Crucial stretch upcoming for UK women’s basketball. Road test at Alabama is next.
Fresh off a thrilling win over nationally ranked Tennessee in Memorial Coliseum, the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team is about to embark upon a crucial stretch of its schedule that could have a major impact on the Southeastern Conference race.
UK plays four of its next six games on the road, beginning Thursday night at Alabama. Last season the Wildcats went 6-4 in true road games on their way to an overall record of 25-8 and an 11-5 mark in the SEC. They won their last four road contests of the season, securing a fourth-place finish in the league and a double bye in the conference tournament.
Kentucky (12-2, 1-1 SEC) dropped from No. 13 to No. 14 in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 Poll after an up-and-down week. The Cats were routed by 27 points at No. 4 South Carolina before sophomore star Rhyne Howard scored a career-high 37 to lead the bounce-back victory over the Volunteers.
Howard was voted espnW National Player of the Week as well as SEC Player of the Week following the Tennessee win. She’s now the top scorer among SEC players, averaging 22.6 points per game on the year. She ranks fifth nationally in scoring average and has scored at least 25 points in four straight games, becoming the second player in program history to accomplish that feat (Valerie Still).
Howard is sure to draw plenty of defensive attention from Alabama (10-5, 0-2 SEC), which suffered its own lopsided loss to South Carolina (93-78) on Sunday. Junior guard Jordan Lewis leads the Crimson Tide with an average of 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Kentucky owns a seven-game winning streak in the series, including five straight in Tuscaloosa.
Thursday
No. 14 Kentucky at Alabama
When: 8 p.m.
Where: Coleman Coliseum
Live stream: SEC Network Plus
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Kentucky 12-2 (1-1 SEC), Alabama 10-5 (0-2)
Series: Kentucky leads 31-17
Last meeting: Kentucky won 68-53 on Feb. 17, 2019, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
