When Shea Ralph took over as the head coach at Vanderbilt in 2021, scheduling was easy. Everyone wanted to play the Commodores as they were coming off five consecutive losing seasons.

This past offseason? Not so much.

After advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009 and winning a program-record 13 games in SEC play, fewer teams are willing to take on the Commodores in non-conference play. Simply put, with Ralph on the sidelines and the likes of Mikayla Blakes and Aubrey Galvan on the court, Vanderbilt is no longer an easy victory. They're a tough out.

“It was much more difficult than I had anticipated. This was my first time experiencing that as a head coach. Shoot, my first two years, everybody wanted to play us,” Ralph told USA TODAY Sports this week. “We had a hard time getting opponents. I didn’t know if we were going to get a premier home game. But also, we need to be able to have these kinds of challenges early in our season if we're serious about accomplishing the goals that we say we want to accomplish. Our schedule needs to reflect that.”

Vanderbilt will get its first real test against a marquee opponent on a national stage on Sunday, Nov. 15. The Commodores — ranked No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll — will travel to Sioux City, Iowa to face the No. 13 Iowa Hawkeyes in a nationally televised game at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.

Iowa is one of three Power 4 opponents that Ralph’s Commodores will face in non-conference play this season. Vanderbilt will play against Arizona on Nov. 23 at a neutral site event in Jacksonville, Florida, then host No. 11 Notre Dame in the ACC-SEC Challenge on Dec. 3 — a rematch of last season's Sweet 16.

Like Vanderbilt, Iowa was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season. Armed with all-conference talents like Ava Heiden and Dani Carnegie, the Hawkeyes should be a team that aims to dance deep into March this season. Vanderbilt and Iowa should provide good measuring sticks for each other.

“They have experience. They have speed, athleticism, quickness, and they can shoot it. They play really hard and they can score the ball,” Ralph said of Iowa. “I see Sunday's game as a challenge on both ends of the floor. Are we going to be able to score the basketball at the clip that we want to? Will we be able to do that against a high level team, essentially in their backyard?”

Vanderbilt is 4-0 to start this season with victories over Lipscomb, Queens, Morehead State and Western Kentucky, winning each of those games by an average margin of 52.7 points. The Commodores have also scored more than 100 points in each contest so far, becoming just the sixth NCAA Division I team since 1999 to do so in four consecutive games.

Blakes led the nation in scoring last season with 27 points per game, but with Galvan and other improved pieces around her — like Georgia transfer Mia Woolfolk — she’s helping her team win in other ways. The two-time All-American is averaging career-highs so far in rebounds (5.1), assists (4.5), steals (3.3) and blocks (1.1) per game while shooting 50.8% from the floor.

“She is going to do whatever it takes for our team to win. And now we're continuing to put pieces around her where she's able to make plays on the defensive end, she's passing the ball a lot more, she’s getting rebounds,” Ralph said of Blakes. “She's showcasing now the complete player that she actually is. She's so smart. She's so competitive. She's so willing.

“She is now learning how to use her voice — it's like having a coach on the floor. I give her time in timeouts to talk to the team before I even come in. So, we are in partnership.”

Blakes and the Commodores taking on Iowa is sure to be a must-watch game on Sunday.

Here’s the other games to watch in women’s college basketball over the next few days:

Game that could shake up national rankings: South Carolina vs. USC

Women’s basketball fans will have a decision to make on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET — Iowa vs. Vanderbilt, or South Carolina vs. USC? The latter likely has a better chance of being a preview of a potential national championship game. The Gamecocks and Trojans will meet at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina in the second of a two-game series signed between the programs. South Carolina won comfortably in Los Angeles last season.

But now JuJu Watkins is back and she’s surrounded by talented players, from National Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson to highly touted recruit Saniyah Hall. The Gamecocks are loaded too, also armed with standout rookies like Jerzy Robinson and Oliviyah Edwards.

This is a can’t-miss game.

Must-watch player matchup: UConn at Louisville

Louisville hasn’t beaten UConn since 2021 and the Huskies have won each of their last three meetings with the Cardinals by double figures. But, as evidenced by losing to Michigan last week, we know that UConn is not invincible this season.

And we also know that Sarah Strong is capable of raising her game to a higher level. Following the loss to Michigan, the reigning National Player of the Year piled up 39 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Iowa, then tallied 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a victory at Ohio State.

One of Louisville’s strengths is its depth. Do Jeff Walz’s Cardinals have enough to stop Strong?

Mid-major matchup worth watching: Air Force at Navy

While Air Force and Navy always play every season in football, the same isn’t true for basketball and some other sports. This renewal of the rivalry between the two service academies will mark the first meeting between the Falcons and Midshipmen since 2022.

Navy is 1-2 to start the season, but returns much of its core from last year’s team that won the regular season title in the Patriot League, including the conference Player of the Year in guard Zanai Barnett-Gay. Stacy McIntyre is in her second season coaching Air Force and the Falcons have been led by Jayda McNabb, who is averaging 14.7 points and 13.1 rebounds per game.

Big stakes for a bubble team: Nebraska at Kansas

It’s really too early in the season to talk about the NCAA Tournament bubble, but Nebraska was one of the last four teams to crack the March Madness field last season, while Kansas was left on the outside. This game could prove to be a key resume point for whoever wins it when we get to Selection Sunday.

Britt Prince is back to power the Cornhuskers and is averaging 22.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.7 steals per game through Nebraska’s 3-0 start. Kansas is 3-0 too and is being led by the duo of Jaliya Davis and likely future WNBA Draft pick S'Mya Nichols.

Sickos game of the week: Cincinnati at Maryland Eastern Shore

Why is Cincinnati playing a game at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center in Princess Anne, Maryland? Great question. Bearcats guard Caliyah DeVillasee is from Owings Mills, Maryland, but that’s a three-hour drive away across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

The UMES Hawks have been hammered by a pair of ACC teams so far in non-conference play, losing lopsided games to Virginia and Georgia Tech. For Cincinnati, this is a game it can’t afford to lose.

For any Bearcats fans making the trip, drive up Route 13 to Salisbury, get coffee from Rise Up, crab dip from Mojo’s, pizza from Specific Gravity, and beer at RaR.

Also watch …

• Utah at Boise State: Friday, 8:30 p.m. ET (YouTube)

• DePaul at Notre Dame: Saturday, 1 p.m. ET (NBC)

• Illinois State at Saint Louis: Saturday, 2 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

• Columbia at Maryland: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network+)

• Princeton at UCLA: Sunday, 6 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)