Shea Ralph Has Vanderbilt Flying

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Former UConn standout and longtime Huskies assistant Shea Ralph now has Vanderbilt rolling. The Commodores cracked the AP Top 10 after a historic start that includes their first home win over a top-5 team since 2008. (CT Insider)

🎥 Watch Shea Ralph speak on expectations for her Vandy team to win big games

WHY IT MATTERS: What Shea Ralph has built at Vanderbilt since taking over in 2021 has been special to watch. This season alone, she’s guided Vandy to its highest AP ranking in 19 years, a 15–0 start (the second-best in program history), and a long-awaited top‑5 win. She’s also elevated the program’s future by landing Mikayla Blakes, the highest‑ranked recruit in school history. Around the sport, Ralph is widely viewed as a name many expect to be in the UConn coaching conversation once Geno Auriemma and Chris Dailey retire.

Division III powerhouse NYU just keeps winning. The Violets are now riding a 73-game win streak, dating back to March 2023, tying for the fourth-longest streak in NCAA women’s basketball history across all divisions. (NYU)

WHY IT MATTERS: With back‑to‑back undefeated seasons and national titles (2023–24 and 2024–25), NYU has cemented itself as one of the greatest programs Division III has ever seen. Led by head coach Meg Barber, the Violets are just the fourth D3 program to win consecutive national championships. NYU is 11–0 this season and ranked No. 1 once again.

The latest women’s mid‑major Top 25 poll is out, with Princeton at No. 1, South Dakota State at No. 2, and Fairfield checking in at No. 3. Though not part of the Power 4 conferences, these Division 1 programs continue to prove they belong in the national conversation.

👉 See the full mid-major Top 25

WHY IT MATTERS: Mid‑major programs often operate with fewer resources than Power 4 schools, but the talent and coaching at the top of these leagues is very real. Every March, these teams have the potential to shake things up. Just ask Stanford fans, who still remember No. 16 Harvard stunning the Cardinal in 1998 behind a legendary performance from Allison Feaster (Sarah Strong’s mom).