A win without Howard, a loss without Howard. What happens next for Kentucky?
The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team is 1-1 since sophomore star Rhyne Howard was sidelined with a broken finger, and it might have to get by for at least two more games without her.
The 15th-ranked Wildcats (17-4 overall 6-3 Southeastern Conference) host Alabama (13-9, 3-6) in Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night, a task that appeared eminently manageable until Kentucky’s second-half collapse against Florida in its most recent game Sunday.
Kentucky won easily at Missouri in its first game without Howard last week and led middle-of-the-SEC-pack Florida by 10 points at halftime on Sunday. That’s when things came undone. The Gators outscored UK 51-33 in the second half on their way to a stunning 70-62 win on the Cats’ home floor.
“We took our foot off the gas,” Kentucky senior guard Jaida Roper said after foul trouble and ice-cold three-point shooting derailed the Wildcats. “We’ve got to ... learn from that.”
Howard, who leads the SEC in scoring at 23.2 points per game, is out until mid-February, Coach Matthew Mitchell has said. After Kentucky hosts Alabama, the Cats visit No. 25 Arkansas on Sunday. They then get a week off before hosting No. 8 Mississippi State on Feb. 16. Mid-February? We’ll see.
Kentucky has won eight in a row over Alabama, including an 81-71 win Jan. 9 in Tuscaloosa in which Howard scored 43 points, tying the school record for a single game.
Who might pick up that kind of scoring slack when the teams meet again? Two other Wildcats join Howard in double-figure scoring — Chasity Patterson at 11.0 points per game and Sabrina Haines at 10.6.
“There’s so many ways that we can develop as a team and get better and not use her incredible ability to score as a security blanket,” Mitchell said at the time Howard’s injury was diagnosed. “We can work on sharpening up all the things we want to be by the end of the season so when she comes back we’re actually a stronger team because of all of this.”
Thursday
Alabama at No. 15 Kentucky
When: 7 p.m.
TV: SEC Network Plus (online only)
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Alabama 13-9 (3-6 SEC), Kentucky 17-4 (6-3)
Series: Kentucky leads 32-17
Last meeting: Kentucky won 81-71 on Jan. 9, 2020, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.