Kentucky WBB hopes to celebrate Senior Day with win over Tennessee
Like it or not, the 2022-23 Kentucky women’s basketball season is coming to a close.
On Sunday, the Wildcats will celebrate Senior Day against the Tennessee Volunteers at 2 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum. Tennessee is ranked No. 3 in the SEC. For reference, the Cats fell to the last-place Texas A&M Aggies in their last contest.
Despite the undeniable downturn, Kentucky’s seniors hope to end the regular season on a high. Robyn Benton, Blair Green and Adebola Adeyeye will be the Cats participating in the annual festivities. The ceremony will begin 20 minutes before game time.
While those 20 minutes belong to the honorary Cats, the Volunteers plan on dominating the next 40.
Let’s talk about Tennessee
Tennessee is entering Sunday’s game on a loss, but not a disappointment. On Thursday, the Volunteers fell 73-60 to No. 1 South Carolina. The loss is one step back after Tennessee has taken countless steps forward.
After beginning the season with a 7-6 record, Tennessee has become a threat to the top teams in the nation. Rickea Jackson is the electricity behind the Volunteers’ mid-season jumpstart. The 6-foot-2 forward leads Tennessee, averaging 18.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
To pile on, Jackson hits 55.3% of her attempts from the field. With Kentucky center Nyah Leveretter out with a torn ACL, Jackson may look to boost those numbers in the final game of the season. Speaking of boosts, Jordan Horston is the fuel to Jackson’s fire.
Horston adds 15.5 points, 7.0 boards and 3.2 assists per outing. The 6-foot-2 senior is a matchup nightmare, capable of crossing up guards and posting up forwards. However, Horston is the least of Kentucky’s worries in the paint.
Standing at 6-foot-6, Tamari Key overshadows her competition… Literally. Key contributes 8.2 points and 4.0 rebounds a night. Along with her solid statistics, Key provides a priceless paint presence. The North Carolina native averages two blocks per game.
The Volunteers don’t let their height go to waste. The team snags 42 rebounds per contest, the 11th most in the country. Simply put, Tennessee’s size is an issue. Kentucky doesn’t have the roster to fight fire with fire.
Keys for Kentucky WBB
If the Cats put their typical lineup on the floor, they’re going to get their typical result: a loss. Before Kentucky can shock the nation, it needs to shock the Volunteers. If the Cats throw a twist in their lineup, perhaps by running five guards, they won’t be the only ones struggling to match up.
Before UK can utilize all its pieces, it needs all its pieces available. Freshman guard Kennedy Cambridge was absent in Kentucky’s latest loss due to illness. Kentucky will need its sparkplug player if it wants to compete with the Volunteers.
Regardless, Kentucky will suffer growing pains without its starting center. Head coach Kyra Elzy is all too aware of this harsh reality.
“We miss her post defense, her ability to guard multiple people, and then when we get in foul trouble with two post [players], that does pose a problem,” Elzy said following Kentucky’s loss to Texas A&M.
Foul trouble plagued Kentucky this season when all three bigs were available. With just two forwards healthy now, fouls could be the team’s killing curse. In the Cats’ loss on Thursday evening, Adeyeye fouled out while Ajae Petty narrowly escaped the game with four violations.
Nonetheless, Elzy is convinced the team’s foul issue is fixable.
“We blow the whistle in practice non-stop so they have a feel of when we’re playing defense aggressively but we need to be smart,” Elzy said. “We need to be aggressive, but we also have to be disciplined.“
Discipline can only take a team so far. Watch where it can carry the Cats when they take on Tennessee at 2 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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