Vanderbilt women’s basketball was a positive surprise in its non-conference slate, going 13-1 and receiving votes in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and AP Poll.
In Shea Ralph’s third season, she finally put together a team that looked like it could compete for a spot in the NCAA tournament. Although the Commodores’ only non-conference win against a power conference team was against Iowa State, they remained within single digits of a top-five team in NC State.
Next comes the challenge that is SEC play, which begins Thursday at Mississippi State (6:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network+).
In his first two seasons, Ralph did not win an SEC road game. That will have to change if Vanderbilt has any hope of reaching March Madness.
Here’s what you need to know about the Commodores entering the conference:
The Jordyn-Sacha connection
After missing last season due to injury, Jordyn Cambridge returned better than ever. In her final year of college basketball, the sixth-year senior is averaging 14.8 points with 7.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 4.6 steals. After a triple-double in the 2022 SEC Tournament, Cambridge has flirted with another one on several occasions. After shooting below 30% on threes earlier in her career, she’s hitting 35.8% this season.
Cambridge has the ideal post partner in Sacha Washington, averaging 14.6 points and 8.6 rebounds, and has four double-doubles.
Vanderbilt has a chance at March Madness
Shea Ralph firmly believes this team can make the NCAA tournament. That’s now a real possibility thanks to the 13-1 start.
ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme had the Commodores as the No. 11 seed and in the “final four” in his most recent update. Vanderbilt, which has played a relatively light non-conference schedule, could raise its profile by winning games in the SEC.
The Commodores are seventh in the NET among their conference mates. Ten of Vanderbilt’s 16 SEC games are against teams ranked lower in the NET as of January 3.
Health situation pending
Vanderbilt basketball played most of 2022-23 with just eight players due to injuries and a layoff. The Commodores began the season with 13 players on the roster, although not all 13 were available in any game.
Freshman guard Madison Greene is out for the season with a torn ACL, and Jordyn Oliver missed the win against Radford with an undisclosed injury. She was seen on the sidelines wearing a walking boot. Freshman Bailey Gilmore has not played this season and is out indefinitely for undisclosed reasons. She was on the bench during the game against Radford but did not wear the uniform2.
Newcomers give a helping hand
While Cambridge and Washington are veterans, Ralph has managed to revamp his roster both through his freshman class and through the transfer portal. Two transfers, Oliver from Duke and Justine Pissott from Tennessee, combined to start 24 games. When Pissott doesn’t start, it’s usually freshman Aga Makurat in his place.
Both Pissott and Makurat add vital spacing to the floor. Pissott is shooting 37.3% from three and Makurat is shooting 38.6%. Oliver doesn’t have the same outside range, but she is very accurate from inside the arc with an overall completion percentage of 62.7%, and she also averages 5.5 rebounds per game.
Khamil Pierre is the reigning SEC co-freshman after scoring 12 points with seven rebounds against Fairleigh Dickinson and nine points with five rebounds against Radford.
TOURNAMENT HOPES How Vanderbilt women’s basketball can make the first NCAA Tournament since 2014
Force flights
Vanderbilt is second in the SEC in steals per game with 12.2. Cambridge leads, second in the nation with 64 interceptions. Washington’s 34 interceptions rank 43rd nationally and sixth in the conference. She is the only player in the SEC with 22 or more steals who is not a guard.
The Commodores play a lot of press defense, which forces turnovers and can cause problems for opponents who don’t have enough ball-handling skills.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter @aria_gerson.
