Kentucky WBB's hungry mindset heading into NCAA Tournament
After not being projected to make the NCAA Tournament a month and a half ago, Kentucky Women’s Basketball is a No. 6 seed in the Big Dance.
On Sunday, the selection committee revealed Kentucky will face the No. 11 seed Princeton Tigers on March 19 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky is entering the contest on a 10-game winning streak, including a flawless run through the SEC Tournament.
Kyra Elzy isn’t satisfied with conference crown
Head coach Kyra Elzy believes her team’s recent success will be instrumental during March Madness.
“We are a hot team. I’m proud of what we’ve done coming down the stretch,” Elzy said on Sunday night after the selection show. “We are playing extremely well, but we have to keep rolling. Our work is not done yet.“
Kentucky will have a grueling stretch ahead of them. The selection committee put UK in the Bridgeport Region along with 1-seed NC State, 2-seed Uconn and 3-seed Indiana. If Kentucky defeats Princeton in the first round, they will likely face the Hoosiers for the second time this season. On Nov. 14, Indiana embarrassed Kentucky in a 88-67 blowout win up in Bloomington.
Kentucky WBB has to stay hot
However, UK isn’t the same team it was in November. In reality, Kentucky isn’t the same team as a few weeks ago. Now that the ‘Cats have found their rhythm, Kentucky isn’t looking to change. Instead, they’re searching for consistency.
“Rebounding will have to travel with us. Defense will have to travel with us and our heart to compete,” Elzy said. “That was our message going through the SEC Tournament, and nothing changes.”
Elzy may want her team’s hustle to join them in Bloomington, IN, but they’ll need more than that. Specifically, the UK’s offense was fantastic in their run to the conference crown. Kentucky shot 42% from beyond the arc in the SEC Tournament.
Additionally, the ‘Cats averaged 18 assists per contest in their improbable run. For reference, Kentucky didn’t record more than 15 assists in a game from Jan. 9 to Feb. 13. Now that lightning has struck, Kentucky hopes to capture it in a bottle. To do so, the ‘Cats have to be grounded and not have their heads in the sky.
Staying focused on the future
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Elzy said. “We took a couple of days off, and then I texted the players before we practiced and said, ‘Congratulations, you did something big. But, when we come back to practice, that is over. We’re going back to work. We must remain hungry and humble.'”
Kentucky will have five days to put this unshakeable mindset to use in practice. On Saturday, the ‘Cats will face Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Rest assured, Elzy and her team will be ready.
“It’s all a reset. It is a new season,” Elzy said. “You just have to be focused on the job at hand and, right now, it’s Princeton.”
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