No. 14 seed Kentucky WBB aims for SEC Tournament upset vs. Florida
The odds were against Kentucky women’s basketball team as they entered the SEC Tournament last season. This year, the odds hate them.
On Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the 2023 SEC Tournament, No. 14 seed Kentucky will face off against the No. 11 seed Florida Gators at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC. Although Florida is the highest-ranked squad among the tournament’s First Four, it’s the only team of the bunch Kentucky defeated earlier this season. Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 1:30 p.m. EST.
On Jan. 15, UK pulled out a narrow 81-75 road victory over the Gators. Nonetheless, that was a different team. In the win, Robyn Benton, Maddie Scherr and Jada Walker combined for 66 points. The same trio that was completely left off the 2023 SEC Women’s Basketball Awards.
The Cats are translating their recent struggles into motivation for the tournament.
“We’re not quitting. That’s not a part of our DNA, that’s not what this program is made of. It is a rough time in Kentucky women’s basketball, there is no mistake about it, but this program is built to last,” head coach Kyra Elzy said after Kentucky fell to Tennessee on Sunday.
The program may last, but this season will come to a quick end if the Florida Gators have their way.
Breaking down the Gators
While Kentucky fell apart as the season dwindled, Florida only got better. The team won its final two games of the regular season, defeating Alabama and Missouri; two teams talented enough to escape the First Four.
KK Deans was a pivotal piece of the Gators’ growth. Deans averages a team-high 14.3 points per game while shooting an impressive 39.4% from deep. The 5-foot-8 senior’s sharpshooting abilities shined in Florida’s last matchup with Kentucky. Deans went 5-10 from downtown while scoring 21 points in the loss.
Deans wasn’t the only Gator who gave the Wildcats headaches. Nina Rickards dropped 18 points and four rebounds on the Cats. The 5-foot-9 guard contributes 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds a night to the Gators’ effort.
While Deans and Rickards are the undeniable leaders of the Gators, perhaps nobody is playing as well as Leilani Correa right now. The former All-Big East First Team selection put up video game numbers in Florida’s most recent win, recording 17 points, 16 rebounds and five assists.
With so much firepower from the perimeter, Florida is a streaky squad. They hopped out to a quick 18-10 lead in their January loss to UK. If the Cats can minimize the Gators’ random runs, they can maximize their winning chances.
Keys for Kentucky WBB
Kentucky has to feel good about its winning chances after the last time these two teams met. The Cats were a waking nightmare for Florida. Specifically, Kentucky’s defense was a nuisance, causing 24 turnovers.
The Cats capitalized on the Gators’ mistakes, scoring 28 points off Florida’s lost possessions. Unfortunately for UK, a lot can change in 45 days. Kentucky’s defense has been a well-oiled door lately, swinging open for any opponent willing to push it.
In Kentucky’s last three contests, teams have averaged 78.3 points per game against them. After falling to Texas A&M on Feb. 23, Elzy discussed the team’s defensive dysfunction.
“We continue to let our offense affect our defense,” Elzy said during the postgame press conference. “No matter what is happening, we have to sell out defensively.”
Admittedly, it’s difficult to be calm and collected on offense when a wildfire is occurring on the other end of the court. During Kentucky’s current seven-game losing streak, the Cats have shot below 30% more often than they’ve shot above 40%.
Kentucky doesn’t need to invent an ingenious game plan to defeat Florida. It needs to search through late-season wreckage and find the old one. It worked then. The Cats should trust themselves to do it again even if they make a few small changes.
“You’ve played these teams, now it’s just a matter of going in, watching the game again, making adjustments from the first time you played them,” Elzy said on Sunday.
Hopefully for the Cats, the first-time result is the same. Watch Kentucky take on the Florida Gators in game two of the SEC Tournament at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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