UK women set for SEC opener Thursday. Who’s hot, who’s not as league play tips off.
After an extended holiday break, the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team is set to jump straight into the teeth of a punishing 16-game Southeastern Conference schedule beginning New Year’s Eve.
The Wildcats, ranked No. 13 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, last played on Dec. 19, when they steamrolled Wofford in Memorial Coliseum, 98-37, in their final non-conference tuneup of the regular season. UK head coach Kyra Elzy is surely hoping her squad will emerge from the break rested and refreshed, because the transition back to basketball won’t include a soft warm-up for the Wildcats.
Kentucky (7-1) hosts No. 10 Arkansas (9-1) in Memorial Coliseum on Thursday at 8:30 p.m., then on Sunday travels to Mississippi State for a meeting with the 12th-ranked Bulldogs. UK was originally scheduled to play Tennessee in Knoxville on Sunday but that game was postponed after the Volunteers paused all team activities because of COVID-19 safety protocols.
“Every game in the SEC is a challenge. We play in the best conference in the country,” Elzy said during a Wednesday teleconference. “Night in and night out it is going to be a grind. Like I told (the team) today, SEC games are like gold. You try to protect home, go on the road and steal some.”
With five teams currently ranked in the top 25 (No. 5 South Carolina, No. 9 Texas A&M), and two more receiving votes in the latest AP poll (Georgia, Tennessee), the SEC is once again stacked with Final Four contenders. Here’s a look some of the top story lines to keep an eye on heading into the conference season:
Who’s hot?
Kentucky opens SEC play Thursday night against one of the hottest teams in all of college basketball.
Arkansas has won six straight games since losing to No. 12 Maryland on a neutral court on Nov. 29. The Razorbacks’ streak includes an 83-78 victory over then-No. 4 Baylor — technically the defending national champion since the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled — on Dec. 6.
The Razorbacks are coming off one of the best seasons in program history last year, having gone 10-6 in league play to finish tied for third — their best-ever showing in the SEC. Four of five starters remain from that team, including preseason First Team All-SEC selection Chelsea Dungee, who’s off to a strong start in her senior campaign.
One of four players averaging double-figure scoring, Dungee leads the Razorbacks with an 18.9 points-per-game average. Destiny Slocum is averaging 16.3. Both senior guards are gifted athletes who can handle the ball and attack the basket, which should make for a compelling clash with Kentucky’s swarming defense.
“We’re going to have our work cut out for us,” Elzy said. “(Dungee) is a talented player. She plays the four spot and she’s versatile. She can drive to the rim, she can shoot a mid-range jumper, she can pull up and shoot threes, so you have to be able to guard her on all levels. And then, she just has that swag about her, the confidence. Her ability to take over games is dangerous.”
Among the Wildcats tasked with slowing down Dungee is another player who’s off to a fast start, senior Chasity Patterson. In her first full season as a Wildcat, Patterson has firmly seized the role of starting point guard and has been the team’s spark plug through the first stretch of the schedule.
Patterson is averaging 15.4 points per game — right behind top scorers Rhyne Howard and Dre’una Edwards (15.5 each) — and a head-turning 5.0 steals. Patterson recorded a rare double-double with 17 points and 10 steals in the win over Wofford.
Also off to a hot start this season is No. 9 Texas A&M, which in the preseason was voted by SEC coaches to finish third in the conference behind South Carolina and Kentucky. The Aggies already have a pair of top-25 wins, having picked up road victories at No. 19 Texas and No. 18 DePaul, which is the only team to have beaten Kentucky this season.
Four starters remain from last year’s Texas A&M squad that finished tied for third in league play at 10-6 along with Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee. N’dea Jones, an All-SEC First Team selection last year, is one of the most dominant post players in the country, averaging 12.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Senior guard Aaliyah Wilson leads the Aggies in scoring (13.4).
Divergent starts
Perhaps the most disappointing SEC team thus far has been LSU, which was tabbed by the league’s coaches to finish seventh after going 20-10 overall and 9-7 in the conference last season. The Tigers are 2-4 following a three-game losing streak to open the year, including a 10-point home loss to Central Florida.
LSU was beaten by Pacific, 73-64, on a neutral court in Las Vegas and narrowly escaped Loyola Marymount, 54-52, the following day. The Tigers open SEC play Thursday night against Auburn in Baton Rouge.
On the flipside, Georgia is off to an 8-0 start and received 33 votes in this week’s AP poll, the most of any team outside the top 25. The Bulldogs were picked to finish ninth in the SEC after going 17-14 overall and 7-9 in league play last year. Georgia has yet to face a ranked opponent, with its best win so far a 75-69 victory at Georgia Tech — which also received votes in this week’s poll.
We’ll get a better gauge on where the Bulldogs stand when they host No. 12 Mississippi State to open SEC play Thursday.
Gamecocks vulnerable?
South Carolina entered the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll for the first time in program history after the Gamecocks spent the final 10 weeks of last season ranked No. 1 before the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports. South Carolina won the SEC regular season and tournament titles last season and has won the SEC Tournament five of the last six years.
But a slight crack appeared in South Carolina’s armor on Dec. 3 when the Gamecocks suffered a rare home loss to North Carolina State, 54-46. There’s certainly no shame in that setback, as N.C. State is 8-0 and ranked No. 3 in the nation; but any air of invincibility surrounding the Gamecocks was certainly punctured. South Carolina rebounded with an 18-point win over then-No. 23 Iowa State.
The Gamecocks are led by reigning SEC and National Freshman of the Year Aliyah Boston, who was also voted SEC Defensive Player of the Year last season. The 6-foot-5 forward is averaging 11.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
Must-see matchups
Kentucky draws the brightest spotlight during the opening week of conference play. With Thursday’s matchup with No. 10 Arkansas and Sunday’s trip to No. 12 Mississippi State, the Wildcats are the only SEC team scheduled to face two ranked opponents out of the gate.
In fact, UK will probably meet ranked opponents in its first four contests. The Wildcats are scheduled to face No. 9 Texas A&M on the road Jan. 7 then host No. 5 South Carolina on Jan. 10. UK’s trip to Columbia for a rematch with South Carolina on Feb. 21 could play a huge role in the outcome of the SEC race.
Also looming large is the only matchup between the Gamecocks and Texas A&M, which is scheduled to be the regular-season finale for both teams on Feb. 28 in College Station. The Aggies travel to Arkansas on Jan. 10 and host Mississippi State on Jan. 17 before hosting a rematch with Arkansas on Feb. 14.
Among the other highlights of South Carolina’s league schedule are a home meeting with Arkansas on Jan. 18 and a trip to Mississippi State on Jan. 28.
Kentucky’s postponed trip to Tennessee has yet to be rescheduled, but the Wildcats are still slated to host the Volunteers on Feb. 11.
Thursday
No. 10 Arkansas at No. 13 Kentucky
When: 8:30 p.m.
TV: SEC Network
SEC records
As conference play tips off Thursday night, here is how the league’s teams have fared in non-conference games this season, with Associated Press rankings where applicable:
No. 9 Texas A&M, 9-0
Georgia, 8-0
Alabama, 7-0
Ole Miss, 6-0
No. 10 Arkansas, 9-1
Florida, 7-1
No. 13 Kentucky, 7-1
Tennessee, 6-1
No. 12 Mississippi State, 5-1
No. 5 South Carolina, 5-1
Missouri, 4-1
Vanderbilt, 4-1
Auburn, 5-3
LSU, 2-4
