Vanderbilt women’s basketball ranked No. 23 in the AP poll released Monday morning and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll released Tuesday after defeating Alabama, 66-64, in Tuscaloosa on Sunday.
The Commodores (17-4, 4-3 SEC) have been receiving votes in both the AP and USA TODAY Coaches Polls for most of the season but had yet to crack the rankings before beating the Crimson Tide. Vanderbilt has not been ranked in the AP poll since 2014, though the Commodores were ranked in the Coaches Poll in January of last year.
Following a three-game losing streak, Vanderbilt put up three of its best performances of the season. The Commodores beat Tennessee, 71-70, at Memorial Gymnasium, then beat Arkansas, 101-60, before the win over Alabama. Mikayla Blakes scored 33 points against the Crimson Tide.
Under Shea Ralph, Vanderbilt qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2024 for the first time in 10 years and won its First Four game. The Commodores are favored to return to March Madness in 2025 on the backs of Blakes, an SEC Freshman of the Year frontrunner, and Khamil Pierre, who averages 21.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
PRIDE NIGHT What Shea Ralph said about Vanderbilt women’s basketball LGBTQ+ pride night vs Arkansas
AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll
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UCLA
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South Carolina
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Notre Dame
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USC
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Texas
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UConn
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LSU
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Ohio State
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TCU
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Duke
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Kansas State
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Kentucky
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Oklahoma
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Maryland
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North Carolina
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Michigan State
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NC State
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Tennessee
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California
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Georgia Tech
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West Virginia
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Alabama
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Vanderbilt
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Oklahoma State
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Florida State
USA TODAY Coaches Poll in women’s basketball
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UCLA
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South Carolina
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Notre Dame
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USC
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LSU
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UConn
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Texas
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Ohio State
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TCU
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Duke
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Kansas State
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Oklahoma
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Kentucky
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Maryland
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North Carolina
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NC State
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Michigan State
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California
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Tennessee
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West Virginia
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Georgia Tech
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Alabama
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Vanderbilt
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Florida State
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Oklahoma State
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Where Vanderbilt ranks in college basketball polls after Alabama win
