Vanderbilt vs. Iowa women’s basketball leads weekend watch guide

When Shea Ralph took over as the head coach at Vanderbilt in 2021, scheduling was easy. Everyone wanted to play the Commodores as they were coming off five consecutive losing seasons.

This past offseason? Not so much.

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After advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009 and winning a program-record 13 games in SEC play, fewer teams are willing to take on the Commodores in non-conference play. Simply put, with Ralph on the sidelines and the likes of Mikayla Blakes and Aubrey Galvan on the court, Vanderbilt is no longer an easy victory. They’re a tough out.

“It was much more difficult than I had anticipated. This was my first time experiencing that as a head coach. Shoot, my first two years, everybody wanted to play us,” Ralph told USA TODAY Sports this week. “We had a hard time getting opponents. I didn’t know if we were going to get a premier home game. But also, we need to be able to have these kinds of challenges early in our season if we’re serious about accomplishing the goals that we say we want to accomplish. Our schedule needs to reflect that.”

Vanderbilt will get its first real test against a marquee opponent on a national stage on Sunday, Nov. 15. The Commodores — ranked No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll — will travel to Sioux City, Iowa to face the No. 13 Iowa Hawkeyes in a nationally televised game at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.

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2026 preseason All-Americans in women’s college basketball from Studio IX

UConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong is the returning National Play of the Year.

(Chris Jones, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

1 / 4

2026 preseason All-Americans in women’s college basketball from Studio IX

UConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong is the returning National Play of the Year.

(Chris Jones, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

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2026 preseason All-Americans in women’s college basketball from Studio IX

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins tore the ACL in her right knee at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. She returns this…

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Publish date : 2026-11-13 18:17:00

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