Vanderbilt (8-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Virginia (6-2, 0-0 ACC)
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025 • 4 p.m. CT
Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, Tenn. • SEC Network • Tickets • Dore Deal Bundle
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Program • Game Notes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 15/14-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team opens a five-game homestand this Wednesday, as the Commodores welcome in Virginia as part of the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge. Tipoff against the Cavaliers is set for 4 p.m. CT from Memorial Gymnasium and airs live on SEC Network.
Starting Five
>> Vanderbilt returns to Memorial Gym sporting a perfect record through eight contests to open the 2025-26 season. The Dores recently won the Island Division at the 2025 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, going 2-0 on St. Thomas. Sophomore Mikayla Blakes won MVP honors, while senior Justine Pissott was selected to the Island Division All-Tournament team.
>> Fans will have plenty of opportunities to cheer on the Commodores in December, as all five games that Vanderbilt will play this month take place at Memorial Gymnasium. Fans can purchase tickets to any Vanderbilt women’s basketball game by clicking the link here.
>> The Commodores are 57-19 against nonconference foes in the Ralph era. Vanderbilt has won 14-straight regular-season games against non-SEC teams heading into Wednesday’s contest against Virginia.
>> The Dores have won 23-straight nonconference home games dating back to the 2022-23 season. Vanderbilt is 36-3 inside Memorial Gym against non-league teams under head coach Shea Ralph. Vandy is 50-21 overall at home under Ralph’s direction.
>> Wednesday marks the seventh time that Vanderbilt and Virginia will face off on the hardwood. The Cavaliers hold a 4-2 lead in the all-time series and have won each of the last two meetings. The last time the two teams met came on Nov. 23, 2012, at the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico, where Virginia won 73-66. The Dores won the only game played in Nashville in the series, as Vanderbilt knocked off Virginia, 72-65, in Memorial Gym on Dec. 9, 1995.
Game Coverage
Wednesday’s contest airs live at 4 p.m. CT on SEC Network, with Roy Philpott and Brooke Weisbrod on the call. Fans can listen to Jake Lyman locally on 94.9 The Fan and the Vanderbilt Commodores app outside of Nashville.
Ticket Special for Vanderbilt Faculty and Staff
Vanderbilt Athletics is offering faculty and staff two complimentary tickets to each ACC/SEC Challenge game on Wednesday. To receive two complementary tickets, show your valid Vanderbilt ID at the Gate 1 entrance ticket window starting one hour before the start of each Vanderbilt basketball game on Wednesday.
Tickets are only good for one ACC/SEC Challenge game each. Fans wanting to attend both games on Wednesday will have to exit Memorial Gym at the end of the women’s game, then re-enter at Gate 1, and once again show your valid Vanderbilt ID starting one hour before the tip of the men’s game.
Dore Deal Bundle
Vanderbilt Athletics is offering a special Dore Deal ticket bundle for Wednesday’s ACC/SEC Challenge doubleheader at Memorial Gym. Fans can get a ticket to both the women’s game vs. Virginia at 4 p.m. and the men’s game vs. SMU at 8:15 p.m. for one special price. Fans can click the link here to purchase a Dore Deal ACC/SEC Challenge ticket bundle.
National Rankings
The Commodores came in at No. 15 in the Associated Press top 25 and No. 14 in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches poll. It marks the program’s highest ranking in either poll since the 2012-13 season.
It is Vanderbilt’s highest ranking in the AP top 25 since Week 2 of the 2012-13 campaign, when Vanderbilt was No. 13. This week’s No. 14 placement for Vandy in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches poll equals its highest ranking in that poll since the 2009-10 campaign.
NET Ranking
Vanderbilt came in at No. 12 in the first NET rankings of the 2025-26 season. The Dores have collected two Quad 2 wins and a Quad 3 win through eight contests this season.
The NET is an evaluation tool used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine seeding and bids.
Blakes Named SEC Player of the Week
Mikayla Blakes’ Thanksgiving weekend feast at the 2025 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam earned her SEC Co-Player of the Week honors, as the All-American captures her first weekly award from the conference this season.
Blakes was named the Island Division MVP at the Paradise Jam after averaging 31.0 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game. Her efforts helped the Commodores go 2-0 in the U.S. Virgin Islands to win the Island Division title. The Vanderbilt guard shares the SEC Player of the Week honor with Rori Harmon of Texas.
It is the second time that the sophomore has won SEC Player of the Week, as she previously earned the distinction during her freshman campaign on Feb. 11, 2025. It is Blakes’ ninth SEC weekly award in her career, as she was named SEC Freshman of the Week a school-record seven times last season.
ACC/SEC Challenge
This marks Year 3 of the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Dores are 1-1 in the event. Vanderbilt will be hosting a game in the ACC/SEC Challenge for the first time, as Vandy was previously at NC State (L, 62-70) during the 2023-24 season and at Miami (W, 88-70) in 2024-25.
The SEC is 17-13 against the ACC over the two seasons. Last year, the SEC went 10-6, while the two leagues tied at 7-7 in the inaugural season of the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Blakes Selected to USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week
Blakes’ high-end performance in the U.S. Virgin Islands also earned her a spot on the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week honors. She was one of five players named to this week’s squad. It is the first time this season she has been selected to the USBWA’s national team of the week.
Justine Is Rolling
Senior Justine Pissott had a massive Thanksgiving weekend at the Paradise Jam, as the 6-4 guard was selected to the Island Division All-Tournament team after averaging 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a pair of wins to help the Dores win the Paradise Jam Island Division. She hit nine 3-pointers in total in the U.S. Virgin Islands and shot an even 50 percent from behind the arc.
Pissott recorded her first career double-double in Game 2 at the Paradise Jam, as she tallied a career-high 18 points to go along with a personal-best 10 rebounds in a victory over BYU.
Blakes’ Scoring Streak
Sophomore Mikayla Blakes is riding a 27-game double-digit scoring streak that dates back to last season, coming into the ACC/SEC Challenge contest against Virginia. The guard has scored 20-plus points 19 times during the streak. Blakes has registered 10 or more points in 40 of the 41 career games she has played at Vanderbilt.
Mik Chasing 1,000 Career Points
All-American Mikayla Blakes needs just 28 points to become the 43rd player in program history to join Vanderbilt women’s basketball’s 1,000-point club.
If Blakes reaches the 1,000-point milestone on Wednesday against Virginia, she’ll do so in her 42nd career game at Vanderbilt, making her the fastest player to break the 1,000-point plateau in program history. Currently, Chantelle Anderson holds the program record, as she scored her 1,000th career point in her 57th career game on Dec. 11, 2001.
Additionally, if Blakes scores her 1,000th career point on Wednesday, she’ll become just the 10th NCAA Division I player to score 1,000 points in their first 42 games or fewer during the NCAA era (1981-82 to current).
A Perfect Start
Vanderbilt is off to an 8-0 start for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign. The Dores won their first 10 games in 2011-12. This season marks the seventh time the program has opened a season at 8-0.
Scouting the Cavaliers
Virginia holds a 6-2 record coming into the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Cavaliers recently went 1-1 at the 2025 Emerald Coast Classic, with a win over Northwestern State (69-48) and a loss to Nebraska (92-81). Virginia knocked off Maryland Eastern Shore, 92-59, at home in its last time out on Sunday. The Cavs hold a NET ranking of 34 and have won four-straight road contests coming into Wednesday, dating back to last season.
Junior Kymora Johnson leads the Cavaliers in scoring at 17.1 points per game through eight contests. Johnson is one of two double-digit scorers for Virginia, as senior Tabitha Amanze is putting up 10.1 points per contest, while the 6-4 post player is second on the team at 6.9 rebounds per game. The Cavs feature a quartet of players who are averaging between 8.4 and 9.3 points per contest, led by senior Paris Clark’s 9.3 points per game.
The Cavaliers are averaging 79.5 points per game, while giving up 52.9 points. Virginia is shooting 46.3 percent from the floor and 32.2 percent from behind the arc. Defensively, the Cougars allow teams to shoot 34.0 percent from the field and 30.7 percent on 3-point field goals.
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