PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB prepares for SEC Tournament foe Mississippi State

After an 11-month wait for Kentucky fans, it’s finally March.

On Thursday night, No. 7 seed Kentucky Women’s Basketball (15-11, 8-8) will square off against the No. 10 seed Mississippi State Bulldogs (15-13, 6-10) in their first game of the SEC Tournament. This isn’t the first time the ‘Cats have faced the Bulldogs this season. On Feb. 15, Kentucky defeated Mississippi State 81-74 with a wild fourth-quarter comeback.

Kentucky is entering the conference tournament hotter than ever, currently on a six-game win streak. In Charlie Creme’s latest ESPN Bracketology, UK was a No. 11 seed facing Virginia Tech in the first round. On the flip side, Creme listed Mississippi State in the “First Four Out” category.

There’s more on the line on Thursday evening than a win or a loss. Both teams’ futures depend on the contest’s outcome. In other words, prepare for a battle.

Breaking down the Bulldogs

Mississippi State is no slouch. In reality, the Bulldogs held the lead for most of the game the last time these two met. More specifically, Mississippi State was up 15 on the ‘Cats with just over seven minutes left in the contest. Thursday night is a chance at revenge for the Bulldogs.

Led by interim head coach Doug Novak, Mississippi State averages 71.3 points per game while holding their opponents to 67.4 points per contest. The Bulldogs shoot 42.7% from the field and 31.6% from beyond the arc.

While the team isn’t extremely efficient from deep, they are streaky. Against the Wildcats, the Bulldogs hit 11 3-pointers. Mississippi State’s top dog reflects the team’s unreliable shooting.

Anastasia Hayes leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 18.8 points a night, while only connecting on 30% of her attempts from deep. The 5-foot-7 guard caused plenty of issues for for Kentucky. Hayes dropped 21 points, five rebounds and five assists on the ‘Cats.

Hayes isn’t the only Bulldog who gave Kentucky trouble. Jerkaila Jordan, who averages 13.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per outing, recorded 20 points against the ‘Cats. Jordan is a sharpshooter, shooting 38.3% from 3-point land.

Unlike Hayes, Myah Taylor is not a threat from the outside. The redshirt senior shot a poor 22.3% from beyond the arc during the regular season. Yet, Taylor finds ways to contribute. Taylor is the Bulldogs’ top contributor, dishing out 5.3 assists per game.

Mississippi State makes up for their lack of shooting with impressive ball control. The Bulldogs commit just 11.7 turnovers per game, the eighth-fewest in the nation. However, Mississippi State did have 16 miscues against the ‘Cats.

With the stakes higher than ever, Kentucky will look to replicate this success, and improve upon their faults from the teams’ last matchup.

Keys for Kentucky WBB

Head coach Kyra Elzy isn’t interested in having another miraculous comeback against the Bulldogs; she doesn’t want to have to double Mississippi State’s scoring in the fourth quarter; and she definitely doesn’t crave the stress of a narrow victory.

Fortunately for the ‘Cats, Elzy believes their mistakes from the last time they played the Bulldogs are fixable.

“There’s always areas you can grow,” Elzy said during a press conference on Tuesday. “We can do a better job in the ball-screen defense. We didn’t always play our coverages correctly. I thought we missed some layups early.”

Kentucky’s struggles as a team can be traced back to an individual issue: Rhyne Howard foul trouble. Kentucky’s All-American missed six minutes of last contest due to early fouls. As a result, Howard only scored 16 points against the Bulldogs.

While it’s comical to act as if that’s a bad figure, it’s subpar for Howard. The 6-foot-2 guard led the SEC in points per game this season. Moreover, Kentucky is 5-0 this season when Howard scores more than 25 points. Elzy stated Howard’s foul issues took Kentucky “out of rhythm” in the their last contest against Mississippi State.

As vital as Howard is to the team’s success, the ‘Cats have other veteran talent. Dre’Una Edwards, Jazmine Massengill and Robyn Benton each have four years of collegiate experience. Though these experiences come in different shapes and sizes, they’re all valuable.

Senior point guard Massengill discussed the importance of having postseason experience.

“You learn every single year. SEC is definitely a tough conference. Every game you got to be ready to play,” Massengill said. “Just trying to get ready to fight every game is kind of how I’ve been thinking.”

Kentucky’s players aren’t the only ones ready to fight for a win on Thursday evening. After losing to Georgia in the SEC Tournament last season, Elzy has learned a lot. She’s ready to put her growth on full display against the Bulldogs.

“It’s been two years of learning,” Elzy said. “I’m surrounded by amazing staff that really helps. But one of the thing is leading through adversity. It’s really easy to lead when you are winning and things are going well. It’s when you have to stand in the fire.“

UK’s feet will be put to the flames on Thursday night. Kentucky will face the Mississippi State Bulldogs at 7 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals to play LSU on Friday.