‘I cannot lose to him again.’ Howard, Kentucky set to resume rivalry with Louisville.
For the second time this season, the Kentucky women’s basketball program is finishing a stretch of three games in one week.
In November, the Wildcats opened the season with three games in six days: UK won the first two at home in blowouts before losing its only road game of the season so far at Indiana.
This week, UK has easily beaten Merrimack College before suffering a defensive collapse in a home loss to DePaul at Rupp Arena on Thursday night.
Much like that earlier stretch in November, this intense period of games comes to a close with a road rivalry game against a team ranked in the top 10 by the Associated Press.
Sunday’s matchup between No. 14 Kentucky and No. 7 Louisville carries many of the same themes that came with UK’s trip to Indiana earlier this season, but the context behind this edition of the in-state rivalry game between the Cardinals and Wildcats has made it even more anticipated.
Last season, for the first time in the modern era of women’s college basketball, Kentucky and Louisville didn’t play each other. The two schools have faced each other 56 times in history, including at least one time each season beginning with the 1974-75 season.
Limited scheduling availability due to the coronavirus pandemic played a role in preventing the annual rivalry game.
This season the game returns, as Louisville and Kentucky will play Sunday at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville.
“It showcases both our programs,” U of L head coach Jeff Walz said. “When you’ve got two programs that are 65, 70 miles apart and you’re both top 20 year in and year out, I just think it shows the strength of women’s basketball in our state.”
“We are both great programs. The fans love it. It’s big for people in the state of Kentucky,” Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy said. “This is a game that has to happen.”
Both Walz and Elzy are natives of the Commonwealth, with Walz hailing from Fort Thomas and Elzy from La Grange.
Sunday will mark Elzy’s first game against Louisville as Kentucky’s head coach.
While UK leads the all-time series against Louisville, 34-22, the Cardinals have won the last four editions of the rivalry game, including the last time the teams played in December 2019.
UK hasn’t beaten Louisville since December 2015, and Kentucky hasn’t won in Louisville since December 2014.
“We have to remain composed and poised offensively, taking care of the ball, play downhill, hunt (the) paint. We need to get to the free-throw line,” Elzy said of keys to the game for Kentucky. “We need to get our defense set, just match their physicalness and their toughness.”
Walz, who referenced the UK game as a measuring stick opportunity for both teams, said Friday afternoon that more than 11,000 tickets have been sold for the game. A crowd of 11,256 people watched the last UK-Louisville matchup in December 2019 at Rupp Arena.
Only two players on the current Kentucky roster appeared in the most recent matchup: Senior guards Rhyne Howard and Blair Green, and with Green sidelined for the season as she recovers from Achilles surgery, Howard will be the lone holdover come Sunday afternoon.
No current players on the Louisville roster have ever lost to Kentucky, and no current Kentucky player has beaten Louisville.
The rivalry carries additional personal motivation for Howard, who has been coached by Walz when playing for the United States women’s basketball team.
“It’s super important, but it’s going to happen,” Howard said of a win this year over the Cardinals and Walz. “I cannot lose to him again.”
When asked Friday about facing Howard — the projected No. 1 pick in next year’s WNBA Draft — for likely the last time, Walz joked that he hopes this is the last time he has to game plan against Howard, who is averaging 19.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game this season. Howard is also UK’s best foul shooter, making 34 of her team-leading 44 attempts.
“If you let Rhyne get into a rhythm and step into shots, she’s pretty darn impressive. It’s hard to stop,” Walz said. “We have to do everything we can to make it as difficult as we can.”
Elzy has made balanced scoring a priority in her second season as UK’s head coach, and despite plenty of negatives from Thursday’s loss to DePaul, a positive from the game was the continued trend of UK getting consistent scoring from non-Rhyne Howard players.
Senior guard Robyn Benton shot 11 of 15 from the field and had a season-high 22 points against the Blue Demons, and she’s one of four UK players to average double figures in scoring this season: Howard (19.5), junior forward Dre’una Edwards (18.9), Benton (13.3) and freshman guard Jada Walker (11.8).
“I feel like we’re pretty balanced offensively, and then defensively we just need to be more consistent,” Elzy said. “When we are locked in and ready to go we have proven that we can play great defense.”
Kentucky’s worst team performance of the season came against Indiana in its only previous road game. While there are similarities between the circumstances of both games, UK is hoping for a different outcome.
“We’ve just got to get our mind right,” Benton said about the Louisville game. “We know this is a rivalry. We know we’ve got to have our minds right for this game.”
Notes
▪ Edwards served a one-game team suspension against DePaul for “not upholding the academic standards” of the UK program, but Elzy said Edwards will be available to play against Louisville.
▪ Between the UK and U of L rosters, there are two players who attended high school in Kentucky who are available to play Sunday. For Louisville, senior guard Mykasa Robinson went to Ashland Blazer and for Kentucky, junior guard Emma King went to Lincoln County.
▪ Sunday’s game between Kentucky and Louisville is part of the Women’s Jimmy V Classic, along with a matchup between No. 8 Maryland and No. 1 South Carolina.
Sunday
No. 14 Kentucky at No. 7 Louisville
When: 1 p.m.
Records: UK 6-2; Louisville 7-1
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Series: UK leads 34-22
Last meeting: Louisville won 67-66 on Dec. 15, 2019, at Rupp Arena
