In chase for SEC Tournament edge, Kentucky women face must-win game at Georgia
As University of Kentucky women’s basketball coach Kyra Elzy has often reminded us this season, every game in the loaded Southeastern Conference is an absolute battle.
“The gauntlet continues,” Elzy said during a teleconference ahead of Thursday’s meeting with the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.
The SEC placed six teams in this week’s AP Top 25 poll, the most of any league. With that kind of competition around every corner, the prospect of winning four or five games to capture an SEC Tournament championship is dubious, at best. That’s why a top-four seed and the double-bye into the quarterfinals that comes with it is such a coveted prize.
If the Wildcats are going to maintain a shot at one of those byes, they probably must defeat the Bulldogs on Thursday night.
Kentucky (15-6 overall, 8-5 SEC) fell two spots to No. 19 in this week’s AP poll following Sunday’s 21-point loss at then-No. 2 South Carolina. Georgia (17-4, 9-4 SEC) rose five spots to No. 17 after knocking off then-No. 21 Tennessee.
With two games remaining in the regular season for each team — assuming contests postponed because of COVID-19 protocols are not rescheduled — Georgia sits third in the SEC standings, one game ahead of fifth-place Kentucky. South Carolina (18-3, 13-1 SEC) and Texas A&M (20-1, 11-1 SEC) have essentially locked up the top two spots. Tennessee (13-6, 7-4 SEC) is fourth, based on tiebreaker rules adopted this season to account for scheduling discrepancies forced by the pandemic — more on that later.
Defeat the Bulldogs, and the Wildcats would control their own fate — having set up a scenario in which they could clinch the No. 3 or No. 4 seed with a win in Sunday’s regular-season finale against Mississippi.
Fail to win Thursday, and UK’s path to a bye narrows drastically. The Cats would need Tennessee to lose its final two scheduled games against Missouri and Auburn, both of whom have losing records, or the SEC to reschedule a slew of postponed games during a compact window just ahead of the conference tournament — an increasingly unlikely scenario — and hope the results break in their favor.
Bottom line; there’s a heck of a lot riding on the outcome of this bout between the Cats and Bulldogs.
“We’re always worried about seeding and positioning. It’s something that we talk about all year,” Elzy said. “The players do understand the importance of this game. One, because it’s the next game on our schedule, but (also) for seeding purposes.”
Picked in the preseason by SEC coaches to finish ninth, Georgia has been among the league’s biggest surprises. The Bulldogs own three wins over top-25 teams, including two over Tennessee. They’re led by 6-foot-4 senior center Jenna Staita. That could spell trouble for the Wildcats, who’ve often struggled against talented bigs. Staita averages 13.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game. She scored six points in Sunday’s win over the Vols but dominated in other areas, grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking six shots.
“Staita is playing extremely well, she’s a big-bodied post. She can score over both shoulders,” Elzy said. “We have to work not to let her have deep position ... We’re going to have to make her a passer and when she kicks out of the double (team), when the shot goes up make sure we’re getting a box out.”
Starting guards Gabby Connally (12.4 points per game) and Que Morrison (11.1) also average double-figure scoring for the Bulldogs. Connally has made 46 of 108 three-point shots (42.6 percent) and had 24 points and five steals in Sunday’s win.
New SEC procedures
With the pandemic going strong when the season began, chances were slim that all 14 SEC women’s basketball teams would complete a 16-game league schedule. That became a certainty in January when Vanderbilt canceled the remainder of its season because of COVID, injuries and opt-outs.
South Carolina and Alabama are the only teams on track to play 16 SEC games, having thus far avoided postponements or cancellations. To account for this eventuality, the SEC adopted new procedures for 2020-2021.
Final standings and SEC Tournament seeding will be determined by conference winning percentage. Despite having played only 11 SEC games, Tennessee is currently fourth in the league standings with a record of 7-4 because of its .636 winning percentage. At 8-5, fifth-place Kentucky’s winning percentage is .615.
As in previous years, the first tiebreaker among teams with identical win percentages is head-to-head record. That’s why a Kentucky win over third-place Georgia would give the Cats the tiebreaker edge over the Bulldogs.
During a normal year, the No. 6 seed would play the winner of a first-round game between the No. 11 and No. 14 seeds. Since Vanderbilt’s season is over and only 13 teams will compete in the SEC Tournament, this year the No. 6 seed will automatically face the No. 11 seed in the second round. The No. 12 vs. No. 13 matchup will be the only first-round game.
Patterson makes cut
UK senior guard Chasity Patterson on Tuesday was named one of 10 semifinalists for Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Patterson ranks in the national top five with 67 steals and national top 10 with an average of 3.19 steals per game. She currently ranks fourth all-time at UK with an average of 3.5 steals per game. The Houston native is the only Wildcat to start all 21 games this season and averages 12.9 points while shooting 48.6 percent from the field.
Patterson has recorded seven or more steals four times this season, including four or more in three SEC contests. She’s the only SEC player to record eight or more steals in a game this season, having done so three times. Patterson became the third player in program history to swipe 10 or more steals in a game in a win over Wofford.
Thursday
No. 19 Kentucky at No. 17 Georgia
When: 7 p.m.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: UK 15-6 (8-5 SEC); Georgia 17-4 (9-4 SEC)
Series: Georgia leads 37-20
Last meeting: Kentucky won 88-77 on Feb. 27, 2020, in Memorial Coliseum.
