Vanderbilt back among elite teams after earning first Top 25 ranking in more than a decade

It had been over a decade since Vanderbilt was among the elite women's basketball teams in the nation.

Now, coach Shea Ralph has the No. 23 Commodores back among the best as the team entered The Associated Press Top 25 on Monday or the first time since 2014.

“It’s a huge deal. This is where we want to live. We want to live among the elite, that’s the goal,” Ralph said in a phone interview Monday. “That’s what I came here to do. That’s what the players are here to do. This is huge steps in the right direction."

The Commodores (17-4, 4-3 SEC) , who have beaten two Top 25 opponents for the first time since 2015-16, planned to enjoy the moment for a little bit before getting back to work.

“We'll acknowledge it because it's important to do that and celebrate successes big and small,” Ralph said of making the Top 25. “But nothing about our preparation, nothing about our mindset, the things we are good at changes.”

Vanderbilt was a mainstay in the poll for years appearing nearly every year from 1991-2014. The Commodores then fell on hard times and only had two winning seasons since, including a 23-10 record last year — the third under Ralph.

“The past four years have led us here to this point,” Ralph said. “It’s taken every person on my staff as well as an incredible belief and vision from the kids who chose to come here that could have gone other places.”

Ralph credited the support she has from the university as a big reason for the success. From the chancellor to the athletic director, everyone's support has been tremendous.

Vanderbilt has been using the new Huber Center officially dedicated Jan. 24 already this season. The four-story building in the north end zone of the football stadium houses separate practice gyms for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The men's team also entered the poll on Monday for the first time in a decade.

The new center adjacent to Memorial Gym also features locker rooms, player lounges and film rooms along with a weight room and recovery suite as part of the new training facilities.

Next up for the Commodores is a trip to Florida on Thursday to face the Gators.

Big 12 beating each other

It was a rough week for the Big 12 with top teams TCU, Kansas State, Baylor and West Virginia all losing games.

"This league is unbelievable, you’ve got to bring it every single game," TCU coach Mark Campbell said. "Not just from us, but watching the other teams, the other scores and man, it’s a 40-minute fight. I also learned that we can play with anybody. We can win this league.”

TCU is sitting up top at 8-1 with Kansas State right behind at 7-1. Oklahoma State is 7-2 and Baylor is 6-2.

Jersey retirements

It's a busy week ahead for honoring some of college's best players. A'ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark will both have their No. 22 jerseys retired on Sunday. Wilson helped South Carolina win its first national championship and was a three-time SEC Player of the Year at South Carolina. Clark, the all-time Division I scoring leader, guided Iowa to consecutive NCAA title games the past two years.

The Gamecocks will play Auburn on Sunday and the Hawkeyes face No. 4 USC.

NET ratings

The NCAA’s weekly NET rankings — one of the tools the selection committee uses to determine the NCAA Tournament bracket — has South Carolina still at No. 1 followed by UConn.

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AP Sports Writers Stephen Hawkins and Teresa M. Walker contributed to this story.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press