UK finishes regular season Sunday. See how the Cats can lock up favorable SEC path.
After two months of grinding through Southeastern Conference play in anticipation of March Madness, it all comes down to this for the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team: The 15th-ranked Wildcats can lock up a top-four seed and double bye in next week’s SEC Tournament with a win at Vanderbilt in Sunday’s regular-season finale.
Kentucky (20-6 overall, 10-5 SEC) took care of business on Senior Night, knocking off Georgia 88-77 in Memorial Coliseum on Thursday. That victory, coupled with losses by Texas A&M and Arkansas, moved the Cats into a tie with the Aggies for third place in the league standings.
Kentucky defeated Texas A&M by 22 earlier this season, which means the Cats own the tiebreaker between the two and would lock up the No. 3 seed in the SEC Tournament with a win over the Commodores. In addition to a free pass into the quarterfinals, the No. 3 seed would allow the Wildcats to avoid a potential matchup with South Carolina, the SEC regular-season champ and the nation’s No. 1 team, until the tournament finals.
“We want to go win the SEC Tournament,” UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said after the victory over Georgia. “And the stats don’t lie. It is much more possible with the double bye than it is without it.”
Should the Wildcats lose at Vanderbilt they could still wind up with the No. 3 or No. 4 seed — or as low as No. 6 — via a resolution of multiple tiebreaker scenarios which are factored in when more than two teams finish with identical SEC records: Better for UK to leave Nashville with a victory and avoid the number crunching.
Vanderbilt (13-15, 3-11) got off to a 5-1 start this year before losing top scorer Brinae Alexander to a ruptured Achilles. The Commodores have struggled in the sophomore’s absence and are on a five-game losing streak.
Three current Vandy starters are averaging double figures in scoring this season, led by Koi Love. The 6-foot forward averages 13.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and has twice been named SEC Freshman of the Week. Mariella Fasoula, a 6-foot-5 senior forward from Athens, Greece, averages 13.0 points and 6.5 rebounds.
Sunday
No. 15 Kentucky at Vanderbilt
When: 2 p.m.
TV: SEC Network whip-around coverage
Streaming: SEC Network Plus
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Vanderbilt 13-15 (3-11 SEC); Kentucky 20-6 (10-5)
Series: Vanderbilt leads 28-24
Last meeting: UK won 77-55 on Jan. 3, 2019, in Lexington
