The 2025-2026 women’s basketball season has been one full of upsets and shakeups. Through it all, only two undefeated teams remain: No.1 UConn and No. 5 Vanderbilt. 

Vanderbilt’s 72-69 victory over No. 7 Michigan on Jan. 19 improved the team’s record to 19-0 overall. A large part of the Commodores success is attributed to sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes. Despite standing at only 5-foot-8, Blakes ranks second in the NCAA for points per game, averaging 25.0 points and 4.4 assists. 

The sophomore sensation was a five-star prospect ranked eighth in the class of 2024, but picked Vanderbilt over top programs like UCLA, Stanford, and Tennessee. After being awarded with the USBWA Tamika Catchings Freshman of the Year award for the 2024-2025 season, Blakes said she wanted to carve her own path, which led to her decision to play for the Commodores.

“For me, I wanted to do the uncommon thing,” Blakes said. “I think a lot of people just go to the top five schools in the country and continue to carry on that legacy. But for me, I wanted to create my own legacy. Especially at Vanderbilt.”

And she’s already cemented that legacy. 

In her first collegiate season, Blakes set the NCAA record for most points scored in a single game by a freshman with 55, which is just one of her two career 50-point games. She led the NCAA in scoring for freshmen and the SEC in points per game overall. Blakes finished the season as the USBWA National Freshman of the Year and was a Third-Team AP All-American member.

The Somerset, NJ, local competed with Team USA at the FIBA Women’s Americup summer of 2025, where she won MVP over top NCAA talent, including Audi Crooks, Joyce Edwards, and Olivia Miles.

“It’s a lot easier to go to top programs and just win, but I want to do the uncommon thing. I believe in my teammates, I believe in my coaching staff [and] everybody here, and we have all the resources so why not win here.”

Mikayla Blakes

Earlier this season, Blakes scored her 1,000th career point, making her the fastest Vanderbilt player in history to do so, achieving this mark in just 42 games. She has also pulled the Commodores up in the AP Poll Rankings, with this season being the first time since the 2013-2014 season they have ranked higher than 23 and the first time since 2001-2002 they have been ranked top 5. 

“It’s never not good to know that I have Mikayla Blakes and I never worry about her in these situations [close games],” Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph said after Blakes’ 38-point performance against Mississippi State on Jan. 15. “I think the biggest thing for us is to continue to grow behind her leadership with communication, staying locked in in environments that are like today but are also going to be much louder. Whenever she is on the floor, I always feel really, really great about our chances to win the basketball game.”

Blakes’ success can be attributed to her perseverance. Despite struggling with foul trouble in the game against the Wolverines, she was still able to finish with 14 points—the second-highest on the team—on 5-14 shooting, while adding in an additional four assists. Even when she isn’t scoring, her impact on the floor can be seen by the attention she pulls from the defenders, opening up shots for her teammates. 

Her legacy is just beginning, and paving the way to Vanderbilt’s best start in program history is a solid base for the sophomore. Looking ahead, the Commodores will face some tough opponents. They have already defeated No. 6 LSU and No. 7 Michigan, but SEC play will be a challenge, with only two of Vandy’s next 11 games being against unranked opponents.

“I think that's the main reason I came here,” Blakes said after the upset win over then-No. 5 LSU. “It’s a lot easier to go to top programs and just win, but I want to do the uncommon thing. I believe in my teammates, I believe in my coaching staff [and] everybody here, and we have all the resources so why not win here.”

The Commodores have not reached an NCAA Final Four since 1992-1993, but with Blakes at the helm—and looking to do the uncommon thing—2026 just might be their year.