Kentucky WBB will face one of nation's toughest schedules in '23-24

Entering year four as head coach of the Kentucky women’s basketball team, Kyra Elzy has a tough task ahead of her. The Wildcats have put together one of the toughest schedules you’ll find in all of Division I hoops. Coming off a 2022-23 season in which UK went 12-19 (2-14 SEC), improvement is going to be expected, especially with potential All-SEC candidates back in the fold with G Maddie Scherr and F Ajae Petty. There is definitely some heat under Elzy’s seat.

As far as the talent level goes, this year’s squad might not be all that far off from last year’s, which lost three key pieces to the transfer portal — Jada Walker (Baylor), Kennedy Cambridge (Ohio State), and Tionna Herron (Texas) — and three more to graduation in Robyn Benton, Blair Green, and Adebola Adeyeye. Losing Walker and Benton will hurt the most, as they combined to score 29.2 points per game last season.

However, there is an argument to be made that the offense will flow better this season with fewer players who need the ball in their hands to make a consistent impact. Scherr is one of the best floor generals in the entire country. Will it translate to better efficiency? Kentucky ranked 190th in the country last season with an overall field goal percentage of 40.4 percent and 258th in three-point shooting at 29.2 percent. Benton, Green, and Walker all shot under 42 percent from the field and under 34 percent from deep in ’22-23 as three of the team’s top four shot-takers. Fewer chuckers should help spread the ball around more this season, which has been a point of emphasis during the offseason. UK ranked 139th in total assists last year.

Now, back to the schedule…

Six of Kentucky’s first 11 regular-season opponents come from one of the Power 6 conferences, and that doesn’t include a road game against Florida Gulf Coast, which finished 33-4 last season and made the NCAA Tournament. Life will only get tougher for the Wildcats once Southeastern Conference play begins. South Carolina (twice), defending national champion LSU on the road, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Tennessee — teams projected to begin the season among the Top 25 — make up nearly half of UK’s intraconference slate.

Let’s break down the schedule a bit further though. Remember that home games will not be played at Memorial Coliseum this season due to the ongoing renovations. Instead, not counting exhibitions, Kentucky will play 12 of their home games at Rupp Arena (including all seven SEC matchups), four at Transylvania’s Clive M. Beck Center, and one at Georgetown College’s Davis-Reid Alumni Gym. Although that shouldn’t play too much of a factor in how the ‘Cats play, it’s certainly a different wrinkle compared to years past.

Elzy’s squad will have a few tuneup games to start before the competition ticks up a notch. Three straight home games — all at different venues — will kick off the schedule: ETSU (Beck Center), USC Upstate (Rupp Arena), and Austin Peay (Alumni Gym). Three games in just seven days will be the perfect warmup opportunity for the ‘Cats. They’ll need every minute of them too with three new faces (two freshmen, one transfer) and redefined roles across the board.

From there, Kentucky will take on four consecutive Power 6 opponents — two of them projected to start the season in the national conversation. First, UK will head to the U.S. Virgin Islands to play three games in three days as part of the 2023 Paradise Jam. That includes matchups with NC State (Nov. 23; No. 23 in The Athletic’s preseason rankings), Colorado (Nov. 24; No. 17), and Cincinnati (Nov. 25; NR). The ‘Cats will return to Lexington after that to host Boston College on Nov. 30 in the inaugural SEC/ACC Challenge.

The next three games will vary in difficulty. Tennessee Tech at home (Dec. 3) is an expected win, but hosting Minnesota a few days later (Dec. 6) at Rupp Arena will be a tougher task. Although the Golden Gophers aren’t viewed as one of the Big Ten’s top programs, sophomore guard Mara Braun is one of the conference’s most talented young players. Kentucky will then have less than a week of rest before heading up the road to take on in-state rival Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center (Dec. 10). Despite losing All-ACC star Hailey Van Lith to LSU, the Cardinals still check in at No. 19 in The Athletic’s preseason rankings.

Luckily, a much-needed lull in competition takes over the ensuing weeks. From mid-December to New Year’s Eve, Kentucky will play just three games against Furman (Dec. 17), Lipscomb (Dec. 21), and Samford (Dec. 31) — all happening in Lexington. These three games will provide the chance for UK to physically and mentally recover from the previous two months and go into conference play (ideally) on a confident winning streak.

As it typically does, the SEC will feature plenty of the country’s top teams. Five of The Athletic’s Top 25 ranked teams come from the conference, including two among the top four. Kentucky will play all five, including a home-and-home with South Carolina. The final three games of the regular season see a stretch against No. 4 South Carolina, No. 14 Ole Miss, and No. 1 LSU — back-to-back-to-back. Tough.

But the SEC is going to be top-heavy this season. Kentucky will have a chance to stack some wins during the middle of the conference schedule. Five games in a row against Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi State, and Georgia will all be winnable, but nothing is going to be easy. Regardless, the goal will be to win more than just two SEC games — that will be more than possible.

Kentucky WBB ’23-24 SEC schedule

• Jan. 4 vs. Arkansas | 7:00 p.m. EST (SEC Network+)
• Jan. 7 @ No. 12 Tennessee | Noon EST (SEC Network)
• Jan. 11 vs. Vanderbilt | 7:00 p.m. EST (SEC Network+)
• Jan. 15 @ No. 4 South Carolina | 7:00 p.m. EST (SEC Network)
• Jan. 21 vs. Missouri | 2:00 p.m. EST (SEC Network+)
• Jan. 25 @ Arkansas | 8:00 p.m. EST (SEC Network+)
• Jan. 28 @ Alabama | 5:00 p.m. EST (SEC Network)
• Feb. 1 vs. Mississippi State | 7:00 p.m. EST (SEC Network+)
• Feb. 4 @ Georgia | Noon EST (SEC Network)
• Feb. 11 vs. No. 25 Texas A&M | 4:00 p.m. EST (ESPN2/SEC Network)
• Feb. 15 @ Auburn | 7:00 p.m. EST (SEC Network)
• Feb. 18 vs. Florida | Noon EST (SEC Network)
• Feb. 22 @ Mississippi State | 7:30 p.m. EST (SEC Network+)
• Feb. 25 vs. No. 4 South Carolina | 3:00 p.m. EST (SEC Network)
• Feb. 29 vs. No. 14 Ole Miss | 7:00 p.m. EST (SEC Network+)
• Mar. 3 @ No. 1 LSU | 2:00 p.m. EST (SEC Network)

The reality is Kentucky could have a better overall team compared to last season and still come away with a similar record (or even worse) due to the added strength of schedule. UK played just five ranked teams all of last season and faced a mostly non-Power 6 non-conference slate. Nine ranked matchups with more Power 6 non-conference games in 2023-24 will provide plenty of adversity. Elzy and company have their work cut out for them.