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Vanderbilt Shakes Up Tennessee Rivalry in SEC Tournament
March 7: Vanderbilt stuns Tennessee (again), Mid-Major Coach of the Year finalists revealed, and the D3 tournament tips off today.
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1. Vanderbilt Sweeps Tennessee for the First Time Ever 🧹
For the first time in program history, Vanderbilt has defeated its in-state rival Tennessee twice in a single season, an outcome the Lady Vols would likely rather forget. (Knox News)
WHY IT MATTERS: The Commodores stunned Tennessee again on Thursday, knocking them out of the SEC Tournament with an 84-76 second-round win. Their first victory came in January, when they edged out the Lady Vols by a single point in Nashville.
With SEC teams battling for NCAA Tournament spots and better seeding, every conference tournament win matters. Vanderbilt now faces No. 1 South Carolina in today’s quarterfinals.
📺 March 7: Vanderbilt vs South Carolina | 12:00 PM ET on ESPN
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2. Mid-Major Coach of the Year Finalists Revealed 🏆
Her Hoop Stats announced the five finalists for the 2025 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year award, recognizing the top head coach outside of the Power 4 conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC). The finalists are:
Megan Griffith (Columbia)
Carly Thibault-DuDonis (Fairfield)
Vanessa Blair-Lewis (George Mason)
Carrie Moore (Harvard)
Aaron Roussell (Richmond)
The winner will be announced April 3 during the Final Four. (Her Hoop Stats)
WHY IT MATTERS: Mid-major programs don’t always get national recognition. Her Hoop Stats continues to champion these teams, recognizing not just standout players but also the coaches shaping their success. This award, named after Massachusetts coaching legend Kathy Delaney-Smith, highlights the depth of talent in women’s college basketball, no matter the conference.
3. NCAA Division III Tournament Kicks Off Today 🚀
The NCAA Division III Tournament begins today, with 32 first-round games taking place Friday. The second round follows on Saturday, March 8, with winners advancing to the Sweet Sixteen on March 14. (NCAA)
WHY IT MATTERS: NYU (25-0) enters as the favorite to defend its national title, but undefeated Bowdoin (27-0) and one-loss Scranton (26-1) are serious contenders. The last team to go back-to-back in D3? Amherst in 2017 and 2018, when they defeated Bowdoin in the title game. Could history repeat itself?
🗓️ Division III Final Four: March 20-22 at the Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia
OVERTIME ⏱️
The inaugural Unrivaled season is flying by—this weekend marks the final stretch of regular-season play. Two teams, Lunar Owls BC and Rose BC, have already locked in playoff spots, but the battle for the last two berths is wide open. Expect intense, high-stakes matchups as teams fight to extend their seasons.
📺 Watch live on TNT, TruTV, or stream on Max. Check out the full lineup here 👉 Unrivaled Schedule
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