No. 12 Vanderbilt (22-9) vs. No. 12 Columbia (23-6)
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 • 8 p.m. CT
Cassell Coliseum • Blacksburg, Va. • ESPNU • Ticket Information • Bracket
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Notes • March Madness Page
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball begins its run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament Wednesday, as the Commodores take on Columbia in a 12-vs.-12 First Four matchup. Tipoff from Cassell Coliseum is set for 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
Starting Five
>> Vanderbilt earned its first bid into the NCAA Tournament since the 2013-14 season after going 22-9 overall and finishing sixth in the SEC. The Commodores posted their first 20-win since in 11 years, while Vandy collected a school-record six SEC road wins to help them go 9-7 in SEC play. Vanderbilt comes into March Madness with a NET ranking of 56.
>> Vanderbilt will be making its 28th NCAA Tournament appearance. That is tied for 12th-most in NCAA women’s basketball history with Ohio State. The Commodores will take on Columbia in the school’s inaugural appearance in the First Four, a round that was added when the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament field expanded to 68 teams in 2022.
>> The Dores are 39-27 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Vanderbilt has made 14 appearances in the Sweet 16, while Vandy has advanced to the Elite Eight five different times. The Dores also have made a run to the Final Four once, having played in the 1993 NCAA Final Four against Texas Tech in Atlanta.
>> Vanderbilt is 2-0 all-time against Columbia, with the last matchup taking place last season. The Commodores picked up a 74-63 win in New York City on Nov 13, 2022. Ciaja Harbison scored a game-high 27 points to lead a trio of double-digit scorers for the Dores. Sacha Washington scored 11 points and pulled down five rebounds in the victory. A total of four Vanderbilt players and five Columbia players who played in that game are still on their respective team’s roster going into the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
>> The winner of the First Four contest between Vanderbilt and Columbia will move onto the First Round of the NCAA Tournament and face No. 5-seeded Baylor at Cassell Coliseum. That game will be held on Friday at 5 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
Ticket Information
Fans wanting to buy tickets for Vanderbilt’s NCAA Tournament games can do so through the host school, Virginia Tech. Join the interest list and get an email reminder delivered right to your inbox once tickets become available. Tickets for the First Four game are $25 for adults and $10 for children 17 or younger. Beginning at 1 p.m. CT on Monday, March 18, a limited number of tickets will be made available to the general public with a ticket order limit of six (6) tickets. To purchase tickets, click here.
Game Coverage
Wednesday’s contest will air live on ESPNU at 8 p.m. CT. Fans can listen to the game on the Vanderbilt Commodores app or on 94.9 The Fan in the Nashville area.
What’s at Stake
The winner of the First Four contest between Vanderbilt and Columbia will move onto the First Round of the NCAA Tournament and face No. 5-seeded Baylor at Cassell Coliseum on Friday at 5 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
A Tangible Improvement
Vanderbilt’s 22 wins this season marks a 10-win improvement from last year’s win total of 12. That is the second-largest improvement in win total from year-to-year in program history. The largest improvement in wins from one season to the next in program history is 11, which came during the 1983-84 team’s 23-win campaign.
Going for Win No. 23
Vanderbilt comes into the NCAA Tournament with 22 wins on the year. That is the most wins in a season for the Commodores under third-year Shea Ralph, while it is the 28th time in program history that Vanderbilt has won 20 or more games in a season. The last Vanderbilt had 23 or more wins in a year came during the 2011-12 campaign when the Dores collected 23 wins.
Moving Up the SEC Career Steals List
Jordyn Cambridge’s 345 career steals is Vanderbilt’s school record for most career steals, while it ranks ninth on the SEC’s all-time steals list. Cambridge needs one more steal to move into eighth place, which is currently occupied by LSU’s Pokey Chatman (346; 1987-91).
Shooting Efficiency
Graduate student Jordyn Oliver is shooting 58.8% (70-of-119) from the field this season, which would lead the SEC if she had enough shot attempts to qualify.
Steals Queen
Jordyn Cambridge recently became Vanderbilt’s Steals Queen. The Nashville, Tennessee, native holds the program’s career and single-season steals records. Her 345 career steals are the most in Vanderbilt basketball history, by either gender, and is ninth all-time in SEC women’s basketball history . Cambridge set the single-season steals record back during the 2021-22 season, when she collected 129 steals.
Picking Their Pockets
Vanderbilt is third in the SEC in steals per game at 10.2. Vandy’s 10.2 steals per game average is also 36th-best nationally. Graduate student Jordyn Cambridge paces the SEC in steals with 111, which are also third-most in NCAA Division I this season.
Pierre’s Record-Setting SEC Freshman of the Week Honor
Khamil Pierre, who was named to the 2024 All-SEC freshman team, was named SEC Freshman of the Week a program-record five times during the 2023-24 season. She won the award on Jan. 2, Jan. 16, Feb. 13, Feb. 20, and March 4. Pierre’s five selections tied her with Arkansas’ Taliah Scott for the most SEC Freshman of the Week accolades won this season.
Cambridge’s All-Around Talent
Graduate student Jordyn Cambridge is the only player in Vanderbilt women’s basketball history to collect 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, and 300 steals during their Commodore career.
A Look at Columbia
Columbia, who plays in the Ivy League, comes into the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 23-6 overall record. It will be the first time that the Lions have played in the NCAA Tournament, as they earned an at-large bid into March Madness. Columbia comes into the NCAA Tournament with a NET ranking of 57 and picked up four votes in the most recent Associate Press Top 25 poll.
The Lions have won 21 of their last 23 games, with the two losses coming against Princeton. The Tigers beat Columbia in the 2024 Ivy League Tournament Championship. The Lions shared the Ivy League regular season title Princeton, as both went 13-1 in conference play.
Columbia averages 76.0 points per game, while shooting 45.4 percent from the field. The Lions hit 32.8 percent on 3-point field goals and average 39.9 rebounds per game. Columbia is allowing teams to shoot 39.9 percent from the field, while foes are connecting on 31.6 percent from behind the arc.
Fifth-year senior Abbey Hsu leads the Lions in scoring at 20.6 points per game. Hsu, who was named the 2023-24 Ivy League Player of the Year, ranks 20th in the nation in scoring. She has hit a team-best 88 3-pointer this season and is shooting a team-best 39.8 percent from behind the arc. Juniors Cecelia Henderson (13.7 ppg) and Kitty Henderson(11.8 ppg) also average double-digit points for the Lions.
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