No. 5/5 Vanderbilt (26-3, 12-3 SEC) at (RV/RV) Tennessee (16-11, 8-7 SEC)
Sunday, March 1, 2026 • 1 p.m. CT
Food City Center • Knoxville, Tenn. • ESPN
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Notes
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 5/5-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team closes out the 2025-26 regular season this Sunday, as the Commodores head east to take on in-state rival Tennessee. Tipoff against the Lady Volunteers is set for 1 p.m. CT and airs live across the country on ESPN.
Starting Five
>> Vandy enters the final regular finale sporting a 26-3 overall record and a 12-3 mark in SEC play. The Commodores are coming off an 85-60 victory over No. 24/23 Alabama to post their seventh win over a ranked team this season. Sophomore Mikayla Blakes scored a game-high 35 points to record her 11th 30-point performance of the season, while it was her fifth-straight game with 30-plus points against ranked foes.
>> The Commodores head into Sunday looking to extend their program record for most SEC wins in a season. Vanderbilt’s 12 league victories this season are the most in school history. The Dores have posted double-digit SEC wins in a season for the first time since 2010-11.
>> The Dores are 10-3 in road and neutral site games this season. Vanderbilt is 14-9 in SEC road games since the start of the 2023-24 season. Overall, Vanderbilt is 21-10 in true road games over the last three seasons.
>> Vandy’s 26 wins this season are tied for fifth-most in program history, equaling the win total of the 2003-04 and 2008-09 teams. Vanderbilt has posted its first 25-win campaign since 2008-09 this season.
>> The Dores and Lady Volunteers meet for the 92nd time. Tennessee leads 79-12 in a series that dates back to the 1978-79 season. Vanderbilt won both games against Tennessee last season, marking the first time that Vandy swept the season series. The Dores are looking to win three-straight games against the Lady Vols for the first time in the series. The Commodores are 1-37 all-time in Knoxville, with the lone win coming on Feb. 28, 2019, when Vandy posted a 76-69 win over at Food City Center. Sunday marks the first time since 1984-85 that a ranked Vanderbilt team takes on an unranked Tennessee squad.
Game Coverage
Sunday’s contest airs live across the country on ESPN at 1 p.m. CT with Tiffany Greene and Vanderbilt alumni Carolyn Peck on the call. Fans can listen to Jake Lyman locally on 94.9 The Fan and the Vanderbilt Commodores app outside of Nashville.
National Rankings
The Commodores sit at No. 5 in both the Associated Press top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches poll this week. Vandy has been in the top 10 in both polls each of the last eight weeks, which is the longest stretch since a 20-week streak between the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. This season marks the first time since the 2001-02 campaign that the Dores have been ranked in the top 10 in both major college women’s basketball polls.
NET Ranking
Vanderbilt holds a NET ranking of seven heading into the weekend. Vandy has collected seven Quad 1 wins, four Quad 2 victories and six Quad 3 wins through the first 28 games this season.
The Dores opened the season at No. 12 in the first NET rankings of the 2025-26 season. The NET is an evaluation tool used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine seeding and bids.
Collecting Another Top-25 Win
Vandy posted its seventh win over a top-25-ranked team this season on Feb. 26, as the Commodores defeated No. 24/23 Alabama, 85-60, at Memorial Gym. The Dores have collected seven wins over ranked foes, which is the first time since 2000-01, while it is the first time in accomplishing the feat in the regular season since 1995-96.
30-for-30-for-30-for-30-for-30
Sophomore Mikayla Blakes has had five-straight 30-point performances against ranked teams. The Vanderbilt guard is only the second NCAA Division I player this century to have five-straight 30-point games against ranked teams in the same season, joining Iowa’s Megan Gustafson (6; 2018-19). Blakes has 11 total 30-point games this season, making her the first SEC player this century to accomplish the feat.
Nation’s Best Scorer
Sophomore Mikayla Blakes leads the nation in scoring at 26.9 points per game. In SEC play, Blakes is putting up 30.3 points per game through 15 league games. She comes into Sunday having scored 30 points in six of her last seven games, while she leads the nation with 11 30-point games this season. The 5-8 guard scored a season-high 38 points at Mississippi State on Jan. 15, and is coming off back-to-back 35-point performances against No. 16/18 Kentucky and No. 24/23 Alabama.
Teamwork Makes The Dream Work
The Commodores rank sixth nationally in assists per game (19.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.49). Freshman Aubrey Galvan ranks in the top 20 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (18th; 2.34), assists (12th; 173) and assists per game (16th; 6.0). Galvan leads all freshmen nationally in assists per game, total assists, and steals.
Balanced Scoring
Vanderbilt has had three or more players score double-digit points in 26 of its 29 games this season. The last occurrence came on Feb. 26 when the Commodores had three players record double-figure points in the win vs. No. 24/23 Alabama.
Scouting the Lady Volunteers
Tennessee holds a 16-11 overall record and an 8-7 mark in SEC play. The Lady Volunteers are receiving votes in both the AP top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA coaches poll this week, while Tennessee is ranked No. 21 in the NET rankings. The Lady Vols are coming off an 89-73 loss at No. 6/6 LSU this past Thursday. Tennessee is in Year 2 under head coach Kim Caldwell, who is 40-21 during her time in Knoxville.
Junior Talaysia Cooper (15.9 ppg) is one of four double-digit scorers for the Lady Vols. Senior Janiah Barker is putting up 13.9 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds per game. Freshman Mia Pauldo (10.8 ppg) and senior Zee Spearman (10.1 ppg) round out the round.
The Lady Volunteers average 77.4 points per game and allow 68.5 points per game. Tennessee is shooting 41.2 percent from the floor and 31.1 percent from behind the arc. Defensively, the Lady Vols allow opponents to shoot 42.2 percent from the field and 30.6 percent beyond the 3-point line.
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