One thing that makes college basketball entertaining and exciting is its unpredictability. Every season, freshers enter the college season looking to make their place in NCAA history. While UConn has historically dominated with top prospects from college, the Vanderbilt Commodores now have a great core to challenge the top teams, led by Mikayla Blakes and Aubrey Galvan.
In the 2025-26 season, the UConn Huskies built a substantial lead in the Big East with dominant early conference wins. And in the SEC, Vanderbilt is doing the same with a 17-0 run in the season.
Young Aubrey Galvan Helping Commodores Stay Perfect
In the latest national rankings, the defending champions, the UConn Huskies, continued to stay strong and retained the top spot, while Vanderbilt moved to fifth place after an unbeaten run. Playing in the conference led by South Carolina, Coach Shea Ralph’s achievement is incredible.
A major chunk of this achievement is Blake’s offense and Galvan’s playmaking. While Blake is among the top-three scorers in the country, Galvan leads the freshmen in assists average.
Coach lauds her young star as she said, “She studies the game, and you’re seeing how much confidence she has in herself, too, and how much confidence our team has in her. I mean, everybody told her she was too small to play in this league. She’s playing with a vendetta out there.”
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Averaging 11.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 3.2 steals, Galvan is in the middle of a very productive first season. These are impressive numbers considering the seniors like Azzi Fudd, Olivia Miles, and Lauren Betts making the headlines with their plays.
While the SEC is a tough conference with strong forwards, the player proved doubters wrong with her gameplay. With such a start to her college career, the future looks bright for the All-American star.
Aubrey Galvan Could Be Next Big Star In Women’s Basketball
When Paige Bueckers started her college career, the star caught many eyeballs with her gameplay, especially with her scoring ability and playmaking. Similarly, Lauren Betts made a name with her defensive play. While PB is the first overall pick in the 2025 WNBA season, Betts is also projected top pick in the 2026 WNBA draft.
Galvan is on a similar trajectory, given her overall impact in the SEC. Even though she is a freshman, she leads the team in minutes played and is second in attempts per game. Her multiple double-figure games against top opponents underline her ability to thrive when the team needs her the most.
Aubrey Galvan has been named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week. pic.twitter.com/GxOzZ36NpX
— Alaina Morris (@alainammorris) January 6, 2026
Over her first 17 games, she shot 38.5% from the field and 33% from three, which are respectable numbers for a freshman.
Moreover, the youngster had guidance from WNBA star Jewell Loyd over the summers and considers the six-time WNBA All-Star a mentor, which really sums up her possible growth in the NCCAW.