KSR GAMEDAY: Kentucky takes on Purdue in biggest home game of non-conference play

Kentucky women’s basketball is 5-0 on the year and looking to add to that by wrapping up their home-and-home series against Purdue with a win. After beating the Boilermakers by 30 on the road last season, can they do it again? That remains to be seen, but the potential for a massive win is certainly there.

Keep reading for everything you need to know about Tuesday’s game.

Bio Blast

Quickly, let’s give a shoutout to Kentucky Associate Head Coach Lindsey Hicks, who went to Purdue from 2000-04. Her freshman year, Purdue went all the way to the national championship game before falling to Notre Dame. Carolyn Peck, who will be calling the game, not only won a national title at Purdue as head coach in 1999, but from 1995-96, she was an assistant at Kentucky.

Fast forward to the present, and Purdue is a shell of what they used to be. The start of their 2025-26 season should be evidence of that. They’re 2-1 to start the year, but that lone loss was their last outing, a 68-67 loss to Purdue Fort Wayne on a game-winner right at the end. Heartbreaking, devastating and soul-crushing all in one.

Head coach Katie Geralds is in her fifth season leading the program, and she’s relying on five in-state kids to lead the team — two of which are actually sisters, senior Madison Layden-Zay and junior McKenna Layden.

Scouting Report

Purdue has a guard in Hila Karsh who is currently playing like one of the best freshmen in the country. The 5-foot-8 product our of Israel is averaging 18 points, five rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while cashing in on 53.8% of her three-point attempts this season. Kenny Brooks‘ defensive style thrives on running players off the three-point line, and they’ll have to do that with Karsh especially.

Former Arkansas Razorback Kiki Smith is having the best year of her collegiate career, averaging 15.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and two steals per game. While she isn’t quite as a deadly a shooter from deep as Karsh, she can hit it. Smith is shooting 33.3% from three-point range.

Lastly, there’s junior guard Tara Daye, who is actually the team’s leading rebounder at just 5-foot-10, bringing in six boards per contest. Outside of that, the Boilermakers are very turnover-prone. Purdue turns the ball over 19 times per game, and while it isn’t necessarily Kentucky’s style to get out and get steals, they may be able to do so against Purdue.

Purdue Boilermakers roster

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Projected Kentucky Starters

#5 – Tonie Morgan

5-FOOT-8 – GUARD – SENIOR

9.2 PPG – 9.8 APG – 2.2 RPG

#0 – Jordan Obi

6-FOOT-1 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT

12.2 PPG – 6.6 RPG – 1.2 APG

#32 – Amelia Hassett

6-FOOT-4 – FORWARD – SENIOR

12.8 PPG – 7.8 RPG – 2.2 BPG

#7 – Teonni Key

6-FOOT-5 – FORWARD – SENIOR

11.2 PPG – 5.6 RPG – 1.6 BPG

#13 – Clara Strack

6-FOOT-5 – CENTER – JUNIOR

16.8 PPG – 12.4 RPG – 3 BPG

Phoenix’s Prediction

Score: 86-63, Kentucky

MVP: Tonie Morgan

Kentucky went on the road last season and beat Purdue by 30. I don’t know if I expect quite the same beatdown, but I do think Kentucky wins convincingly against the Boilermakers. If Kentucky gets to 70 points, they win. Simple as that. Tonie Morgan’s hot hand passing the ball will stay hot. She’ll record double-digit assists yet again and also score in double figures for a double-double. A lot of doubling for Morgan, if you couldn’t tell.

How to Watch/Listen

Location	Tipoff	TV	Radio	Live Stats
Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY)	7 p.m. ET	SEC Network (Tiffany Greene and Carolyn Peck)	98.5 ICONS, 790 WKRD, SiriusXM (Darren Headrick)	StatBroadcast

Follow Along with KSR’s LIVE BLOG

Unable to watch the game? Don’t worry — we’ll be providing real-time updates throughout to keep you informed on the action. Follow along with KSR’s LIVE BLOG, which will get rolling on the website an hour before the game starts.

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

Want to interact with the KSR crew during tonight’s game? Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing live updates while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating).