Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes (1) dribbles up court during Sweet 16 game between Notre Dame and Vanderbilt at the NCAA college basketball tournament, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. Credit: AP/Julio Cortez
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Vanderbilt and Iowa, both ranked in the top 10 late last season, will meet in a women's basketball game early next season in northwest Iowa, the schools announced Tuesday.
The neutral-site game is set for Nov. 15 at the Tyson Events Center, which is 290 miles from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
Vanderbilt is 4-0 all-time against the Hawkeyes. This will be the teams' first meeting since 1997.
The Commodores are expected to return national scoring leader Mikayla Blakes. She averaged 27 points per game and was Southeastern Conference player of the year. Vanderbilt was ranked as high as No. 5 and finished No. 10 with a 29-5 record after reaching the NCAA Sweet 16.
The Hawkeyes were ranked a season-high No. 7 entering the NCAA Tournament and finished No. 16 with a 27-7 record after losing in the second round.
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