UK women’s basketball heating up in the post ahead of Thursday’s South Carolina rematch

It’s easy to focus on Kentucky’s guards this season.

After all, they take up all but four of the 14 active spots on UK’s women’s basketball roster. And it’s especially easy to get swept up in the play of Robyn Benton, Jada Walker and Maddie Scherr — the team’s top three scorers and a trio that has accounted for almost 60 percent of the team’s points.

However, not to be overlooked is a surge in production from Kentucky’s post players in recent games against Auburn and Missouri. The Wildcats (10-11, 2-7 SEC) will surely need that to continue in its rematch with top-ranked South Carolina (21-0, 9-0 SEC) on Thursday night in Columbia, S.C.

Four of the Gamecocks’ five leading scorers are forwards or centers, including reigning national player of the year Aliyah Boston, who stands 6-foot-5 and averages 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

UK cannot match South Carolina’s star power up front. Instead, Kentucky Coach Kyra Elzy seeks a collective effort each game from regular contributors Adebola Adeyeye, Nyah Leveretter and Ajae Petty along with freshman Zennia Thomas.

“She tells us 12 points and 15 rebounds as a post group,” Leveretter said following Sunday’s 77-54 win over Missouri.

That goal has been met only five times in UK’s 21 games. But only one of those games, Dec. 16 against Murray State (a combined 13 points, 16 rebounds), resulted in a loss. It has not happened since the Dec. 21 victory against Ohio (21 points, 15 rebounds).

Though Kentucky’s post group hasn’t hit that expectation during conference play, it’s never felt closer than after last week’s matchups against Auburn and Missouri.

Following Kentucky’s 77-76 loss at Mississippi State on Jan. 22, during which Adeyeye, Leveretter and Petty combined for a total of zero points and six boards, something had to change.

“I think it’s just a mentality,” Leveretter said Sunday. “We didn’t understand before how much we affect the game, too. And, actually, meeting with the team, meeting with the coaches, position groups, we understand. We’re valuable. We need to do what we need to do. We need to produce in order for this team to change the route and win games.”

Leveretter, who’s started 16 of the Wildcats’ 21 games, tied her career high with eight points against Mizzou on Sunday and topped her career best with 11 boards against Auburn last Thursday. She and Adeyeye, a transfer from Buffalo who’s started five games this season, combined for 14 points and nine rebounds in UK’s second SEC win of the year on Sunday.

“I’m so proud of my bigs,” Elzy said Sunday. ”They work extremely hard. They want to help this team win. Just things that they could achieve, intangibles that we need from them. But they’re also playing with a lot of confidence. We stood in front of the team and I said, ‘This group (the bigs)? You need. And no, they don’t get to go to the press conference, or the radio show. They’re not in the headline of the paper. But the dirty work that they do, we need them to do in order for us to be successful.”’

Thursday’s opponent is no stranger to headlines. Last year’s national champion came to Lexington on Jan. 12 and defeated the Wildcats 95-66, despite UK hanging on for a good chunk of three quarters.

UK led South Carolina for 5 minutes, 53 seconds in a game that saw three ties and three lead changes. UK’s 66 points is the second-most allowed by the top team in the nation this season. The first being Stanford, which scored 71 points in an overtime loss to the Gamecocks on Nov. 20.

South Carolina has the highest rebounding margin in Division I women’s basketball, with 22.1 per game. However, when the Wildcats hosted the Gamecocks in January, South Carolina only out-rebounded UK 35-29.

UK even managed to score 32 points in the paint against highly touted (and at least 6-foot-2) players such as Victaria Saxton, Kamilla Cardoso and Boston, the national defensive player of the year last season.

But UK’s post players combined for only nine points and 11 boards that night.

In order to put up a strong fight at South Carolina, UK will need to see continued energy and growth from its front court. When asked what the message was ahead of the Missouri game, Elzy reiterated the need for the right mindset.

“Winning mentality,” Elzy said. “Everybody in the SEC wants to win. But what are we going to do different to actually get the win? We stood in front of each other and said ‘these are the things we’re holding ourself accountable to, and these are the things that we’re going to bring to the table individually in order for us, collectively, to have team success.’”

Thursday

Kentucky at No. 1 South Carolina

When: 7 p.m.

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WLAP-AM 630

Records: Kentucky 10-11 (2-7 SEC), South Carolina 21-0 (9-0)

Series: South Carolina leads 38-35

Last meeting: South Carolina won 95-66 on Jan. 12, 2023, in Lexington