NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Memorial Gymnasium at Vanderbilt University has a capacity of approximately 14,000. The Commodores home court, built in 1952 in honor of Nashvillians who died in World War II, was renovated in 2002 — reshaped into the unique gym experience it is today. Athletes race by fans as if they’re onstage; the student section is demarcated by rows of wooden benches instead of traditional seating.
That student section was electric Thursday night as the No. 5 Commodores hosted the No. 4 Texas Longhorns. The energy in the building was anticipatory and loud, and the Commodores made it clear they were willing to meet and exceed the temperature, play by play, quarter by quarter, half by half. That feat culminated in a game that saw the team up by nearly 30 points before they ultimately won 86-70.
Vanderbilt was led by a backcourt duo that’s one of the best in the country. Sophomore Mikayla Blakes and freshman Aubrey Galvan scored a combined 52 points, with the former logging her fourth consecutive 30-point showing. Galvan added 18 points, five assists and several passes that had to be seen to be believed.
The middle of February is inherently intense, and March Madness looms in the foreground. There are plenty of things to takeaway from last night’s game between the these heavyweight SEC programs.
Vic Schaefer sounds off on Rori Harmon
The Longhorns spent most of the game trying to stay in it, something head coach Vic Schaefer bemoaned while speaking to reporters following the game. While speaking for nearly 20 minutes, Schaefer said the Commodores won because they played “way harder than us.”
“We whine. We complain. Just have no heart,” Schaefer said. “And, at the end of the day, that’s what is evident to me is we have no heart. We’re not tough.
“My staff and I, we’re just really frustrated that we’re coaching that. Effort, energy, focus — that’s a given. And that used to come with a scholarship. Right now, it comes with hundreds of thousands of dollars, and, man, I’m fixing to go call my AD and tell him, ‘Man, I’m embarrassed. I’m sorry, because that’s not the way you represent the University of Texas.'”
The veteran coach also bristled at suggestions that he intentionally benched star point guard Rori Harmon, who played 18 minutes and didn’t touch the court at all during the second half. The decision to take Harmon off the floor after she logged five points and two assists was a “substitution.”
“It’s giving another kid an opportunity,” he said of subbing in Bryanna Preston, “… once you put somebody in and they’re playing well, you don’t take them out.”
Schaefer added, “I will change the starting lineup to find some heart in our team, and I’m not just talking specifically about that particular substitution. I’m just talking about my team. I will find five people who play like this [Schaefer raised a closed fist], not like that [fingers splayed]. So, it’s not benching.”
Shea Ralph is continuing a legacy at Vanderbilt
Shea Ralph, now in her fifth season as head coach of the Commodores, knows what it takes to win. She coached for years at her alma mater, UConn, under the tutelage of Geno Auriemma. She also knows the history of her program, and took an opportunity to shut down a recurring narrative.
After she was asked if there is a “Vanderbilt stigma” to overcome because Vanderbilt hasn’t dominated the SEC of late and Blakes isn’t a “hometown girl,” Ralph quickly pushed back.
“Why is [the narrative] that she’s not a hometown girl? Vanderbilt was a powerhouse — that’s why I came here, because they were [a powerhouse], and I knew we could do it again,” Ralph told reporters postgame.
“… Vanderbilt is real, because look at what we’re doing now. Why isn’t that the narrative?”
As Ralph pointed out, Vanderbilt women’s basketball has appeared in 29 NCAA tournaments. That includes six SEC tournament titles (1993, 1995, 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2009), 14 Sweet Sixteen appearances, five Elite Eight showings, and a trip to the Final Four in 1993.
“It wasn’t that long ago,” Ralph added.
Mikayla Blakes’ case for player of the year is growing
The Commodores compete with a player-led, whole-team approach that means if one player is a little off, the other four on the court can step in and carry the game while she recalibrates. They also play with Mikayla Blakes, who is rarely off. The Longhorns spent two weeks scouting the Commodores, Schaefer also told reporters, and still couldn’t come up with a plan to stop her.
“We probably had the same problem everybody else was having with her,” Schaefer said.
Blakes, who is averaging 26.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.0 steals per game, should be the national player of the year, Ralph told reporters during her opening statement.
Ralph said, “Prove me wrong that that’s not the SEC Player of the Year and the national player of the year [points to Blakes] and that’s not the freshman of the year [points to Aubrey Galvan].”
“Every single night, [Mikayla] shows up and puts the country on notice,” Ralph later said. “Every night, and if you come to every practice, she does the same thing to our practice players every day. That’s just who she is, and it’s only a matter of time.”
Blakes was characteristically humble and supportive of her teammates when asked about her own performance. When her teammates are on, “it’s hard to stop just one person individually,” Blakes said of the Commodores, before adding that her team “opened [the game] up” for her.
As of last night, Blakes has earned 105 points total over Vanderbilt’s last three games, all against ranked teams. She and Paige Bueckers are the only players to score 30+ points in three straight games versus AP-ranked opponents for the last 15 seasons of women’s college basketball — and she’s still got plenty of time to keep adding to that legacy.
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