack of size. A common refrain for the last 3 years with this team, there once again is not enough highly competitive size in the post. Beyond Aiyanna Mitchell, there is not a player on Vanderbilt above 6’2, and Mitchell is still developing and foul-prone on defense. Michigan State’s duo of Grace Van Slooten and Julia Ayrault (both 6’3 or more) gave Vanderbilt fits on defense and proved to be the difference in that game. The SEC is laden with some of the best bigs in the country. Vanderbilt will have to go against Aneesah Morrow, Reagan Beers, and Clara Strack just to name a few. Pierre and Mitchell will have to be at their best to compete with them on the defensive end.

The other question still on people’s mind is how Vanderbilt will fare against elite competition. Ralph’s team has faced and beaten several bubble teams but fell short against their only top-25 opponent of the non-conference schedule. Currently 7 teams in the SEC are ranked, 6 of whom are above Michigan State. SEC play will represent a massive step up in competition, and this team has not yet proven that they can beat the upper echelon teams.

Finally, Iyana Moore must play better. The former all-sec guard put the team on her back down the stretch last season and has yet to find that form again this season. To her defense, Moore has been battling a lingering injury throughout the season and is having to adjust to a more off-ball role with Mikayla Blakes’ emergence. However, Moore finding her stroke from deep and adding a third real scoring threat for this team might just be the thing that takes them over the top.

It would take a drastic shift in fortunes for this team not to make the NCAA tournament, so instead of laying out a path for that to happen I will expand on my predictions for the rest of the year.

For starters, I think this team will go 11-7 in the SEC. This team is capable of beating almost all of its SEC competition but I have a hard time seeing them be able to beat Oklahoma, South Carolina, or Texas. Not only are those teams highly skilled, but they are matchup nightmares for Vandy with a ton of size and athleticism. Aside from that, they can win just about every game (yes, even LSU, that will be a great game I think). If they do end up at or around 11-7 would put Vanderbilt at around a 5 to 7 seed in the NCAA tournament.

I think that the ultimate goal for this team should be to go to the sweet sixteen and really assert themselves as one of the up and coming names in women’s basketball. This team certainly has the talent and depth to make a deep run and take some blue bloods by surprise. The more waves and publicity this team can generate, the better it is for the team. Vandy will soon have to start playing with the big boys in NIL and recruiting if they keep up the trajectory they are currently on. This team can be the one that really gets that ball moving.