Mikayla Blakes just dropped 34 points to power No. 5 Vanderbilt past No. 4 Texas, 86-70 on Thursday night. That boosted her scoring average to 26.2 points per game, with 30-plus for the fourth straight outing and ninth time this season.

Last season, JuJu Watkins topped Caitlin Clark with a similar performance, for most points scored in a player's first two college seasons. After dropping 34 points, she is set to join the similar elite company. Blakes, the Somerset native, is charging after that mark, and these are the ways in which she is doing so.

​1. Blazing Scoring Pace

Blakes currently tops the league in terms of scoring average with 26.2 points. She edged past Iowa State's Audi Crooks for the scoring lead.

Blake has also hit 30-plus nine times, including freshman-record 53 at Florida and 55 vs. Auburn, shattering NCAA marks.

2. Vanderbilt's Hot Streak

Commodores are currently rolling at 24-2, with four top 25 wins over sides like Texas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky thrillers. Blakes played important roles in them and also became the fastest player in the league to score 1,000 points. It took her just 42 games.

3. Realistic Path to Caitlin Clark

The Vanderbilt No. 1 needs 211 points to move past Clark's first-two-year total. With the current scoring average, Blake tops Clark comfortably. However, it will be interesting to watch if she manages to keep up her form for the rest of the season.

4. Shot at JuJu Watkins Too

Watkins was sidelined all 2025-26 with ACL tear. Blakes' move, topping Crooks nationally, fits perfectly right now that she is nearing to the elite company. If Watkins uses her remaining years of eligibility correctly, both she and Blakes could be on a shared trajectory to become NCAA’s all-time leading scorers.

5. Her Unwavering 'Confidence'

Notably, Blakes also had a 50+ points match this season as she scored 53 against Florida on February 1. Speaking to ESPN about her feat after the match, Blakes said, "It was mostly just confidence."

Well, her stats say that her "confidence" is working wonders, as she sits as the league top scorer. All she needs to do is keep up her blazing form and she will find herself in the league of Clark soon.

Do you think Blake will break Clark's record?

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Written by

Ishika Ghosh

Edited by

Souvik Roy