No. 2-Seed Vanderbilt Ready for March Madness, Hosts First Two Rounds at Memorial Gymnasium
No. 2-Seed Vanderbilt is Locked In and Ready
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After Saturday’s reveal of the Top 16 overall seeds, the Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball team was confirmed as a No. 2-seed after their 27-4 run so far this season. Now the Commodores are starting 0-0 in the NCAA Tournament as a host.
For Vanderbilt to have the opportunity to play at home for the first couple of rounds is something that some schools may take for granted, but for Vandy this has been in the making since Shea Ralph took the reins of this program.
“We are so excited to host here at Vanderbilt. That was one of the goals of our season,” Ralph said. “And the NCAA Tournament is, to me, the best sporting event in the world, and we are so thrilled that we’re in it.”
Sunday’s selection placed the No. 2-seed Dores in the Fort Worth Region 1 bracket with UConn as the No. 1 seed. If all goes well, Shea Ralph would meet with her former coach Geno Auriemma in the Elite Eight for the right to head to Phoenix, Ariz., for the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Final Four.
Ralph was not overly vocal or even focused on that. She is totally locked in on the task at hand. Vanderbilt has to win three games to get to that point, and it all starts Saturday.
“Nothing. I think it was only a matter of time,” Ralph said. “I have a lot of respect for UConn, but I am honestly, I mean this, I’m honestly focused on the first game because I can’t put my focus past it and that stuff is out of my control.”
First, the Dores will take it a game at a time as they are hosting the first two rounds inside Memorial Gymnasium. Vanderbilt will take on High Point on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT and will also host Illinois and Colorado.
I asked Shea Ralph how they handle preparing for the tournament. With only a day in between first and second-round games, that means having to be prepared for whoever is coming. Ralph made it clear that the Commodores just has to worry about the Commodores.
If the Commodores play their best basketball, they can beat anyone.
“As long as we’re the best versions of us, I don’t think that it will matter who we play,” Ralph said. “We’re going to take advantage of whatever weaknesses they have, and then we’re going to keep shoring up ours so that there aren’t any weaknesses that they can take advantage of. And it’s really as simple as that to me. As long as I can keep our team focused more on us, I feel like we have a great shot.”
I also wanted to first know about how the team’s mentality is, knowing that there is no tomorrow if a loss comes. Throughout the regular season, there is always a comfort of getting better tomorrow and building up to play their best basketball at the end. Well, it is now time for that and the Commodores have to display some urgency and not get in their way.
“We’re preparing no differently than we prepare the first week of the season because I want our kids to have that sense of urgency, to understand the importance when we get to March,” Ralph said. “Let’s just be the best versions of ourselves. Let’s prepare that way so that we show up and play our first game, our only game right now in this tournament, that we play that way and we continue playing that way for as many games as we have left.”
This is Sacha Washington’s last go of it in the Vanderbilt uniform, and this weekend will be her last games inside Memorial Gymnasium. She is focused as ever and is not ready to hang her jersey up anytime soon.
“Yeah, just not wanting to be done. I mean, obviously I’m going to have to give it up at some point, but I’m not going to be ready to give it up. When we play on Saturday or when we play our next game, I won’t be able to give it up until I say, hey, I’m putting a banner in this thing.”
Photo by Todd Van Emst/SEC
Washington is one of the originators inside this locker room, as she has been on the ride with Ralph the whole time. This week is what they have worked hard to accomplish, and more.
“She’s built it from the ground up, step by step, brick by brick,” Washington said. “This is what you work for day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, year by year. So the fact that I’m able to sit here now and be like, wow, I don’t have to go anywhere tomorrow or this week. It’s awesome.”
As for All-American and SEC Player of the Year Mikayla Blakes, I saw a look of focus during last night’s selection show and afterwards. Blakes knows that it is time to go to work and for Vanderbilt to play great basketball to continue this great 2025-26 run. DETAILS!!
“I would just say focusing on the details. Obviously keeping it simple, but focusing on the details, like who we’re playing next. That’s what we need to focus on next. We’re not looking too far ahead. It’s in the back of our minds, but I think just staying in the moment, staying present, focusing on that one team and making sure we’re getting that right.”
Through all of the storylines, accolades and outside talk, this is a focused team that knows what’s at stake. Vanderbilt has built a great season so far, but this is where teams are defined. The greatest time of the year, March Madness.
