Vanderbilt’s Perfect Season Meets Michigan’s Momentum in Top 10 Clash
Shea Ralph’s No. 5 Dores to Face No. 8 Michigan
On Monday, No. 5 Vanderbilt will put their undefeated 18-0 record on the line against No. 8 Michigan in the Coretta Scott King Classic. This neutral site meeting at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey will be nationally televised on Fox at 2:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. CT. The game will honor the legacy and values of Coretta Scott King and the King family.
This matchup is massive for both programs. Michigan comes in at 15-2, currently on a four game winning streak out of the competitive Big Ten. One of those losses came to No. 1 UConn, the only other undefeated team left in Division I alongside Vanderbilt. When March rolls around, this is a game the tourney committee will look at for both teams.
The undefeated storyline here goes deeper than the record. Coach Shea Ralph played for Geno Auriemma at UConn from 1996 to 2001, which included a medical redshirt year. Ralph was a baller for the Huskies and was a captain on the 2000 National Championship team. That year she earned the Big East Player of the Year, the MVP of the Final Four, Sports Illustrated for Women Player of the Year, the Honda Award, and was an All-American.
Shea Ralph did everything needed in her career and graduated top 10 across several categories in UConn Husky history, and I can see that fabric now in her team at Vanderbilt. A team with an unselfish and do whatever it takes mentality. If you look at Vanderbilt, you are looking at Shea Ralph. That championship DNA is going to show up in a game like this.
This will also serve as a homecoming for Mikayla Blakes and Justine Pissott as both are from the state of New Jersey. This opportunity could set up a bit of extra motivation and comfort of playing in front of family and friends.
Blakes comes in averaging 25.6 points per game, with 4.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 steals per game. With Blakes, slower starts are nothing to be alarmed about. She will manage to get the production because she never quits.
Pissott averages 11.7 points per game while shooting 44.7 percent from three. You can’t give her the space because her catch and shoot game is top notch. Pissott leads the SEC in 3.1 makes per game from beyond the arc and is second in three point percentage, just behind South Carolina’s Tessa Johnson.
The Wolverines are led by sophomore Olivia Olson, who is averaging 18.1 points per game. Syla Swords averages 13.7 points per game and really brings pressure to opposing teams on both ends of the floor. Michigan is coming out of a Big Ten where we are starting to see the real contenders rise in the conference, and they’ll bring that Big 10 style of play Monday in New Jersey.
I like the fundamentals in sports and feel we sometimes make it more than it has to be. The Commodores have to take care of the paint, clean the glass, and limit Michigan’s second chance opportunities. Michigan has averaged around 20 second chance points per game the last three times out and averages 43.1 rebounds per game while keeping opponents to 31.8 a game. If Vanderbilt can control the boards and protect the paint, that unselfish mentality Ralph has built will shine through.
This game should be a good one. Two top 10 teams, one undefeated record on the line, and another opportunity to build towards March. Set your reminders to catch this one, and stay tuned here at Mays Sports Media for a complete postgame recap.
