The basketball and the candy are free. UK women host Halloween-themed exhibition game.
Fans can get their first look at the 2019-20 University of Kentucky women’s basketball team in a competitive setting on Wednesday night — and they can do it for free.
Admission is free and the theme is Halloween when UK plays its lone preseason exhibition at 7 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum against Southern Indiana University.
All seating areas are first-come, first-served, and UK is encouraging fans to come dressed for Halloween. While watching what the Wildcats can scare up on the court, fans will be able to enjoy free trick-or-treat candy.
(Per Lexington city ordinance, masks may not be worn in public and fans will not be allowed to enter Memorial Coliseum with masks or costume props.)
Sophomore guard Rhyne Howard, who led the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding as a freshman last season, returns to lead Kentucky, which is coming off a 25-8 season that ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
She is joined by returning starting forwards KeKe McKinney and Tatyana Wyatt.
The backcourt, which lost stars Maci Morris and Taylor Murray to graduation, will take on new look around Howard this season.
Seniors Jaida Roper and Amanda Paschal and sophomore Blair Green could take on larger roles in the backcourt, where they’ll be accompanied by several newcomers.
Southern Indiana, an NAIA Division II program, finished 20-9 last season but lost six seniors to graduation since then. Two starters return in senior guard Ashley Johnson — from Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville — and junior guard Emma DeHart.
The teams have played each other only one time previously. Kentucky won 87-56 in an exhibition game before the 2017-18 season.
SEC voting
The Southeastern Conference’s coaches announced their preseason voting results Tuesday, picking Kentucky to finish fourth in the league and awarding Rhyne Howard All-SEC First Team recognition.
The league’s coaches picked Texas A&M to win the SEC. Next in the voting were South Carolina, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Arkansas, LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Mississippi and Florida.
Texas A&M’s Chennedy Carter was voted preseason Player of the Year.
Joining Carter and Howard on the First Team were Chelsea Dungee of Arkansas, Ayana Mitchell of LSU, Jordan Danberry of Mississippi State, Amber Smith of Missouri, Tyasha Harris of South Carolina and Rennia Davis of Tennessee.
The Second Team included Alabama’s Cierra Johnson, Auburn’s Daisa Alexander and Unique Thompson, Georgia’s Gabby Connally, Mississippi State’s Chloe Bibby, South Carolina’s Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, Texas A&M’s Ciera Johnson and Kayla Wells, and Vanderbilt’s Mariella Fasoula.
Wednesday
Southern Indiana at Kentucky
What: Preseason exhibition game
Where: Memorial Coliseum
When: 7 p.m.
TV: None
Radio: WLAP-AM 630