PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB prepares for rematch with No. 1 South Carolina
Things haven’t always been easy for Kentucky Women’s Basketball this season, and Thursday night’s game will be no different.
At 7 p.m. on Thursday night, the Wildcats (9-10) will face the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (21-1) in Memorial Coliseum. This isn’t the first time the ‘Cats have encountered the Gamecocks this season. On Jan. 9, South Carolina destroyed UK in a 74-54 blowout.
Since the loss, Kentucky has gone 1-6 in conference play. In fairness, UK has had its fair share of adversity. The ‘Cats have played with eight or fewer players since Jan. 16 against Tennessee. Unfortunately, the team’s health status remains a mystery.
Robyn Benton has missed five-straight games now due to an ankle injury. Freshman Jada Walker suffered an injury in Kentucky’s loss to Texas A&M on Sunday midway through the third quarter. Head coach Kyra Elzy could not provide the media with an update on Walker’s status after the game.
Nonetheless, the show goes on. With only eight regular-season games left, UK has a lot to prove. Vanderbilt is currently the only team ranked below the ‘Cats in the SEC standings. Sadly for Kentucky, South Carolina is not the ideal opponent when trying to turn your season around.
What’s going on with the Gamecocks?
South Carolina isn’t ranked No. 1 in the nation by accident. The Gamecocks have one fluke loss this season against Missouri. They’re a well-oiled machine and, frankly, a terrifying foe.
Led by 2020 Naismith Coach of the Year Dawn Staley, South Carolina averages 71.7 points per game. On the other end, they hold their opponents to just 51.5 points a night, the fifth-lowest in the country.
If South Carolina is having a cold night, they’re still hot. The Gamecocks have the highest offensive rebounding rating in the NCAA, grabbing a board on 45.2% of their misses. In other words, South Carolina gets a second chance on nearly half their possessions.
The Gamecocks’ board monster is Aliyah Boston. The 6-foot-5 junior averages 17.1 points and 11.7 rebounds per contest. Further, Boston rejects three shots per game, nearly double her closest teammate.
While Boston rules the paint, Zia Cooke runs the perimeter. The 5-foot-9 guard contributes 12 points per game. Cooke led the Gamecocks with 19 points in their win over UK earlier this season.
If Cooke is lightning, Destanni Henderson is thunder. The 5-foot-7 senior averages 10.9 points per contest while leading the team in assists. Henderson is a sharpshooter, making 39% of her attempts from beyond the arc this year.
Despite South Carolina’s seemingly endless advantages, Kentucky does have some momentum swinging its way. South Carolina will be without 6-foot-4 Laeticia Amihere and 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso, who average a combined 13.7 points and 9.7 boards per contest. The pair will be absent as they compete in their countries’ FIBA World Cup Qualifying Round.
Keys for Kentucky WBB
If Kentucky wants to compete with the Gamecocks, they must minimize South Carolina’s paint control. The ‘Cats failed to do just that the last time the two teams played.
On Jan. 9, South Carolina secured 18 more rebounds than the ‘Cats. Additionally, the Gamecocks scored 54 points in the paint compared to UK’s mere 22. Much of South Carolina’s field day down-low can be traced back to Kentucky star Dre’Una Edwards.
Edwards grabbed a season-low one rebound against the Gamecocks. Thursday will be Edwards’ chance at revenge. The redshirt junior has now played two games since her suspension, averaging 10 points and nine rebounds during the pair of contests.
When asked how she’s feeling about her return, Edwards was positive. “I feel good, definitely finding my rhythm again.”
Kentucky will need more than a solid performance from Edwards to stand a chance against the Gamecocks. Realistically, Kentucky must have their best performance of the season, the same kind of performance they demonstrated in the first quarter against Texas A&M.
UK had one of their best periods of the season on Sunday. In the first frame, UK dropped 26 points, the second-most in a quarter this year. Further, the ‘Cats went 12-18 from the field and 2-4 from range. So, what was the difference in the first 10 minutes of the game?
Elzy gave her thoughts on this exact question after the loss.
“In the first quarter, I thought we pushed in transition. I thought we attacked early, got some layups. I thought we played well out of the ball screen offensively, which we had worked on. In the second and third quarter, I thought we were a little stagnant.”
In reality, it doesn’t matter what Kentucky does if they don’t remain inspired. After losing seven of their last eight games, optimism is the last thing on most people’s minds. Nevertheless, most people aren’t Elzy.
During Sunday’s postgame press conference, Elzy addressed the team’s next steps.
“Where do you go from here? We go back to work,” Elzy said. “There’s nothing else you can do.“
Matchup info
To usurp South Carolina, Kentucky will need to have done a lot of work in a short amount of time.
After a four-day break, Kentucky Women’s Basketball will take on the Gamecocks at 7 p.m. EST in Memorial Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard