When Illinois coach Shauna Green was preparing the Illini to face Vanderbilt in the NCAA Women’s Tournament, she brought up a particular comparison for Mikayla Blakes.
“Blakes is an elite guard,” Green said on March 22. ” … We don’t have many that are still left from my first couple years when Caitlin Clark was in our league, but I referenced her this morning in film with Blakes just because of how, and the volume they shoot at and how she’ll pull up from really deep in transition and how you just can’t let them − they’re going to get their shots off, but you got to try to make their life as hard as possible in that 40 minutes.”
Clark, the former Iowa star and first overall WNBA draft pick, was a two-time National Player of the Year in the Big Ten. She isn’t exactly the same player as Blakes − Clark was most known for her elite shooting range, while Blakes can get to the rim with ease − but the two are a similar handful to guard.
Blakes is the nation’s leading scorer at 27.1 points per game. She has 13 30-point games this season, including a 30-point performance in Vanderbilt’s 102-61 win over High Point in the first round game.
The No. 2 seed Commodores (28-4) advance to the second round against No. 7 seed Illinois (21-11) on March 23 (6 p.m. CT, on ESPN2) at Memorial Gymnasium.
“I think it’s an amazing comparison,” Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph said. “Obviously Caitlin Clark is one of the best players to ever play college women’s basketball and women’s basketball in general. I think we’re different. I think Mikayla is different. And not bad or good, just different. And so it’s exciting to know that we prepared for those moments, and I understand and Mikayla does, too, that she’s really hard to guard. I don’t know that you can guard her. But I do know that if you try, then our team is going to make you pay.”
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.
