How Kentucky will remember Robyn Benton
Robyn Benton isn’t from Kentucky, but she calls it home.
In Kentucky’s season-ending 80-71 loss against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament on Friday, Benton went down swinging. The 5-foot-9 guard led Kentucky with 20 points while shooting 8-21 from the field. Benton, otherwise known as Primetime, scored 11 points in the fourth quarter alone, refusing to surrender.
The performance was impressive but expected for anybody familiar with Benton’s game. The former Auburn transfer believed her team could win until the final buzzer sounded.
“We came really close, and in my mind, I’m pretty sure everybody else’s mind, we were thinking ‘win’. We weren’t thinking, let’s hang on, we were thinking, let’s win this game,” Benton said following the loss.
That mindset is what naturally attracted Benton to Big Blue Nation. After playing two seasons at Auburn, the star guard joined Kentucky for the 2020-2021 season. Her first year with the Cats was a transition period as she averaged 6.6 points in 18 minutes per game.
The next season began the same way, but with a significantly different finish. After averaging 8.6 points per outing throughout her senior season, Benton exploded in the 2022 SEC Tournament. The Georgia native averaged 11 points a night in the tournament while shooting 6-12 (50%) from deep.
The electric offensive showing was enough to boost Kentucky to its first SEC Tournament championship in 40 years. The ring on her finger made the move to Kentucky more than worth it.
“It meant everything to me. We won this last year so I feel like I made the right decision to come to Kentucky. Big Blue Nation, they embraced me and loved me when I was looking for a home out of the portal,” Benton said on Friday.
Benton didn’t let the momentum from Kentucky’s improbable tournament run go to waste. The athletic shooting guard utilized her COVID year and returned to the Cats for the 2022-2023 season. Kentucky fans should be thankful she did.
The graduate student was an offensive machine, pumping out a team-best 16.6 points a night. Benton left audiences in awe, hitting step-back jumpers and seemingly impossible layups with ease. Primetime never failed to entertain, talking trash to the camera or mean-mugging opponents.
Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy is grateful for what Benton gave her program.
“We have been extremely blessed to have her in our program. Wouldn’t be an SEC champion without her,” Elzy said earlier in the season. “What she has done this year — she became the one, and she stepped up to the challenge. Love having her in our program, forever grateful.”
The BBN is right behind you, Coach. Thanks for everything, Primetime.
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