Kentucky WBB aims to get back on track against Murray State

What’s the best way to get over a loss to an in-state opponent? Lay the beatdown on another. Kentucky Women’s Basketball plans to do just that.

On Friday night, the Wildcats (7-2) look to get back in the win column as they face off against the Murray State Racers (5-2) in Memorial Coliseum at 7 p.m. Kentucky has been off for five days after falling to Louisville on Dec. 11. Head coach Kyra Elzy believes this game is the perfect opportunity for her ‘Cats to get back on their feet.

Back home. 👊

Kentucky plays host to Murray State tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network for Heroes Night.

Spend the evening with us. 😻🏡#GameOn

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) December 15, 2022

“I texted the players and the staff, ‘We got knocked down. We got knocked down, but we’re not gonna stay down,'” Elzy said. “You lose as a team and you learn.”

The Racers aren’t aiming to help the ‘Cats have a smooth learning process.

Ranting about the Racers

Coming off a 71-67 heartbreak to Austin Peay on Tuesday, Murray State has extra motivation to upset Kentucky. Unfortunately for the Racers, history isn’t on their side. Kentucky has won all 15 of the two programs’ previous matchups, dating back to 1975.

However, if anybody is going to carry the Racers to a Cinderella story, it’s Katelyn Young. The 6-foot-1 forward is a problem, averaging 20.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season. Young’s previous campaign wasn’t half-bad, either. The junior won the 2021-22 OVC Player of the Year award.

Here are our NCAA “Lines of the Night” for December 13th.

Find more great performances at:https://t.co/SF9LcTt7Ro

If you see a performance tonight that you would like to nominate for tomorrow’s post (games from December 14th), @ us with the hashtag #HHSLinesofTheNight pic.twitter.com/zBs7BJ08Zb

— Her Hoop Stats (@herhoopstats) December 14, 2022

Young’s not the only Racer with dark horse potential. Macey Turley is a sniper, contributing 13.5 points per outing while shooting 53.6% from beyond the arc. Moreover, Turley is Murray State’s leader in assists.

As talented as these two are, the rest of the Racers struggle to score. No other player on the team is averaging more than six points per game. Of course, it’s difficult to get the ball in the basket when you can barely get it past halfcourt.

The Racers are averaging 16 turnovers per contest. Despite the team’s mistakes, Elzy isn’t overlooking the in-state squad.

“Murray is a smart team, obviously,” Elzy said during a press conference on Thursday. “They’re hitting 81% from the free-throw line. We need to play defense and be disciplined.”

Keys for Kentucky WBB

Playing defense is easy for this team. Being disciplined? Not so simple. Kentucky committed 27 personal fouls against Louisville, leading to 39 Cardinal free throws, of which they nailed 33. If the ‘Cats make the same mistakes against the Racers, they’ll receive the same painful result.

Foul trouble isn’t anything new for the Wildcats. In the Bahamas, the team constantly faced foul trouble, with five ‘Cats finishing with four or more fouls in the team’s loss to top 10 Virginia Tech. Luckily for UK, Elzy has faith the foul problems are fixable.

“We went back and watched all 27 fouls yesterday [against Louisville]. Those are things that we can control. Being in the right position; discipline yourself to be aggressive, but not foul,” Elzy said.

Defense isn’t the only place Kentucky must make improvements. In the loss against Louisville, Jada Walker and Blair Green scored a combined six points on 2-14 shooting. The pair must use Friday’s game to rediscover their rhythm. Elzy hasn’t lost any confidence in them.

“We all have rough games,” Elzy said. “You go back and watch film and then show them some opportunities like, ‘This could have been a back door’ or ‘We could read this different.'”

A weekend for bouncing back.

Friday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. ET:
🆚 @RacersWBB

Sunday, Dec. 18 at 1 p.m. ET:
🆚 @FGCU_WBB #GameOn pic.twitter.com/IHX6FbqVqN

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) December 14, 2022

There will be a lot of differences to read against Murray State. While the Racers are another in-state opponent, the similarities between them and Louisville end there. The ‘Cats are more skilled, more athletic and more experienced. There’s no acceptable outcome besides domination.

Elzy knows this accountability is key to the team reaching its peak.

“I tell them these are the things I’m going to hold myself accountable for. What are you going to hold yourself accountable to?“

Watch Elzy and the ‘Cats take on Murray State at 7 p.m. on Friday in Memorial Coliseum. The program is referring to the event as Heroes Night, an opportunity for the program to recognize first responders and their contributions and sacrifices for our community. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.