Memorial Minutes: Impressive is an understatement

The past few weeks have been a wild ride for Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball. Since our last Memorial Minutes, the Commodores traveled to Palm Springs, Florida, for the Acrisure Classic, securing a victory over Arizona before dropping their first game of the season to Michigan State in the final. 

They then returned and dominated Appalachian State before picking up their second Power Four win of the season on the road against Miami. The Black and Gold then returned to Nashville and eclipsed 100 points for the third time this season in a win against Evansville. 

Mikayla Blakes and Khamil Pierre continue to solidify their cases as one of the best duos in the country, as Blakes won her second and third SEC Freshman of the Week honors through the first two weeks of December while Pierre picked up an SEC Player of the Week award and set Vanderbilt’s single-game scoring record with 42 points against Evansville. The superstar sophomore has already put her name in the history books less than halfway into her stellar collegiate career.

Commodore Nation also learned that Sacha Washington will be sitting out for her entire senior season due to a blood clot in her right calf. Washington will likely redshirt this season and return next year to finish her eligibility, but losing a top player in a year as promising as this one is a tough pill to swallow. However, Washington has emerged as a cultural leader, inciting energy from the bench and acting as a mentor to the Commodores’ young core.

Nevertheless, this is one of the most exciting starts to a season in Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball history, with a big three that can give any opponent 20 points (or apparently 40) on any given night and can dominate defensively thanks to a dizzyingly fast pace of play. National media is starting to give the Commodores some much-needed attention as they creep closer and closer to a ranking in the AP Top 25.

There’s something different in the air this year for head coach Shea Ralph and Co. Still, despite the success, it’s clear that this team hasn’t reached its full potential — and that’s exciting. The team is already producing at a high level, so its next jump — when and if it occurs — could be legendary.

The turnover battle

The first thing one might notice watching this Vanderbilt team is its defense. Regardless of score or opponent, Ralph’s lineup will apply pressure from 92 feet for all 40 minutes. 

Their press is energetic, wild and effective. Because of it, the Commodores have yet to lose a turnover battle this season and (more impressively) have forced over 20 turnovers in every game thus far. Yet, even with this seemingly unstoppable defensive pressure, Ralph is still not satisfied. In the team’s win against Appalachian State — a game in which the Commodores forced 21 turnovers and held their opponents to under 20% from 3-point range — Ralph said that she expected more on the defensive end when she rotates lineups, specifically referring to a second quarter that saw four Mountaineer turnovers and an 0-for-4 3-point showing.

“The second quarter, when I start making substitutions, can’t look that way,” said Ralph. “I don’t care how much you’re up by. We can never miss a beat.”

While Vanderbilt’s defense is already operating at an elite level, its offense represents a slight cause for concern. Despite forcing roughly the same amount of turnovers per game — an average of about 25 with highs of 36 and 30 — its own turnovers have much more variability. Looking at game trends, it seems that the better their opponent, the more turnovers the ‘Dores commit and the lower their turnover margin is. 

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