The Ole Miss women ought to be fans of the late, great Yogi Berra today. It was Berra who once said, “It’s Deja vu’ all over again.”
Ole Miss is hoping for exactly that in today’s SEC Tournament quarterfinal battle with the Vanderbilt Commodores.
That’s because the 23rd-ranked Rebels (22-10) are just one of three losses on the 5th-ranked Commodores (27-3) ledger this season. Ole Miss toppled Vandy 83-75 on Jan. 30, in a neutral site game played in Birmingham, Ala., during the ice storm.
Today, we do it all over again with NCAA Tournament seedings at stake for both teams.
SCOUTING THE DORES
Shea Ralph has transformed Vanderbilt into a national powerhouse in just five seasons in Nashville. She’s guided the Commodores to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths, marking the first time Vanderbilt has done so since earning 15-straight bids from 1999-2014. She’s 100-62 as head coach of the program.
Much of hers and Vanderbilt’s success has come off the back of this season’s SEC Player of the Year, Mikayla Blakes. Last season’s SEC Freshman of the Year, Blakes has continued to develop and shine under Ralph’s tutelage. Blakes is scoring at an unbelievable rate, averaging a nation-leading 27.1 points per contest, as well as 4.6 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game. She ranks first in the SEC in made field goals and free throws, leading to her pacing the conference in overall points.
Vanderbilt isn’t a one-woman show, as the Commodores are 27-3 entering Friday’s competition. Behind Blakes, Vanderbilt is top 10 nationally in scoring offense and 11th in scoring margin for the season.The Rebels are facing one of the top 3-point shooting team in the SEC, as Vanderbilt is averaging nearly 10 made shots from long distance this season (9.7, to be exact). That mark is fifth in the nation. The Commodores make those shots at an efficient rate as well, draining 36.8 percent from that distance, which is 14th nationally.
The Commodores are highly effective at protecting and distributing the ball, sitting fifth in the country in assist/turnover ratio at 1.49. In large part, this is due to freshman guard Aubrey Galvan’s 2.31 individual mark, which is fourth in the SEC and top 20 in the country. Galvan is Ralph’s most recent example of recruiting dominant freshmen, as Galvan also ranks fifth in assists per game and fourth in steals per game among conference competitors. She’s also second on the team in points per game (12.9), and was recently named SEC Freshman of the Year.
LATEST BRACKETOLOGY
Ole Miss is headed to Texas, according to ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme. He posted his latest projections in the wee hours this morning and has Ole Miss as a No. 6 seed in the Fort Worth Regional. The Rebels would do battle with No. 11 seed North Dakota State in a first-round game, while host and three seed TCU would play 14th seed McNeese State. Prior to Thursday’s action, the Rebels were predicted to play at the Durham, N.C., Regional. Vanderbilt is projected as a No. 2 seed and is expected to host a regional in Nashville. It’s easy to see the impact that today’s game will have on Saturday’s projections.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN TO TODAY’S GAME
ON THE AIR
Television: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Tiffany Greene
Color: Carolyn Peck
Reporter: Holly Rowe
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SEC WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT
Wednesday
Kentucky 94, Arkansas 64
Florida 86, Miss. State 68
Auburn 50, Texas A&M 49
Alabama 65, Missouri 48
Thursday
Kentucky 76, Georgia 61
Oklahoma 82, Florida 64
Ole Miss 73, Auburn 57
Alabama 76, Tennessee 64
Friday
Kentucky vs. South Carolina | 11 a.m. CT | ESPN
Oklahoma vs. LSU | 1:30 p.m. CT | ESPN
Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt | 5 p.m. CT | SEC Network
Alabama vs. Texas | 7:30 p.m. CT | SEC Network