The 24th-ranked Vanderbilt women's basketball team will have its perfect home conference mark, and chances of winning the Southeastern Conference regular season championship, tested Thursday night at Memorial Gym. The No. 9 Florida Gators (22-2, 8-1) come to town tied with No. 6 Auburn just one game ahead of Vanderbilt in the SEC in what should be a dynamite match-up in Nashville.
The Commodores (18-6, 7-2) have won four of five games but haven't faced a ranked opponent since defeating then-No. 7 Tennessee on Jan. 11. Florida, meanwhile, has won seven straight since falling to Auburn, also on Jan. 11. During their run, they have defeated all but one opponent by at least 14 points. Their most recent win was a 66-57 triumph over Tennessee, only the third time the Gators have beaten Pat Summitt's squad in their last 40 attempts.
The Gators' average of 76.0 points per game ranks second in the conference behind Auburn and 11th in the country. 5-foot-7 junior guard Sha Brooks scored 29 in the win over the Volunteers. Brooks will be a test for Vanderbilt's feisty guards on both sides of the ball as she leads Florida with 16.4 points, 4.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Brooks is complemented down low by 5-foot-11 senior forward Marshae Dotson, an All-SEC First-Team member last season who currently averages 12 points and 7 rebounds per game.
Vanderbilt, meanwhile, comes in a hot shooting team. The Commodores hit 12-17 shots (70.6 percent) in the second half of their 72-62 win over Kentucky on Sunday. Senior forward and leading scorer Christina Wirth led the Commodores with 20 points as they continued their series domination against the Wildcats, having won 22 of the past 23 match-ups. Their overall mark of 46.2 percent shooting from the field ranks fifth-best in the nation.
Turnovers, however, have plagued Vanderbilt recently; their 23 miscues Sunday combined with 27 more in a 66-61 loss to Mississippi State on Feb. 5 made 50 in two games. The return home, however, may be what Vanderbilt needs. Should they defeat Florida and then knock off Georgia Sunday and Auburn next Thursday, the Commodores could very well be in the driver's seat in the SEC.
Don't miss out on this very important game for Vanderbilt. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
