Top-Five Battle Awaits – Vanderbilt University Athletics

No. 5/4 Vanderbilt travels to No. 2/2 South Carolina on Sunday for a 2 p.m. CT contest on ESPN
No. 5/4 Vanderbilt (20-0, 6-0 SEC) at No. 2/2 South Carolina (19-2, 5-1 SEC)
Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026 • 2 p.m. CT
Colonial Life Arena • Columbia, S.C. • ESPN
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Notes
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 5/4-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team is set for a top-five matchup on Sunday in one of the toughest venues in the nation, as the Commodores take on No. 2/2-ranked South Carolina. Tipoff from Colonial Life Arena is set for 2 p.m. CT and airs live across the country on ESPN.
Starting Five
>> Vandy heads to Columbia, South Carolina, looking to extend its school-record 20-game winning streak. The Dores are a perfect 20-0 and 6-0 in SEC play to open the 2025-26 season, as Vanderbilt is off to its best start in program history.
>> Vanderbilt became the first SEC team to 20 wins this season after an 81-53 victory over Auburn on Thursday at Memorial Gymnasium. Graduate Sacha Washington and freshman Aubrey Galvan each collected a double-double in the win over the Tigers, as Washington scored a season-high 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while Galvan had 15 points and 10 assists. Sophomore Mikayla Blakes led a quartet of double-digit scorers for the Commodores with 20 points, while senior Justine Pissott rounded out the group with a 10-point performance.
>> The 20-game winning streak for Vanderbilt is the longest active in the SEC and is the second-longest in the nation. Only UConn’s 36-game win streak is longer. Vandy’s 20 wins are tied with UConn for the most by a team this season.
>> The Commodores are off to a 6-0 start in SEC play for the first time in school history. Vanderbilt enters Sunday tied with Tennessee for first place in the league standings.
>> The Dores and Gamecocks meet for the 46th time in a series dating back to the 1990-91 season. South Carolina leads the series 24-21 and has won the last 18 games against the Commodores. Vandy is 0-5 vs. USC under head coach Shea Ralph, while the Commodores are 8-13 all-time in Columbia, South Carolina. The last Vanderbilt road win against the Gamecocks came on Feb. 27, 2011, when the Dores posted a 74-60 overtime victory.
Game Coverage
Sunday’s contest air lives nationwide on ESPN at 2 p.m. CT with Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck 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. 5 in the Associated Press top 25 and No. 4 in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches poll this week. It marks the program’s highest ranking in either poll since the 2001-02 season.
NET Ranking
Vanderbilt holds a NET ranking of seven heading into the weekend. Vandy has collected three Quad 1 wins, three Quad 2 victories and five Quad 3 wins through the first 19 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.
Undefeated
Vanderbilt has won all 20 of its games this season. The Commodores are one of two undefeated teams remaining in NCAA Division I this season (UConn), and they are the only remaining unbeaten SEC team.
Top-Five Matchup
The No. 5/4 Commodores will be playing in their first top-five contest since Nov. 18, 2001, when then-No. 3/3 Vanderbilt took on No. 1/1 UConn in Storrs, Connecticut, in the 2001 Preseason WNIT. The Huskies posted a 69-50 victory over the Commodores.
Seeking Another Top-Five Win
Vanderbilt is looking for its second win over a top-five team this season. The Commodores previously beat No. 5/5 LSU, 65-61, on Jan. 4. The last time the Dores beat two top-five teams in the same season came during 2008-09, when Vandy collected a pair of wins over Auburn, which was ranked No. 3/3 in the 73-70 win in Memorial Gym on Feb. 19, 2009, and then No. 6/5 in the 2009 SEC Championship game victory on March 8.
The last time the Dores beat two consensus top-five teams in the same year came during the 2000-01 campaign, when Vanderbilt knocked off No. 4/4 Georgia, 71-65, on Feb. 25 in Memorial Gym, then beat No. 1/1 Tennessee, 77-74, in the semifinals of the 2001 SEC Tournament on March 3, in Memphis.
20-Straight Wins
The Commodores have posted 20th-straight victories for the first time in school history. They are one of only six SEC schools have won 20 or more consecutive games since the start of the 1999-00 season, joining South Carolina (five times), LSU (twice), Mississippi State (twice), Tennessee (twice) and Auburn (once).
Road Warriors
The Commodores are 9-0 in road and neutral site games this season. Vanderbilt is 13-6 in SEC road games since the start of the 2023-24 season. Vandy won a program record six road games in 2023-24. Overall, Vanderbilt is 20-7 in true road games since the 2023-24 campaign.
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. In the win over Michigan, Pissott paced the Dores in rebounds (8), assists (5) and blocks (2).  The 6-4 guard has led the Dores in blocked shots in each of the last five games, while Pissott has led the Commodores in rebounds and assists in three different games each.
Jada Brown From Downtown
Senior Jada Brown has been a spark plug in a reserve role for Vandy this season, as she has hit a team-best 19 3-point field goals off the bench. Brown had made at least one 3-pointer in each of her last seven games coming off the bench. The Bentonville, Arkansas, native is averaging a career-best 4.5 points per game this season and has scored in 10-straight games.
Scouting the Gamecocks
South Carolina holds a 19-2 overall record and a 5-1 mark in SEC play. The Gamecocks are ranked No. 4 in the NET ranking coming into the weekend. USC is looking to get back in the win column, as it suffered a 94-82 overtime loss at No. 10/10 Oklahoma on Thursday. South Carolina is in Year 18 under head coach Dawn Staley, who is 494-112 overall at the school.
Sophomore Joyce Edwards (20.2 ppg) leads a group of five players who average double-digit points for the Gamecocks this season. Senior Ta’Niya Latson is putting up 15.4 points per game, while senior Madina Okot (14.1 ppg), junior Tessa Johnson (13.6 ppg) and senior Raven Johnson (10.1 ppg) round out the group of double-figure scorers.
The Gamecocks average 88.3 points per game. Defensively, they allow 55.8 points to the opposition. South Carolina is shooting 50.7 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from behind the arc. Defensively, USC allows opponents to shoot 33.4 percent from the field and 25.9 percent beyond the 3-point line.
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