Vanderbilt women’s basketball is off to their best start in program history

The GIST: Only two undefeated teams remain in women’s college basketball. As expected, one of them is the defending champs, No. 1 UConn, but the other — No. 5 Vanderbilt — is an unexpected powerhouse. Ahead of the Commodores’ 3 p.m. ET Sunday showdown vs. No. 2 South Carolina, let’s break down the Black and Gold’s serendipitous success.

🏅 Head coach (HC) Shea Ralph’s championship pedigree: A quick glance at Ralph’s résumé shows that Vandy’s rise isn’t as shocking as it may seem. Ralph was an All-American for HC Geno Auriemma and the Huskies, playing from 1996 to 2001 before joining UConn’s coaching staff in 2008 and winning six titles as an assistant. The apple doesn’t fall far from the coaching tree.

✨ The history: The Commodores have made multiple deep tournament runs over the years, but they haven’t competed in a Sweet Sixteen since 2009. This season feels different with Ralph in her fifth year at the helm: Vandy’s off to its best start in team history, and they’ve beaten multiple top-10 opponents in the same season for the first time since that 2008-09 campaign.

🏀 The Commodores’ not-so-secret weapon: A killer combination of pace and efficiency. Not only does Vandy play fast, they also shoot an impressive 47.5% from the field as a team (far better than the national average of just over 40%), while knocking down an average of 10 three-pointers per game, fifth-most in the NCAA. Buckets on buckets.

• And it all starts with sophomore Mikayla Blakes, who’s averaging 25 points per game, the second-most in the nation this season. Paired with dynamic freshman point guard Aubrey Galvan, Vandy shows no signs of slowing down…literally.