No. 23/23 Vanderbilt (17-4, 4-3 SEC) at Florida (11-10, 2-5 SEC)
Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 • 6 p.m. CT
Exactract Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center • Gainesville, Fla. • SEC Network+
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Notes
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 23/23-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team concludes a brief two-game SEC road trip, as the Commodores travel to Florida this Thursday. Tipoff against the Gators is set for 6 p.m. CT and streams live on SEC Network+.
Starting Five
>> The Dores head to Florida ranked in both major women’s college basketball polls for the first time in over a decade. Vanderbilt broke into the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since the 2013-14 season, coming in at No. 23 this week. The Commodores also checked in at No. 23 in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll, marking the second-straight season the Dores have been featured in the Coaches Poll. This week’s rankings mark the first time Vanderbilt has been in both polls since Feb. 18, 2014.
>> Vandy is riding a three-game winning streak coming into Exactech Arena. It is the first time that the Commodores have rolled off three-consecutive SEC wins since ending the 2023-24 regular season with three conference wins in a row. Overall, the Dores are 17-4 on the year and 4-3 in SEC play.
>> The No. 23-ranked Commodores are 4-2 in true road games this season. Vandy is coming off a 66-64 win at No. 19 Alabama. It was Vanderbilt’s first win over a ranked team since Feb. 28, 2016, when the Dores won at No. 24 Missouri, 71-69. Mikayla Blakes scored a team-high 33 points in the victory over the Crimson Tide to set the Vanderbilt freshman record for most points scored in a road game.
>> Vanderbilt and Florida will meet for the 65th time on Thursday. The Commodores hold the 35-29 edge in the all-time series. The two split a pair of matchups last season, with Vandy claiming a 63-57 win in Memorial Gym during the regular season before Florida upset the Commodores, 62-59, in the second round of the 2024 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament. Vanderbilt is 2-3 against the Gators under head coach Shea Ralph.
>> Vanderbilt is 13-14 vs. Florida in Gainesville. The last time the Commodores posted a victory over the Gators at the Exactech Arena came on Feb. 19, 2015, with a 76-75 win in overtime.
Game Coverage
Thursday’s contest at Florida airs live on SEC Network+ with Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis calling the action. Fans can listen to Jake Lyman locally on 94.9 The Fan and the Vanderbilt Commodores app outside of Nashville. Fans can also follow along via live stats.
NET Ranking
Vanderbilt enters Thursday holding a NET ranking of 18. The Commodores came in at No. 7 in the first NET ranking of the 2024-25 season, the highest NET ranking in program history. The NET is an evaluation tool the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee uses to determine seeding and at-large bids.
NCAA Team of the Week
Vanderbilt was selected as the NCAA Team of the Week after breaking into the Associated Press Women’s College Basketball Top 25 Poll for the first time in over a decade. Vandy went 2-0 last week in a pair of SEC games that put them back over .500 in league play at 4-3. The Dores collected a 101-60 win over Arkansas last Thursday to set the school record for most 100-point games in a season with six. The Dores then went on the road to knock off No. 19-ranked Alabama on the road, 66-64, to post their first road win over a ranked team since the 2015-16 season.
Mikayla Wins National Freshman of the Week…AGAIN!?!?
Vanderbilt’s first-year standout guard Mikayla Blakes was named the USBWA Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week for the second-straight time. She is the first player to win the award twice this season.
Blakes averaged 28.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals to help Vanderbilt collect wins over Arkansas (101-61) and No. 19 Alabama (66-64). The guard registered back-to-back games with 20 or more points, extending her scoring streak to seven games. The guard also was named National Freshman of the Week by the USBWA on Jan. 21, where she shared the honor with Nebraska’s Britt Prince.
Blakes Wins Fourth SEC Freshman of the Week Award
Mikayla Blakes was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for the fourth time this season on Jan. 28, sharing the honors with South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards. It is a league-high fourth SEC Freshman of the Week selection for Blakes. It is her first SEC weekly award since Dec. 10, when she shared SEC Freshman of the Week with Auburn’s Syriah Daniels. Blakes’ four SEC frosh award selections are second-most in school history, as Khamil Pierre captured the weekly honor program-best five times last season.
Scoring Streaks
Two Dores enter Thursday’s contest on elongated double-digit scoring streaks. Sophomore Khamil Pierre has registered 10-plus points in 23-straight games, while freshman Mikayla Blakes has tallied double-figure points in seven-straight contests.
Pierre’s 23-game streak is the longest for a Commodore since 2006-07 when Carla Thomas registered double-digit points in 29-straight games. Pierre’s streak is also the fourth-longest double-digit scoring streak by a Dore since 1999-00.
Pierre’s Elite Numbers
Sophomore Khamil Pierre currently ranks third all in NCAA Division I in field goals made with 181 and fourth in double-doubles with 12. The 6-2 forward ranks in the top 15 nationally in seven categories. She is the only NCAA Division I player placed in the top 10 in scoring (8th: 21.7 ppg) and steals per game (10th; 3.20) and she is the lone player in the country to average over 21.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game this season.
Blakes’ Case for National Freshman of the Year
Freshman guard Mikayla Blakes is making a strong case for national freshman of the year consideration. The 5-8 guard leads all NCAA Division I freshmen in scoring (21.0 ppg), points scored (440), and field goals made (151). Blakes ranks in the top five among freshmen nationally in steals (3rd; 51), steals per game (4th, 2.47), free throw percentage (4th, 85.7%), and made 3-point field goals (5th, 48). She has scored 20-plus points in 13 games this season which leads all NCAA freshmen, and she is the only frosh nationally to score 33-plus points in multiple games this season. Blakes’ school freshman record of 36 points vs. Georgia are the most points scored by an NCAA freshman this season, while her 33 points at Alabama is tied for the second-most by a frosh in the nation.
Scouting the Gators
Florida comes into Thursday at 11-10 and 2-5 in SEC play. The Gators are 58 in the most recent NET rankings. Florida will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak this Thursday.
Freshman Liv McGill’s 15.9 points per game pace a quartet of double-digit scorers for the Gators. Seniors Ra Shaya Kyle (14.7 ppg) and Jeriah Warren (10.4 ppg) follow McGill and sophomore Laila Reynolds’ 10.4 points per contest rounds out the group.
The Gators are putting up 76.6 points per game through 21 games this season. Florida is shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 33.5 percent on 3-point field goals. Defensively, teams are putting up 67.3 points per game against Florida while shooting 39.7 percent from the floor and 30.5 percent from behind the arc.
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