NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Southeastern Conference announced its 2026 women’s basketball schedule on Tuesday, as Vanderbilt opens its 16-game SEC slate on New Year’s Day with a matchup at Arkansas.
The SEC schedule features 11 contests against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, five of which will be played at Memorial Gymnasium. Vanderbilt’s SEC home opener is set for Jan. 4 against LSU.
The Commodores enter Year 5 under the direction of head coach Shea Ralph. Vandy returns seven players from last season’s 22-win NCAA Tournament team. The Dores have earned an at-large bid into March Madness in each of the last two seasons, a first since the program earned 15-straight bids from 1999-2014. Ralph comes into her fifth season with the Commodores sporting a 73-59 (.553) record. Vanderbilt is 45-21 (.682) over the last two seasons, which include 17 victories against SEC teams.
League play begins on Jan. 1 at Arkansas and runs through March 1, when the Commodores take on in-state rival Tennessee in Knoxville. Tip times and broadcast information for the 2026 SEC women’s basketball schedule will be released at a later date.
The SEC women’s basketball schedule consists of a single round-robin of home or away contests, with one rotating home-and-home series against Kentucky. This marks the 17th season that the SEC will play a 16-game schedule for women’s basketball.
After the SEC opener against the Razorbacks on New Year’s, the Dores host back-to-back home games against LSU on Jan. 4 and Missouri on Jan. 8. Vanderbilt will remain on the road for four of its final five games in January, as they travel to Texas A&M (Jan. 11), Mississippi State (Jan. 15), South Carolina (Jan. 25) and Ole Miss (Jan. 29). The lone game at Memorial Gym in that stretch is set for Jan. 22 against Auburn.
The Commodores play five of their seven February games at home. Vanderbilt hosts Florida on Feb. 1, then after a road contest at Kentucky (Feb. 5), returns to Memorial Gym to take on Oklahoma (Feb. 9) and Texas (Feb. 12). Vandy heads to Georgia on Feb. 15 then closes out the 2025-26 regular season home slate with matchups against Kentucky (Feb. 22) and Alabama (Feb. 26).
The regular season comes to an end at Tennessee on March 1. It is the sixth time that the two Volunteer State rivals will end the regular season against one another. The last occurrence came during 2014-15 in Knoxville. Vanderbilt will be seeking its third-straight win over the Lady Vols after sweeping the season series in 2024-25.
The SEC Tournament returns March 5-9 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
Season tickets for the 2025-26 Vanderbilt women’s basketball campaign are now on sale. Fans can click the link here to purchase season tickets.
The Commodores will play in three major women’s basketball events during the nonconference portion of the 2025-26 season. Vanderbilt opens the campaign in Paris, France, on Nov. 3 to take on California as part of the 2025 Oui-Play Paris. The Dores will spend the Thanksgiving holiday in the Caribbean to participate in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Nov. 27-29. Vandy jumps out of SEC play on Jan. 19 to battle Michigan for the Coretta Scott King Classic in Newark, New Jersey, for a nationally-broadcast game on FOX.
For more information and exclusive content on the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team, follow @VandyWBB on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X.
