PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB face Presbyterian in season-opener

The Kentucky women’s basketball team is diving headfirst into deep waters. Tuesday night, the Wildcats will play their first official game against the Presbyterian College Blue Hose at 7 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum. The contest will be the first of three games in the next six days for UK.

With only nine scholarship ‘Cats on the roster, the daunting week will undoubtedly test the will of Kentucky. Nevertheless, before the ‘Cats can focus on the upcoming week, they have to execute on Tuesday night. Let’s learn about the opponent marching into Memorial.

Presbyterian is a pesky first opponent

Nobody is claiming Presbyterian to be a top-tier opponent, but they’re not a pushover, either. The Blue Hose are coming off an 11-10 season in which they finished second in the Big South Conference. More importantly, Presbyterian is riding high after a 70-60 victory over USC Aiken in an exhibition last Thursday.

The Blue Hose is led by head coach Alaura Sharp. Entering her fourth season, Sharp likes what she’s seeing from her squad. Here’s what Sharp said after her team’s exhibition win.

“I liked some of what I saw and we just have to get back to work and clean up some things ahead of next week’s opener against Kentucky,” Sharp said.

While Presbyterian may not have much time to prepare for the ‘Cats, they already have plenty of experience. The Blue Hose is led by junior forward Tionna Carter. The 6-foot-1 star averaged 12.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last season. Carter will be an excellent test for Kentucky post players Dre’Una Edwards and Olivia Owens.

Carter isn’t the only veteran Blue Hose poised to make some noise Tuesday night. Presbyterian also returns fifth-year senior Jade Compton. The experienced forward averaged 12.1 points and eight rebounds per game last year. Standing at 5-foot-10, Compton is undersized but makes up for it with her floor-stretching ability. Compton shot 38% from beyond the arc last season and will be a looming threat to the ‘Cats from deep.

Presbyterian’s bigs aren’t the only opponents to watch. Guards Maleia Bracone and Trinity Johnson add a combined average of 18 points per game. The two hoopers will be adequate competition for Kentucky’s defense-oriented guards.

The ‘Cats certainly have their work cut out for them, but they’re up for the challenge. With the right preparations from Elzy, the Kentucky women’s basketball team should march out of Tuesday night’s battle victorious. So, what are the right preparations?

Keys for the Kentucky women’s basketball team

Kentucky’s exhibition against Lee University gave BBN their first legitimate view of the ‘Cats. More prominently, however, it gave Elzy her first chance to see her team against organized competition. The second-year head coach was happy with her team, but admitted they had a lot to improve upon before Tuesday evening’s contest.

“I thought [Lee] caught the ball way too low in the paint. We were not in the right position. So, we’ll go back to work on that,” Elzy said. “Even though we played hard defensively, there’s just some fundamental things that we need to do better.”

With two bigs leading the charge for the Blue Hose, Kentucky fans can only hope the Wildcats figure out their paint issues. Of Lee’s 51 points scored last Thursday night, nearly half of them were in the paint. Another contest full of open shots in the paint could shut down the Kentucky women’s basketball team’s season before it ever gets started.

Though Kentucky’s paint protection needs work, the Wildcats’ perimeter defense isn’t off the hook. The ‘Cats gave up 28 points to Lee’s star point guard Haley Schubert. With defensive specialists such as Jazmine Massengill and Jada Walker, offensive explosions like these are unacceptable.

As easy as it is to focus on what the Kentucky women’s basketball team needs to improve upon, we can’t forget to mention what they did well. The ‘Cats were dominant on the offensive boards against Lee, snagging a total of 20 offensive rebounds throughout the exhibition. With Presbyterian being another undersized opponent, it’ll be vital for the ‘Cats to repeat their rebounding efforts.

Defense isn’t the only side of the court the ‘Cats are looking for growth. Guards Emma King and Robyn Benton have to increase their scoring output for the ‘Cats. The duo only combined for a total of 11 points against Lee, despite being expected to put up near double digits by themselves. It goes without saying, Rhyne Howard and Dre’Una Edwards’ offensive dominance will be a must for the Kentucky women’s basketball team to find success this season.

Final thoughts

There may not have been any stakes on the line against Lee, but Tuesday night’s game is a different story. BBN will get a chance to see how their beloved ‘Cats play with their record on the line. With so many veterans leading the Kentucky women’s basketball, one can only hope they’ll play with poise.

Fans won’t have to wait much longer to find out the answers to their pressing questions. The Wildcats are set to face off against Presbyterian at 7 p.m. ET in Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.