Vanderbilt Women Miss Out on Top 25, But Already Getting Attention for Next Year

Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball earns early Top 25 recognition with Blakes, Pierre, and Moore expected to continue on-court success.

Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes (1) reacts after defeating Arkansas at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vanderbilt didn’t land on the final AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll, but the Commodores are already getting some attention paid to their potential next year.

ESPN’s Charlie Creme put out its Women's NCAA basketball Way-Too-Early Top 25, which is a fair description considering the NCAA transfer portal is open and the makeup of teams will certainly change in the coming weeks and months. But it’s still a fun read.

Vanderbilt is ranked in the way-too-early top 25, coming in at No. 11. Here’s what Creme had to say about the Commodores and their 2025-26 season potential:

“Assuming there are no changes coming later in the transfer portal window, Shea Ralph will return one of the most productive trios in the country. Mikayla Blakes led all freshman scorers. She and Khamil Pierre were the highest-scoring duo in the country. Iyana Moore also averaged double figures and was at her best in the Commodores' biggest games.”

𝗔𝗹𝗹-𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝘂𝗼@KhamilPierre & @mikaylablakes have been named to the @WBCA1981 All-America honorable mention team

⚓️⬇️#AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/veK773bdDz

— Vanderbilt WBB (@VandyWBB) April 3, 2025

That’s an accurate assessment, particularly the first part about the transfer portal. With the money out there in the NIL, Commodore fans can’t be blamed for their concern about losing the nation’s best freshman. At this point, though, it’s safe to assume Blakes will be back, along with Pierre and Moore to form a talented trio.

Blakes averaged 23.3 points, 3.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game, while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 34.2 from beyond the three-point line. She scored 20 points or more 21 times, including a 53-point showing against Florida that set the SEC single-game and NCAA true freshman scoring records that she broke a couple weeks later with 55 points against Auburn. Blakes is the only men or women’s basketball player to score 50 or more points this season.

Her 23.3 ppg was the eight-best scoring average amongst all players and ranked in the top 20 in six other categories. In SEC play, Blakes averaged 26.9 ppg which led the conference and scored 30 or more points in five SEC games.

Pierre averaged 20.4 points per game and 9.6 rebounds, while making nearly half of her field goal attempts (.498). Moore averaged 12.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and averaged the second-most minutes per game with 31.1.