Monday Night Hoops – Vanderbilt Commodores

No. 7/8 Vanderbilt welcomes in No. 11/11 Oklahoma for a Monday night matchup on ESPN2
No. 7/8 Vanderbilt (22-2, 8-2 SEC) vs. No. 11/11 Oklahoma (17-5, 5-4 SEC)
Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 • 8 p.m. CT
Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, Tenn. • ESPN2 • Tickets
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Program • Game Notes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Another top-25 matchup at Memorial Gymnasium is set for Monday, as the No. 7/8-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team takes on No. 11/11-ranked Oklahoma for its annual Play4Kay contest. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT and air nationwide on ESPN2.
Starting Five
>> Vanderbilt is riding a two-game winning streak coming into Monday, as the Commodores recently picked up an 84-83 win at No. 16 Kentucky on Thursday. Sophomore Mikayla Blakes scored 37 points to lead a trio of double-digit scorers for the Dores in the top-25 road win. Blakes’ 37-point performance at Kentucky marked the sixth-most points scored by a Commodore in a road game, while it was tied for the 10th-most points registered in a game in school history. It was Blakes’ seventh 30-point game of the season, tying her for the most in the country.
>> Vandy’s 22-2 overall record is tied for the best start in school history through 24 games with the 1992-93 Final Four team. The 1992-93 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.
>> Vanderbilt has won 13-straight games at Memorial Gym. The Commodores are 58-21 at home under head coach Shea Ralph, and 36-9 at home since the start of the 2023-24 season. Four of Vandy’s next five contests will take place at Memorial Gym.
>> The Dores are 8-2 in SEC play and are currently in a tie with Tennessee for second in the league standings. Vanderbilt enters the weekend one game back of first-place South Carolina. Vandy is 8-2 in the SEC for the first time since the 2008-09 season, when the Commodores opened league play at 10-2.
>> The Dores and Sooners are meeting for only the fifth time since their first matchup in the second round of the 1986 NCAA Tournament. Monday marks the second time the two schools will face off as SEC members after Oklahoma joined the conference prior to the 2024-25 season. The all-time series is tied at 2-2, with OU winning the last game, 101-81, in Norman on Feb. 20, 2025. Vanderbilt is 1-0 all-time against the Sooners at Memorial Gym, winning the lone contest, 78-66, on Nov. 26, 2011.
Play4Kay Game
Monday will be the annual Play4Kay Game is an annual event at Vanderbilt. The event celebrates the life of legendary NC State head coach Kay Yow and honors all others who have battled cancer.
Vanderbilt senior guard Jada Brown is a 2025-26 Kay Yow Servant Leader Award recipient. The award recognizes student-athletes who exemplify the values of leadership, selflessness and service, embodying the Hall of Fame basketball coach Kay Yow. Brown has played all season with a special patch on her jersey recognizing her as a Kay Yow Servant Leader.
Game Coverage
Monday’s contest airs across the country on ESPN2 and in the ESPN app at 8 p.m. CT with Courtney Lyle and Stephanie White on the call. 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. Vandy has been ranked inside the top 10 in both polls each of the last five weeks, which is the longest stretch since a 20-week streak between the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.
NET Ranking
Vanderbilt holds a NET ranking of eight heading into the weekend. Vandy has collected four Quad 1 wins, four Quad 2 victories and six Quad 3 wins through the first 24 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.
Naismith Starting 5
Earlier this week, it was announced that graduate Sacha Washington and sophomore Mikayla Blakes were each named to the midseason top 10 list for the Naismith Starting 5. Washington was selected to the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award midseason top 10 for the first time in her career, while Blakes was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award midseason top 10 for the second time.
Tough Stretch
Monday’s contest marks the fourth time in the last five games that Vanderbilt will take on a top-25 team. The Commodores are set to face a team currently ranked in the top 25 in four of their five final games to close out the 2025-26 season. Vandy is 3-2 in top-25 games this season, with wins over No. 5/5 LSU (65-61), No. 7/7 Michigan (72-69) and at No. 16/16 Kentucky (84-83).
Blakes’ Scoring Streak
Sophomore Mikayla Blakes heads into Monday riding a 43-game double-digit scoring streak. It is the second-longest streak by a Commodore since 1999-00. Only Vanderbilt’s all-time leading scorer, Chantelle Anderson, has had a longer streak, as she registered 52-straight games with 10-plus points during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.
Blakes’ 43-game double-digit scoring streak is the third-longest active double-digit scoring streak in NCAA Division I, while it is the longest streak in the SEC.
Seeking Another Top 25 Win
Vandy is seeking a fourth win over a top-25-ranked team this season on Monday. The Dores have collected three wins over ranked foes for the second-straight season. A win on Monday would mark the first time since 2013-14 that Vanderbilt has won four or more games against ranked opponents.
Balanced Scoring
Vanderbilt has had three or more players score double-digit points in 22 of its 24 games this season. Recently, the Commodores had three players record double-figure points in the win at No. 16/16 Kentucky on Thursday.
Scouting the Sooners
Oklahoma holds a 17-5 overall record and a 5-4 mark in the SEC play. The Sooners came in at No. 11 in both the AP top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA coaches poll, while OU is ranked No. 12 in the NET ranking. Oklahoma has won three of its last four contests, but is coming off a 78-70 loss at No. 4 Texas back on Feb. 1. The Sooners are in Year 5 under head coach Jennie Baranczyk, who is 118-39 during her time in Norman and 310-135 in 14 seasons as an NCAA Division I head coach.
Freshman Aaliyah Chavez (18.5 ppg) leads a group of five Sooners who average double-digit points this season. Senior Raegan Beers averages a double-double at 16.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, while junior Sahara Williams chips in 12.3 points and 7.9 caroms per contest. Senior Payton Verhulst (11.6 ppg) and sophomore Zya Vann (10.6 ppg) round out OU’s double-figure scorers.
The Sooners average 88.1 points per game and allow 63.9 points per game this season. Oklahoma is shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent from behind the arc. Defensively, OU allows opponents to shoot 33.2 percent from the field and 27.0 percent beyond the 3-point line.
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