Seeking History – Vanderbilt University Athletics

No. 5 Commodores head to Mississippi State looking for a school-record 18th-straight win to open the season
No. 5/5 Vanderbilt (17-0, 4-0 SEC) at Mississippi State (14-4, 1-3 SEC)
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 • 5:30 p.m.
Humphrey Coliseum • Starkville, Miss. • SEC Network
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Notes
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The No. 5-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team seeks its best start in program history this Thursday at Mississippi State, as the Commodores look for their 18th-straight victory to open the 2025-26 season. Tipoff against the Bulldogs is set for 5:30 p.m. CT and airs live on SEC Network across the country.
Starting Five
>> The Dores head to Humphrey Coliseum looking for the best start in program history. Vanderbilt is 17-0 and 4-0 in SEC play after a 91-51 victory at Texas A&M this past Sunday. Sophomore Mikayla Blakes scored a game-high 25 points to extend her double-digit scoring streak to 36 games, while senior Justine Pissott tallied 22 points to register the most points scored in an SEC game in her career.
>> The 17-straight wins by the Commodores are tied for the most victories to start a season in program history. Additionally, it is tied for the longest winning streak overall at Vanderbilt. A victory against the Bulldogs would break the tie with the 1992-93 Final Four team.
>> Vanderbilt’s 17-game winning streak is the third-longest active streak in the country. Only UConn (33 games) and Texas Tech (19 games) have won more consecutive games than the Commodores coming into Thursday.
>> Vandy is seeking its first 5-0 start in SEC play since the 1992-93 campaign. The Dores stand at 4-0 in league play for the first time since the 2000-01 season. Overall, it is the fourth time in program history that the Commodores have opened a conference season at 4-0 or better.     (1992-93: 5-0, 1993-94: 4-0, 2000-01: 4-0, 2025-26: 4-0)
>> The Dores and Bulldogs matchup for the 63rd time in a series that dates back to the 1977-78 season. Vanderbilt holds a 37-25 lead in the series, though Mississippi State has won four of the last five games against the Commodores. Vandy is 1-3 vs. MSU under head coach Shea Ralph, while the Commodores are 12-15 all-time at Humphrey Coliseum. Vanderbilt posted a 71-66 win in its last visit to Starkville back on Jan. 4, 2024.
Game Coverage
Thursday’s contest airs live on SEC Network at 5:30 p.m. CT with Tiffaney Greene and Vanderbilt alum 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 both the Associated Press top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches poll this week. It marks the program’s highest ranking in either poll since the 2001-02 season, when Vanderbilt ended the 2001-02 season ranked No 4 in the AP poll and No. 5 in the USA Today/WBCA coaches poll.
NET Ranking
Vanderbilt holds a NET ranking of nine heading into Thursday. Vandy has collected one Quad 1 win, four Quad 2 victories and five Quad 3 wins through the first 17 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 17 of its games this season, coming into Thursday. The Commodores are one of three undefeated teams remaining in NCAA Division I this season, and they are the only remaining unbeaten SEC team.
Road Warriors
The Commodores are 12-6 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 19-7 in true road games since the 2023-24 campaign.
Team of the Week
Vanderbilt was named the USBWA National Team of the Week on Jan. 13. The Commodores went 2-0 with wins over Missouri (99-68) and at Texas A&M (91-51) to improve to 17-0 overall on the year to match the best start in program history. The Dores are also 4-0 in SEC play for the first time since 2000-01.
In the win over Missouri, all five starters scored 15-plus points. It marked only the second time since 1999-00 that an SEC team has accomplished the feat.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Mississippi State holds a 14-4 overall record and a 1-3 mark in SEC play. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 36 in the NET ranking coming into Thursday. MSU is looking to snap a three-game losing streak, while the Bulldogs are 11-1 at Humphrey Coliseum this season. Mississippi State is in Year 4 under head coach Sam Purcell, who is 81-39 overall.
Freshman Madison Francis leads a quartet of Bulldogs who average double-digit points this season at 13.1 points per contest. Junior Favour Nwaedozi is averaging a double-double at 13.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Seniors Destiney McPhaul (12.1 ppg) and Chandler Prater (10.1 ppg) round out the group of double-figure scorers.
The Bulldogs average 79.6 points per game. Defensively, they allow 60.2 points to the opposition. Mississippi State is shooting 45.9 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent from behind the arc. Defensively, MSU allows opponents to shoot 37.2 percent from the field and 28.9 percent beyond the 3-point line.
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