Mikayla Blakes is helping carry an excellent Vanderbilt team, and she's put herself in the record books with Bueckers.
The Vanderbilt women's basketball team, ranked No. 5 in the nation, toppled No. 4 Texas on Thursday night 86-70.
The Commodores are now 24-2 and 10-2 inside the SEC while the Longhorns are 23-3 and 8-3.
There's a real chance that the No. 1 University of Connecticut women could see either of these teams late in the NCAA Tournament.
Mikayla Blakes led the way for Vanderbilt, scoring 34 points on 9-of-19 shooting (and 13-of-15 at the foul line. She also joined Huskies legend Paige Bueckers in some recent NCAA history.
Per ESPN:
Mikayla Blakes has had 30+ PTS in 3 straight games against AP-ranked opponents
She joins Paige Bueckers as the ONLY players to do that over the last 15 seasons.
About Bueckers
One of the most decorated players in UConn history, Bueckers averaged 19.8 ppg for her career. She helped UConn win the national title for the 12th time in 2024-25 as she averaged 19.9 ppg. A three-time Big East Player of the Year, she was also a Naismith Award Winner, a Wooden Award winner, a three-time All-American and a winner of the Wade Trophy.
She was the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft and captured the league's Rookie of the Year Award.
Bueckers averaged 19.2 ppg with the Wings in her first season (36 games). She also averaged 5.4 assists per game.
She was just selected to the Team USA roster for the FIBA World Cup and is tracking toward a berth on her first Olympic team. The next Olympics are in 2028 (Los Angeles).
Also on campus
--The UConn baseball team kicks off the season on Friday night against Nebraska. The Huskies feature Tyler Minick, an infielder who is turning heads in advance of the July draft.
--UConn hockey alum, and current Buffalo Sabres star Tage Thompson scored a goal at the Olympics on Thursday afternoon. His power play goal helped lead Team USA to a 5-1 win over Latvia in the pool play opener.
--Syracuse University is looking for a new athletic director. Might they express interest in UConn AD David Benedict? One Syracuse insider speculates that it's possible. Current SU AD John Wildhack is retiring at the end of June and there is a search firm working to find his replacement.
Join the Conversation
Remember to join our UCONN on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Huskies fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!