Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball couldn’t have scripted a better start to its 2024-25 season. 

The Commodores have not only cruised undefeated through their first three games of the season, but they have done so in dominant fashion. Head coach Shea Ralph’s squad rolled to a pair of 50-plus point victories over Lipscomb and Austin Peay under the lights of Memorial Gymnasium to improve to 2-0. 

Then, the ‘Dores traveled to Tampa, Florida, to face USF in their toughest test of the season thus far. The Bulls might not be a Power Four team like Vanderbilt’s later nonconference opponents — see Miami and Arizona — but they’re a legitimate program. Head coach Jose Fernandez has led his group to 11 straight seasons of winning basketball — including seven NCAA Tournament berths — since they moved from the Big East to the AAC in 2013. That didn’t matter for Ralph and Co. 

Vanderbilt walked right into USF’s Yuengling Center on Nov. 14 and dismantled the Bulls en route to a 62-49 victory. The final score doesn’t do justice to the Commodores’ dominance, though: They never trailed in the contest, getting off to a 6-0 start and never looking back. The Black and Gold were up 23 points with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before USF ripped off a 10-0 run to close the game out, but the game had already been decided.

They’ve done all this without Sacha Washington and Justine Pissott, too. Washington was arguably the team’s best player last season, averaging 12.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks. Her presence in the paint made the Commodores one of the best defensive teams in the nation, as they limited opponents to 31.2% shooting from the field. Pissot’s 36.9% conversion rate from 3-point range led all eligible returners going into the 2024-25 season. Their presence might be missed, but it hasn’t discouraged Ralph’s crew.

The win over USF marked the third consecutive year that the ‘Dores started undefeated through their first three games. Business as usual, right?

Think again. Something about this year’s start is different. 

Vanderbilt played its opponents far too close for comfort during its first three games of 2023-24. It cruised to a victory over Kennesaw State before barely scraping by UT Martin (70-68) and Fairfield (73-70). That team started the year 16-1 and ended up qualifying for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Enter this team, which has produced a ridiculous average margin of victory over 40.6 points, and only one thing comes to mind.

The sky’s the limit for these 2024-25 Commodores. 

Wise beyond their years

Khamil Pierre, Mikayla Blakes and Madison Greene might be young, but they certainly don’t play like it. 

Pierre — now in her sophomore season — has emerged as Vanderbilt’s best interior player. An All-SEC Freshman Team selectee in 2023-24, Pierre has taken a monumental step towards stardom in her second year donning the Black and Gold. She averaged 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a first-year, but she only got better as the season went on. 

There was an expectation that the five-time SEC Freshman of the Week would take another jump forward this year, and she’s delivered so far. Pierre is up to 18.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2 steals per game while shooting a blistering 59.5% from the field. Her statistical output isn’t the only thing that’s matured: Pierre has cleaned up some of the foul issues that plagued her a season ago and has spent more time on the court because of it. 

The Phoenix, Arizona, native has posted three consecutive double-doubles to start the season, making her the first Commodore to do so since Koi Love in 2020-21. It remains to be seen how Pierre’s role will change when Washington returns from her non-basketball injury, but until then, she’ll continue to anchor the paint for Vanderbilt.

Mikayla Blakes might deserve an entire subheader of her own — she’s been that impressive through her first three collegiate games. The five-star recruit was expected to make a significant impact early on in her career with the Black and Gold, but few could’ve seen this coming. The first-year guard is averaging 18.3 points per game, which is tied with Pierre for the team lead.

What’s most impressive is Blakes’ confidence. She’s averaging 6.3 3-point attempts per game despite shooting just 31.6% from deep range. Blakes is a shooter: That number will increase as the year goes on, and she gets more and more game reps. She boasts a confidence that few players her age have. It would’ve been easy for the first-year to lower her 3-point attempts after going 2-of-7 in her first game against Lipscomb, but she hasn’t shied away. Ralph noticed that sense of confidence from the jump.

“[Mikalya Blakes] brings a sense of fearlessness that I haven’t seen in a freshman in a long time,” Ralph said at the SEC Tipoff ‘25 last month.

Blakes will only get better as the season goes on, and the Commodores’ perimeter prowess is going to grow as more of Blakes’ shots start falling. 

Greene has quietly become an invaluable asset to Vanderbilt this season. The sophomore got off to a superb start with the Commodores in 2023-24, posting double-figure scoring in three of her first 11 games before tearing her ACL. She hasn’t shown any sign of limitations this season, leading Vanderbilt in minutes per game (31.7) while averaging 14.0 points per game on 60% 3-point shooting.

Iyana Moore was scratched from the starting lineup just minutes before the Commodores game against USF, thrusting Greene into her first career start with almost zero notice beforehand. She stepped into the role without skipping a beat, nailing five of eight 3-pointers en route to 14 points.

Pierre, Blakes and Greene — despite only playing a cumulative 44 games before this season —  have emerged as the Black and Gold’s backbone amidst their most dominant start to a season in a long time. 

Lucky number 12 

Vanderbilt’s defense has been nothing short of superb through the early part of this season. It ranks 15th in the nation — per Bart Torvik — in adjusted defensive efficiency, which measures how many points a team is expected to allow per 100 possessions against an average offense. The Commodores’ rating of 78.9 also ranks sixth in the SEC, right behind Oklahoma (78.8) and Ole Miss (78.7). 

Ralph’s defense has held its opponents to 12 points or less in seven of the 12 quarters played this season and has looked even more dominant than it did last season. Opponents are averaging just 45.3 points per game against Vanderbilt’s stout defense, a far cry from the 63-point average that it allowed through its three opening games of 2023. Teams are shooting a dismal 31.2% from the field and 19.4% from downtown. 

The Commodores have lived inside their opponents’ passing lanes, grabbing 11 steals per game thanks to some fast hands on the perimeter from Greene (3 steals per game) and Blakes (2.3 steals per game). Those two aren’t the only pick-pocketers on the team, as Pierre (2 steals per game) and Nwaba (1.3 steals per game) have intercepted plenty of passes from inside the paint, too. 

Leilani Kapinus, a transfer from Penn State, has come in and made an immediate defensive impact. She missed the game against Lipscomb with an injury but has since returned and made her impact felt defensively — she logged a steal and two blocks against Austin Peay in just 21 minutes played. 

One of the many perks of having an experienced roster like Vanderbilt’s is the defensive reps that its players have logged. Kapinus and Nwaba — added to the Commodores’ older returners —have the necessary experience to mentor their younger counterparts and develop the Black and Gold into a defensive powerhouse.

Vanderbilt ranks third in the SEC in blocks (4 per game), but its defensive impact doesn’t just come from steals and blocks. The Black and Gold’s defense is predicated on making opponents uncomfortable while forcing them into bad passes. As such, it is averaging 24 forced turnovers per game, which is tied with Ole Miss for fourth in the SEC.

Vanderbilt’s defense was good last year; it’s even better this year. Expect that only to get better when Washington makes her return. 

Perimeter problems

If the Commodores truly want to contend for an NCAA Championship, their 3-point shooting must improve. The Black and Gold are shooting a dismal 29% from beyond the arc, which ranks 14th in the SEC. 

Greene is the only Commodore shooting over 35% from downtown, and only four Vanderbilt players (Greene, Blakes, Moore and Aga Makurat) have made 3-pointers this season. The transfer tandem of Kapinus and Nwaba is a combined 0-for-6 on threes, while Pierre, Oliver, Washington and Aiyana Mitchell are all non-factors from range. 

Pissott — who will make her first appearance of the season against Butler on Nov. 17 — will provide Ralph with some much-needed shooting relief. She was Vanderbilt’s biggest threat in the catch-and-shoot game last year. Her 52 triples in 2023-24 ranked second on the team behind only Moore.

It’s still way too early to start panicking about Vanderbilt’s numbers from 3-point range, but it’s worth monitoring. The ‘Dores shot just 32% from deep during the 2023-24 season, which was right around the SEC average. There’s no reason to believe that Vanderbilt — which added Blakes and got Greene back from injury — won’t get back to average (or better).

The Commodores have generated quality looks on the perimeter. The shots just haven’t started falling yet, but Ralph knows they will.

“I tell [my team] all the time that there’s more than one way to impact the game,” Ralph said postgame after Vanderbilt’s win over USF. “I keep telling my kids that are shooters that [they’ve] got to keep shooting the ball when [they’re] open.”

Expect Vanderbilt’s 3-point percentage to start rising as it gets healthier and more experienced throughout the season, but until then, it needs to find other ways to score. Whether that comes in the paint, the midrange or at the free throw line doesn’t matter. 

Vanderbilt will return home to take on the Butler Bulldogs (3-0) in a battle of undefeated teams on Nov. 17 in Memorial Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CST.