Five games through the season, what do we know (and not know) about this Kentucky WBB team?

Through Kentucky’s first five games, we’ve seen a lot. Against inferior competition, Kentucky has handled business like they should — especially when you factor in a 48-hour turnaround before playing a pretty decent Purdue Fort Wayne team last time out.

Of course, the highlight of the season was Kentucky’s 71-61 win over the then No. 18 Louisville Cardinals in overtime. In what was a back and forth game for 45 minutes, the Cats came out on top, and Kenny Brooks earned his first signature win at the helm.

So, now that Kentucky is 5-0 and ranked as the No. 15 team in the country, what do we know (and not know) about this group?

What We Do Know

This is a pretty dang good team, and there’s still a lot of room for growth

Kentucky not only hung in there against a very, very good Louisville team, but they won the game. That same Louisville team took No. 5 UCLA down to the wire in Paris, France.

Obviously, this is no South Carolina, UConn or USC, but Kentucky is certainly amongst that second group of schools that are among the best in the country. The best part? This isn’t Kentucky at their peak. This is premature Kentucky — a Kentucky team that will improve tremendously from now to March.

That’s exciting.

The offense is going to flow through Georgia Amoore

If it wasn’t clear enough in the preseason just looking at the roster, then it quickly became apparent on the court that Georgia Amoore is going to be the leader of this team. Specifically, Amoore is going to lead the offense.

Being the point guard — an All-American point guard at that — that was always going to be the case. Of course, her usage rate may be a bit above expected considering just how much the ball is in her hands, but that’s going to be the style of play this season.

Not that it’s necessarily 1 vs. 5 (though when things get stagnant, it can be like that), but no one understands and is trusted more by Kenny Brooks more than Amoore. So, for better and for worse, the offense is going to revolve around Amoore.

Interior defense: pretty good. Perimeter defense: not quite as good.

Kentucky is the best shot-blocking team in the country, averaging 11.6 blocks per game. No. 6 Notre Dame (10) is the only other team in college basketball averaging double-digit blocks per game.

It goes without saying, but the Cats have plenty of size, and more often than not, that size does wonders defensively. Clara Strack, Clara Silva and Teonni Key are all potential threats to break the single-game record for blocks (7) before their time at Kentucky is done.

However, part of the reason for all of those blocks is that Kentucky is constantly getting beat on the perimeter. Whether it be a bad switch or just being a step behind, opposing teams are getting to the rack way too easily.

If nothing else, this team has gumption and fight

We saw it against Louisville and Purdue Fort Wayne. When things are getting frustrating and when the scoreboard isn’t in Kentucky’s favor, they don’t falter.

Amoore does the best job of maintaining a poker face and keeping her composure. Players like Dazia Lawrence and Cassidy Rowe come in and hit big shots and make big stops when needed.

Then, you have Amelia Hassett and Key, both of which come in clutch with their rebounding ability down the stretch. Plus, Hassett going 5-6 from the free throw line against Louisville was massive.

What We Don’t Know

Can Kentucky find ways to get Amelia Hassett more involved offensively?

Speaking of Hassett, she has only scored in double figures once this season, and that came in a 14-point effort against USC Upstate in the season opener.

As of right now, the junior forward is averaging 7.2 points per game, which will suffice most nights, but given how talented she is, it feels like she still has more to offer.

It’ll be interesting to see if Brooks can or will incorporate some sets to get Hassett some more looks on offense.

Are the freshmen going to be big contributors this season?

Lexi Blue and Tanah Becker have both played sparingly this season, especially Becker. Against Purdue Fort Wayne, Blue got some more run, but Becker did not see the floor against the Mastodons.

Both provide unique skill sets at the wing position, but it’s clear at this point that they’re still adjusting to the speed of the college level.

The same goes for Clara Silva, who was in for just five total minutes against Purdue Fort Wayne. However, her playing time, as well as Blue and Becker’s, should continue to increase steadily as the season goes on. Only time can tell.

If Georgia Amoore fouls out, what happens? Does everything stall?

This is pretty clearly the biggest worry or question regarding this team.

Like mentioned earlier, the offense flows through Amoore. So, if she were to foul out one game, what happens to the offense? Does Rowe run the point and you play as if she’s Amoore? That doesn’t seem like a good idea.

Does Brooks employ unique sets or different things that we haven’t seen before? That should be interesting to monitor going forward. Let’s just hope we don’t have to find out the answer to that anytime soon.

How is Kentucky going to do in a tough road environment?

To wrap things up, we have one of the more obvious questions regarding this team.

Kentucky has yet to play a game away from Historic Memorial Coliseum, and now, four of their next five games are either on enemy territory or on a neutral court. The Music City Classic should be a decent test of how Kentucky will perform away from home.

However, it’ll be really interesting to see how this group does on the road at No. 16 North Carolina on December 5th and at Purdue on the 14th. If Kentucky can go 2-0 in those games, then you have to be pretty happy about there things stand.