Five story lines to watch as Kentucky women embark on 2019-20 basketball season

On the shoulders of a dynamic backcourt duo and a freshman phenom who took college basketball by storm, the University of Kentucky women’s team returned to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year hiatus last season.

Starting point guard Taylor Murray and starting shooting guard Maci Morris provided the senior leadership and production that formed the backbone of a team that rebounded from its first losing season under head coach Matthew Mitchell to go 25-8 and finish fourth in the Southeastern Conference. Last year’s Wildcats drew a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and knocked off Princeton in the opening round before falling to North Carolina State in the second.

Perhaps the most important catalyst of UK’s bounce-back campaign was freshman Rhyne Howard. Though a five-star prospect ranked in the 30s in the class of 2018 by multiple recruiting services, the talented guard actually proved underrated. A highly capable ball-handler who flashed top-tier inside-out skills, Howard led UK in scoring (16.4 points per game), rebounding (6.6) and was second on the team in three-point shooting percentage (38.7).

Howard was named SEC Freshman of the Year by the media and the league’s coaches, national Freshman of the Year by every major voting body and an honorable mention All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

After a season in which she earned so many accolades, and on the heels of the graduation of Murray and Morris, there’s no doubt Howard is the centerpiece of this year’s team.

But she won’t bear the burden alone: Howard is one of three returning starters from last year’s squad. And UK’s projected starting point guard, senior Jaida Roper, proved more than capable of directing the team while backing up Murray.

The Wildcats will also receive backcourt reinforcement via a pair of highly touted transfers who practiced with the team last season while sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules, and a home-grown sharpshooter who long dreamed of playing for UK and chose the school over several high-level suitors (including Louisville).

Add all those elements together, and you have a team that Mitchell believes can make even more noise than last year’s.

“I’m very, very excited about this season because I think this is one of those seasons that could be very special if we can all pull together and put it together,” Mitchell said at the team’s Media Day. “I think this can be a lot of fun.”

Here are five story lines to keep an eye on during the 2019-20 season:

1. No hiding Rhyne

If Rhyne Howard began her freshman season flying under the radar, it surely wasn’t long before opponents took notice of the firepower she brought to the Kentucky offense. After pouring in 29 points in an early-season tune-up against Southern, Howard starred in back-to-back wins over UCLA and North Carolina in the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.

Howard scored a team-high 20 points in UK’s 75-74 overtime win against the Bruins, then made four of six three-pointers on her way to a team-best 25 points in the 85-75 victory over the Tar Heels.

Murray and Morris were the only other Wildcats to average double-digit scoring last season, so it stands to reason opposing defenses will throw the kitchen sink at Howard this year. Mitchell said his star sophomore is more than prepared to handle the extra attention.

“She will clearly be the focus of the opposing defense,” he said. “The trouble people will have is that she’s so versatile ... She just can influence the game in really every area. She just doesn’t have many weaknesses.”

2. More offense needed

As transcendent a talent as she is, Howard must have help on offense for the Wildcats to take a step forward. One of the major questions heading into this season: From where will the Wildcats generate those points?

Returning starter Tatyana Wyatt is one of the prime candidates to step into the scoring void left by Murray and Morris. The senior forward was fourth-best on last year’s team with a 6.9 points-per-game average. Also figuring into the mix is sophomore guard Blair Green, who had an up-and-down season in her first year with the program out of Harlan County High School.

Green averaged 5.3 points per game off the bench, and though she suffered through a couple of shooting slumps she improved noticeably over the course of the season and eventually raised her field goal percentage to 42.6 by year’s end, knocking down 16 of 44 three-point shots (36.4 percent).

Another potential scorer to keep an eye on is freshman guard Emma King. The three-star prospect from Lincoln County High School chose UK over Louisville and Florida, among others, and comes to the program with a reputation as a fierce competitor and crafty scorer.

3. Green’s ‘great strides’

Speaking of Blair Green, Mitchell fully expects her to take a huge step forward as a sophomore.

“She’s made great strides since last year,” Mitchell told the Herald-Leader in October. “We believe that will translate into her being one of the best players in the conference.

“She is so athletic with great size and great versatility. She can play multiple positions which is so, so valuable for us. I think she can really blossom into one of our top scorers this year.”

4. New-look backcourt

Jaida Roper is set to take over as UK’s starting point guard after spending two seasons as Taylor Murray’s understudy. Mitchell said Roper was an effective leader off the bench and is a natural to assume the role of floor general. She’s joined in the backcourt by fellow senior Amanda Paschal.

Also figuring into the rotation will be Sabrina Haines, who sat out last season after transferring from Arizona State. Chasity Patterson will be eligible to play after the fall semester, giving the Cats even more depth at guard. Patterson transferred from Texas and was the top-ranked point guard in the high school class of 2017, according to ESPN.com.

5. Small ball

When looking at UK’s roster, one thing that jumps out is the lack of size in the front court. N.C. State transfer Nae Nae Cole is the tallest Wildcat at 6-foot-3. Last year Mitchell compensated for Kentucky’s lack of size by returning to the up-tempo, aggressive style that has characterized many of his teams. As a result, the Cats forced an eye-popping 21.2 turnovers per game. Expect more of the same this season.

“I like that we seem to have some understanding of what we want our identity to be, and that’s just extremely tenacious,” Mitchell said. “We’ll try to control the tempo of the game and make it tough on the opponent ... They understand that and are showing a willingness for that.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2019 at 7:16 AM.

Josh Sullivan

Lexington Herald-Leader

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Josh Sullivan has worked at the Herald-Leader for more than 10 years in multiple capacities, including as a news assistant, page designer, copy editor and sports reporter. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and a Lexington native. Support my work with a digital subscription