NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) 鈥� Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph spent 20 minutes Friday walking around historic Memorial Gym soaking in the atmosphere with and NCAA Tournament branding everywhere.
Ralph has spent towards this moment with the Commodores hosting for the first time since 2012 among the goals.
鈥淚t鈥檚 almost surreal to be sitting in the building looking at all the signs, going on the court and seeing that we鈥檙e hosting the NCAA Tournament in terms of just checking off the next box on our list of things as we continue to strive for championships,鈥� Ralph said.
The (27-4) earned the 30th NCAA Tournament berth in program history, and this is the third straight under Ralph at Vanderbilt, which strung together a streak of 15 straight tournaments between 1999 and 2014. Vanderbilt also has a 1993 Final Four on its resume.
Vanderbilt went undefeated at Memorial on the way to earning the program’s highest seed since 2007. The Commodores start Saturday night hosting No. 15 seed High Point (27-5) in the first round of the Fort Worth Region 1.
The other game in Nashville features seventh-seeded Illinois (21-11) and No. 10 seed Colorado (22-11) on Saturday night.
Ralph said being able to host tournament games in Nashville helps as Vanderbilt works to fill the stands more creating a true home-court advantage.
鈥淗opefully if we take care of business at home, … then you鈥檙e in the Sweet 16,鈥� Ralph said.
Ralph is 1-2 in the tournament with her lone win at a in 2024. The Commodores lost their NCAA opener a loss that is driving All-American sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes.
鈥淜nowing what it felt like last year losing in the first round and not wanting to feel that again the rest of my career,鈥� said Blakes, also the SEC player of the year and national scoring leader.
Youngest team in the tournament
Illinois coach Shauna Green had to replace four starters giving her the youngest team in the Big Ten this season. The Fighting Illini started 14-3 and moved into The Associated Press Top 25 rankings in January en route to a third NCAA berth in Green’s four seasons.
Now the Fighting Illini are the youngest team in this tournament.
鈥淭he good thing about youth is sometimes you don鈥檛 know what you don鈥檛 know,鈥� Green said. 鈥淭hey just come and they play. I鈥檓 really proud of us. A lot people might not have thought we would get here with such a young roster. They continue to be resilient and step up, and they鈥檒l be ready to go.鈥�
Our turn
The High Point Panthers of the Big South Conference paid close attention to what their male counterparts did on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament. Point guard Aaliyah Collins watched the game on her phone with roommates screaming.
鈥淲e were going crazy,鈥� guard Macy Spencer said. 鈥淚t’s just great that both teams are in the tournament, and they pulled that off. And hopefully, we can get another one.鈥�
Historic and unique
Not only is Memorial a bit different with an elevated court, team benches are on opposite end lines rather than on the sideline separated by a scorers’ table. Luckily, this is nothing new for the Illinois coach.
Green not only played at Memorial at Canisius, she was a Dayton assistant coach for a game on this court. The coaching box has been extended up the sideline closer to half court, making it easier for coaches to talk to their players.
鈥淲hen I鈥檓 yelling at them and they start saying they can鈥檛 hear me, I鈥檝e already done that one as a player,鈥� Green said. 鈥淵ou can hear me.鈥�
Not playing around
Vanderbilt has a suitcase filled with coloring books, games and off-brand Lego sets on the floor in the locker room. It’s all by design to help the Commodores connect better with Ralph wanting all her Commodores to stand up and look people in the eyes when being asked questions as part of a lesson beyond basketball.
鈥淲e are teaching them what it looks like to be a team that鈥檚 going to compete for championships,鈥� Ralph said. 鈥淪o they don鈥檛 get to have their phones in there. As they have people that come in to ask them questions and interview them, we want them to know how important that is.鈥�
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