Vanderbilt women’s basketball was put in the same region as UConn for March Madness. That means that if the Commodores advance to the Elite Eight, Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph could face her mentor, UConn coach Geno Auriemma.
Ralph was a longtime player and assistant for the Huskies before taking the Vanderbilt job. There are more connections than that between the two programs, though.
“It was only a matter of time,” Ralph said on being in the same region as UConn. “There isn’t a whole lot I have to say. I have a lot of respect for UConn, but I am honestly focused on the first game, because I can’t put my focus past it, and that stuff is out of my control. So I hope that we’re able to play against whoever it is that we play against.”
UConn star Sarah Strong and Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes have been competitors for major awards since the time they arrived on campus.
The two split major Freshman of the Year honors a year ago and are two top contenders for National Player of the Year honors this season. It’s a heated debate for many reasons: the two don’t play the same position, so their stats are naturally going to be different.
And UConn plays in an easier conference, which means that Strong has not faced as heavy of competition, but she’s also played fewer minutes.
The No. 2 seed Commodores (27-4) will face No. 15 seed High Point at Memorial Gymnasium on March 21 (6 p.m. CT, ESPNews.)
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
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