The Longhorns (24-2, 10-1) don't have much time to revel in their victory over the Gamecocks with a Top 10 matchup on the road Thursday night against the Wildcats (19-3, 8-2). This will be the 2nd of 3 consecutive games against a Top 10 opponent with #5 LSU looming Sunday in Austin. Welcome to the SEC!?
HC Kenny Brooks is in his 1st season as HC at Kentucky after leading VaTech to the Final Four in 2023. In Blacksburg, Brooks leaned heavily on a great inside-outside pairing in PG Georgia Amoore and C Elizabeth Kitley. Kitley moved on to the WNBA after being a 3-time All American. Amoore followed Brooks to Kentucky and is the lynchpin of the UK team, leading in points (19.2 ppg) and is 2nd in the nation in assists (7.4 apg).
When Kitley went down late last season, Brooks turned to a freshman to fill the void in the paint and 6' 5" Clara Strack stepped up big in both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Strack also followed Brooks to Kentucky and the sophomore is their 2nd leading scorer (15.4) and top rebounder (9.6). The Wildcats have 2 other starters averaging 8+ rebounds per game, 6' 4" F Teonni Key and 6' 3 F Amelia Hassett.
Where things get dicey for Kentucky is their depth. All but 1 of their starters average 30+ minutes per game - Key is the low man at 28. Every starter averages 10+ ppg but no bench player contributes more than 4.2 points or 2.4 boards. UK lost at Ol' Miss Monday, 57-66, and only used 7 players:
The highlight matchup will be Rori vs Amoore. Before Rori's injury last season, they were considered the 2 best point guards in women's college basketball. I'll be curious to see which of the forwards they put on Madison. Key is a good athlete but guarding a player like Booker is a steep challenge.
It's going to be a tough road game but one the Horns can definitely win if they can wear the Wildcats down, avoid turnovers and use their physical style to draw fouls and get into UK's relatively untested bench.
@mln59 @thar0902 @wb3032 @icdb17 @BrownHorn
HC Kenny Brooks is in his 1st season as HC at Kentucky after leading VaTech to the Final Four in 2023. In Blacksburg, Brooks leaned heavily on a great inside-outside pairing in PG Georgia Amoore and C Elizabeth Kitley. Kitley moved on to the WNBA after being a 3-time All American. Amoore followed Brooks to Kentucky and is the lynchpin of the UK team, leading in points (19.2 ppg) and is 2nd in the nation in assists (7.4 apg).
When Kitley went down late last season, Brooks turned to a freshman to fill the void in the paint and 6' 5" Clara Strack stepped up big in both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Strack also followed Brooks to Kentucky and the sophomore is their 2nd leading scorer (15.4) and top rebounder (9.6). The Wildcats have 2 other starters averaging 8+ rebounds per game, 6' 4" F Teonni Key and 6' 3 F Amelia Hassett.
Where things get dicey for Kentucky is their depth. All but 1 of their starters average 30+ minutes per game - Key is the low man at 28. Every starter averages 10+ ppg but no bench player contributes more than 4.2 points or 2.4 boards. UK lost at Ol' Miss Monday, 57-66, and only used 7 players:
- Key - 37 minutes, 18 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks
- Hassett - 29 minutes, 0 points, 5 rebounds
- Strack - 38 minutes, 13 points, 10 rebounds, 8 blocked shots (program record)
- Amoore - 35 minutes, 15 points, 5 assists
- G Dazia Lawrence - 38 minutes, 9 points, 2 boards
The highlight matchup will be Rori vs Amoore. Before Rori's injury last season, they were considered the 2 best point guards in women's college basketball. I'll be curious to see which of the forwards they put on Madison. Key is a good athlete but guarding a player like Booker is a steep challenge.
It's going to be a tough road game but one the Horns can definitely win if they can wear the Wildcats down, avoid turnovers and use their physical style to draw fouls and get into UK's relatively untested bench.
@mln59 @thar0902 @wb3032 @icdb17 @BrownHorn
