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Mikayla Blakes and head coach Shea Ralph of the Vanderbilt Commodores are seen during the first half of a basketball game with the Furman Paladins at Memorial Gymnasium on Nov. 10, 2025.
Mikayla Blakes and head coach Shea Ralph of the Vanderbilt Commodores are seen during the first half of a basketball game with the Furman Paladins at Memorial Gymnasium on Nov. 10, 2025.
Nashville sports fans can finally root for a home team in the playoffs – the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball championship tournaments will feature three local universities and two tournament rounds at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium. After a historic season, Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team earned home court advantage with a coveted #2 seed, while the men’s program travels to Texas as a #5 seed. Tennessee State University slipped into the bracket as a #15 seed after a dominant run through the Ohio Valley Conference, where co-coach of the year honors went to TSU’s Nolan Smith.
The University of Tennessee puts two solid Vols teams in the bracket while Belmont extends its March Madness drought to four years for the women’s team and seven years for the men’s team. Rick Insell, the legendary MTSU women’s basketball coach now in his 21st season, missed the tournament for a second straight year.
All eyes are on the Commodores’ women’s basketball team, star guard Mikayla Blakes and ascendant coach Shea Ralph. Both were decorated in recent weeks with SEC and national awards. Mayor Freddie O’Connell celebrated the team on Wednesday at Vanderbilt’s new basketball training facility, praising the program alongside Vanderbilt Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee. A former Vanderbilt basketball athlete, Lee bragged on the top-five program that she helped rebuild.
“Shea Ralph is winning literally every accolade that you can win from every outlet,” Lee told reporters. “Now we have an opportunity to enter the NCAA tournament as a two seed. It’s so exciting. I hope that we will fill Memorial Gymnasium. I thank you so much, mayor, and the city, for all your support. We can’t wait to shine the light on Nashville.”
Lee also shared that, for the first time, she served on this year’s NCAA selection committee, a private group that allocates tournament berths.
Upstairs, the team prepared for its first round matchup against High Point University on Saturday. Behind Blakes, standout three-point shooter Justine Pissott and playmaking guard Aubrey Galvan – the SEC Freshman of the Year – add versatile offense that powered Vanderbilt to its best regular season in years.
Still, the program’s best storyline may be Sacha Washington, an explosive forward whose five-season tenure saw Vanderbilt climb from relative obscurity to the top of the national rankings. On Wednesday, Washington confirmed her WNBA aspirations with the Scene and says she’s been talking to agents about how to make it into the league. A deep tournament run is crucial for her budding pro career. A strong two-way performance, like Washington has delivered all season, in a nationally televised elimination game could give her a shot at the three-round WNBA draft in April.
The ‘Dores bracket puts them on a crash course with several familiar faces. Guards Jaloni and Kennedy Cambridge, both Ensworth School graduates, lead the Ohio State Buckeyes, one potential Sweet Sixteen matchup. Former Vanderbilt star Iyana Moore, who transferred to Notre Dame after last season, could also meet her former teammates in the Sweet Sixteen. The University of Connecticut, a blue-blood powerhouse in women’s basketball, would be Vanderbilt’s Elite Eight matchup, pitting Ralph, a former UConn assistant coach, against her alma mater and former coaching staff.
The men’s team proved its big-game potential last weekend at Bridgestone Arena. Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles led the Commodores to a 91-74 win over the Florida Gators, college basketball’s defending national champions, passing a much-needed test after a patchy February. Tanner’s scoring ability and passing has anchored an excellent ‘Dores offense that can beat top teams with high-volume three-point shooting. The team plays McNeese State University – a fan favorite Louisiana team that busted brackets last year – on Thursday afternoon and could potentially see Florida again in the Sweet Sixteen. Like Washington, Tanner could raise his own NBA draft stock with a standout March. He would join just a few other local Nashvillians – Alyshia Clark, Isabelle Harrison, James Wiseman, Darius Garland – playing pro basketball.
And yet, it’s the resurgent TSU Tigers who have Nashville captivated. Back in March Madness after thirty-two years, the men’s team has flourished under Nolan Smith’s leadership in just his first season. They cruised through the Ohio Valley Tournament to earn a first-round matchup with Iowa State, one of the nation’s top men’s teams. An upset win would immediately make TSU the story of the tournament, setting two more regional battles: a second-round clash with Kentucky and an in-state bout against the Vols in the Sweet Sixteen. March always has a few Cinderellas.
The Vanderbilt men play McNeese State University on Thursday, March 19 at 2:15 p.m. The Vanderbilt women play High Point University on Saturday, March 21, at 6:00 p.m. at Memorial Gym. If they win, Vanderbilt hosts a second-round game at Memorial Gym on Monday. Tennessee State University plays Iowa State on Friday, March 20 at 1:50 p.m.
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