SEC Tournament Run Begins – Vanderbilt Commodores

No. 2-seed Commodores take on either No. 7 Ole Miss or No. 15 Auburn on Friday in the quarterfinals of the 2026 SEC Tournament
No. 2-seed Vanderbilt (27-3, 13-3 SEC) vs. No. 7-seed Ole Miss (21-10, 8-8 SEC) or No. 15-seed Auburn (15-16, 3-13 SEC)
Friday, March 6, 2026 • 5 p.m. CT
Bon Secours Wellness Arena • Greenville, S.C. • SEC Network
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Notes
GREENVILLE, S.C. – The No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt women’s basketball team opens its run in the 2026 SEC Tournament on Friday, as the Commodores will face either No. 7-seed Ole Miss or No. 15-seed Auburn at Bon Secours Wellness Arena live on SEC Network at 5 p.m. CT.
Starting Five
>> Vandy enters the 2026 SEC Tournament as the No. 2 after finishing the 2025-26 regular season at 27-3 overall and 13-3 in SEC games. The Commodores finished the league standings tied with Texas for second place, though Vanderbilt earned the tournament’s No. 2 seed thanks to an 86-70 victory over the Longhorns at Memorial Gymnasium back on Feb. 12. Fans can see the entire 2026 SEC Tournament bracket by clicking the link here.
>> This season marks the fourth time that Vanderbilt has been the No. 2 seed at the SEC Tournament. The previous occurrences happened in 1994, 1995 and 2009. The Dores are 8-1 as the No. 2 seed at the SEC Tournament. Vandy has won the SEC Tournament as a No. 2 seed in 1995 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and 2009 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
>> Vanderbilt will play the winner of Thursday’s contest between No. 7-seed Ole Miss and No. 15-seed Auburn. The Commodores played both teams toward the end of January and went 1-1. Vanderbilt posted an 81-53 victory over Auburn at Memorial Gym back on Jan. 22. The Rebels defeated the Commodores, 83-75, at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, back on Jan. 30 in a game that had to be relocated from Oxford, Mississippi, due to Winter Storm Fern.
>> The Commodores’ 27 wins during the 2025-26 campaign set the school record for most regular-season wins in a season. Vandy’s 13 conference victories also set the program record for most SEC victories in a single season.
>> Vanderbilt has won the SEC Tournament a total of six times, claiming the tournament title in 1993, 1995, 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2009. Vandy’s six SEC Tournament titles are the third-most in league history. The Commodores are 50-38 all-time at the SEC Tournament, dating back to the first league tournament back in 1980 at Stokley Athletic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Game Coverage
Friday’s contest airs live across the country on SEC Network at 5 p.m. CT with Tiffany Greene and Vanderbilt alumni 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 sit at No. 5 in both the Associated Press top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches poll this week. Vandy has been in the top 10 in both polls each of the last nine weeks, which is the longest stretch since a 20-week streak between the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. This season marks the first time since the 2001-02 campaign that the Dores have been ranked in the top 10 in both major college women’s basketball polls.
Vanderbilt Claims Multiple SEC Postseason Awards
Vanderbilt was well-represented in the SEC postseason awards on Tuesday, as head coach Shea Ralph was named SEC Coach of the Year, Mikayla Blakes earned SEC Player of the Year and Aubrey Galvan was selected as SEC Freshman of the Year. It is just the sixth time in SEC history that the same team won all three individual conference awards and the first since the 2013-14 campaign when South Carolina accomplished the feat.
Ralph’s selection marks the first time in program history that a Vanderbilt head coach was named SEC Coach of the Year, as she earned the distinction from both the league’s coaches and USA Today. Blakes becomes the second Commodore player to win SEC Player of the Year and the first since Chantelle Anderson in 2001-02. Galvan is the second-straight Vandy player to win SEC Freshman of the Year, while it is the school’s fourth overall winner.
All-American Status Achieved
On Thursday, Vanderbilt women’s basketball sophomore Mikayla Blakes was named to The Athletic All-America first team, as announced by the publication. Blakes becomes the first Commodore to earn a first-team All-American distinction in 23 seasons. The sophomore becomes just the 11th Vanderbilt women’s basketball player to be named a first-team All-American by a women’s basketball publication. Blakes is the first Vanderbilt women’s basketball player since Chantelle Anderson in 2002-03 to earn a first-team All-American recognition.
NET Ranking
Vanderbilt holds a NET ranking of seven heading into the weekend. Vandy has collected eight Quad 1 wins and six Quad 2 victories in the regular 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.
Nation’s Best Scorer
Sophomore Mikayla Blakes leads the nation in scoring at 27.1 points per game. In SEC play, Blakes is putting up 30.5 points per game through 16 league games. She is the first SEC player this century to average over 30 points per game in league play. The guard has scored 30-plus points in an NCAA-leading 12 games this season, 10 of which came against SEC teams. She has scored 30-plus points in three-straight games coming into the SEC Tournament, while she has eclipsed the 30-point mark in seven of her last eight contests.
Teamwork Makes The Dream Work
The Commodores rank seventh nationally in assists per game (19.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.49). SEC Freshman of the Year Aubrey Galvan ranks in the top 20 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (20th; 2.31), assists (13th; 178) and assists per game (15th; 5.9). Galvan leads all freshmen nationally in assists per game, total assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.
Balanced Scoring
Vanderbilt has had three or more players score double-digit points in 27 of its 30 games this season. The last occurrence came on March 1 when the Commodores had three players record double-figure points in the 87-77 win at Tennessee.
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