Back on the Road – Vanderbilt Commodores

No. 7/8 Vanderbilt heads to the Bluegrass State to battle No. 16 Kentucky this Thursday on SEC Network+
No. 7/8 Vanderbilt (21-2, 7-2 SEC) vs. No. 16/16 Kentucky (18-5, 5-4 SEC)
Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026 • 6 p.m. CT
Memorial Coliseum • Lexington, Ky. • SEC Network+
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Notes
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 7/8 Vanderbilt women’s basketball team is set for another top-25 road contest this Thursday, as the Commodores head north to take on the No. 16-ranked Kentucky Wildcats. Tipoff from Memorial Coliseum is set for 6 p.m. CT, and streams live on SEC Network+.
Starting Five
>> Vanderbilt heads to the Bluegrass State sporting a 21-2 overall record. The Dores are 7-2 in SEC play and are currently in a three-way tie with Tennessee and LSU for second in the league standings.
>> Vandy posted an 82-66 victory over Florida at Memorial Gymnasium this past Sunday. The win over the Gators snapped a two-game skid, as sophomore Mikayla Blakes led the Commodores with 30 points. Blakes was one of three Dores in double digits against Florida, as graduate Sacha Washington and senior Justine Pissott each had 14 points.
>> The Commodores are 9-2 in road and neutral site games this season. Vanderbilt is 13-8 in SEC road games since the start of the 2023-24 season. Overall, Vanderbilt is 20-8 in true road games since the 2023-24 campaign. Vandy won a program record six road games in 2023-24.
>> A Vanderbilt win on Thursday would equal the best start in school history through 24 games. The 1992-93 Final Four team opened the season at 22-2, then went on to win its next eight games before falling to Texas Tech in Atlanta at the 1993 Final Four.
>> The Dores and Wildcats meet for the 62nd time in a series dating back to the 1981-82 season. Vanderbilt leads 33-28, though Kentucky won the last matchup, 96-78, on Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville. The Dores are 12-15 all-time in Lexington, but Vandy was victorious in its last trip to UK on Jan. 11, 2024, winning a 93-75 contest at Rupp Arena. The Commodores will be playing in Memorial Coliseum for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
Game Coverage
Thursday’s contest streams on SEC Network+ in the ESPN app at 6 p.m. CT with Noah Frary and Christi Thomas on the call and Michelle Knezovic doing sideline reporting. Fans can listen to Jake Lyman locally on 94.9 The Fan and the Vanderbilt Commodores app outside of Nashville.
National Rankings
The Commodores came in at No. 7 in the Associated Press top 25 and No. 8 in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches poll this week. This season marks the first time since the 2001-02 season 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 nine heading into the weekend. Vandy has collected three Quad 1 wins, four Quad 2 victories and six Quad 3 wins through the first 23 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.
Tough Stretch
Thursday’s contest marks the third time in the last four games that Vanderbilt will take on a top-25 team. The Commodores are set to face a team placed inside the top 25 currently in five of its six final games to close out the 2025-26 season. Vandy is 2-2 in top-25 games this season, with wins over No. 5/5 LSU (65-61) and No. 7/7 Michigan (72-69).
Justine’s Not Just a Shooter
Though known for her sharp-shooting ability, senior Justine Pissott has shown that she is much more than that this season. The 6-4 guard is averaging career bests this season in rebounds (4.6), assists (2.6) and blocks (0.8). Pissott has collected a block shot in eight-straight games coming into Thursday, as she is averaging 1.4 blocks per game during the streak.
Elite Scorer
Sophomore Mikayla Blakes’ career scoring average of 24.0 points per game is not only tops among all active SEC players, but with Southern Cal’s JuJu Watkins missing this season due to injury, the Vanderbilt guard currently holds the highest career scoring average amongst all active NCAA Division I players.
Earlier this season, the Somerset, New Jersey, native recently became the fastest SEC player to score 1,000 points in the NCAA Division I era, accomplishing the feat in 42 games. Blakes is one of nine NCAA Division I players since 1981-82 to score 1,000 points in 42 games or fewer.
Dores Putting Up The Points
Vanderbilt is putting up 84.7 points per game through 23 contests this season, which is the 10th-highest scoring average in the nation.
The Dores have scored 85-plus points in 13 games this season, while they’ve eclipsed the 80-point plateau in 16 games. On Dec. 28, Vandy posted a 109-50 win over Stonehill, as the 109 points are the most the Dores have scored in a game under head coach Shea Ralph.
Scouting the Wildcats
Kentucky holds an 18-5 overall record and a 5-4 mark in the SEC play. The Wildcats came in at No. 16 in both the AP top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA coaches poll, while UK is ranked No. 16 in the NET ranking. Kentucky has lost three of its last four contests but is coming off a 93-73 victory at Arkansas this past Sunday. The Wildcats are in Year 2 under head coach Kenny Brooks, who is 41-13 during his time in Lexington.
Junior Clara Strack (16.2 ppg) leads a pack of six Wildcats who average double-digit points this season. Seniors Tonie Morgan (14.7 ppg), Teonni Key (11.3 ppg), Jordan Obi (10.7 ppg), and Amelia Hassett (10.4 ppg) and junior Asia Boone (10.1 ppg) round out the group.
The Wildcats average 77.4 points per game and allow 57.4 points per game. Kentucky is shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and 31.7 percent from behind the arc. Defensively, UK allows opponents to shoot 35.5 percent from the field and 28.8 percent beyond the 3-point line.
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