Kentucky WBB receiving necessary production from role players

While it’s true that Kentucky Women’s Basketball will go as far as Rhyne Howard will take them, the Wildcats aren’t in the SEC Tournament title game without her supporting cast.

Howard was the star during UK’s impressive 83-74 upset win over Tennessee on Saturday night, which marked the team’s ninth consecutive win and third in a matter of three days at the conference tourney. The victory sends UK to its first SEC championship since 2014. Howard played her best all-around game of the postseason so far, recording 24 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists on 7-12 shooting, including an 8-11 clip from the free-throw line.

She made big plays when Kentucky needed them the most. But she wasn’t the only one.

Against the Lady Volunteers, senior guard Robyn Benton came off the bench to score 16 points on four made 3-pointers. Rookie Jada Walker added another 16 points to go along with her six rebounds and two assists. Sophomore forward Treasure Hunt added 11 points and four rebounds with a career-high three made triples of her own. Senior point guard Jazmine Massengill contributed eight points, three rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

Rhyne Howard deservedly gets most of the praise, with Jada Walker and Dre'Una Edwards right there as well.

But what Jazmine Massengill, Robyn Benton, and Treasure Hunt have done in this tourney is spectacular. Hunt playing the best ball of her career, IMO.

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) March 6, 2022

Kentucky didn’t even need a major performance from second-leading scorer Dre’Una Edwards, who ended with eight points and seven rebounds while dealing with foul trouble down the stretch. It was a collective team effort from the ‘Cats, which is now becoming a trend during UK’s recent nine-game winning streak. Kentucky obviously needs Howard to reach its ceiling, but the complementary pieces are proving to be just as important. This successful run in the SEC Tournament is a prime example.

“Coming off the bench, I just know I need to be a spark for my team,” Benton said postgame. “We all know what this means. We know what we’re playing for. We’re playing to win.”

During Kentucky’s SEC Tournament run, the role players have elevated their game even further than before. Benton has hit double-figures in all three postseason games, shooting a combined clip of 16-32 (50 percent) from the field. Hunt has played arguably her two best games of her career on Friday and Saturday, dropping 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in the win over LSU before her impressive showing against the Vols. Massengill has dished out 20 assists over the last three outings compared to just four turnovers. Even spot minutes from sophomore forward Nyah Leveretter have been vital at points over the last few days.

Opposing teams struggle heavily to slow Howard down in one-on-one situations. Her teammates playing more aggressively makes life easier when double teams or traps are brought her direction. It also helps that Howard is an elite playmaker, but everyone else knows exactly where to be on the floor and when. Kentucky was set up for several wide-open looks against Tennessee simply because the majority of defending eyes were fixated on Howard. The important part is they knocked those shots down.

All this being said, Kentucky is going to need even more from the supporting cast on Sunday against South Carolina. The No. 1 ranked Gamecocks are tops in the country for a reason and allow for a very little margin of error. Tipoff against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament championship is set for 2:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.