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Kentucky WBB kicks off conference play against Missouri

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•12/29/22•

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Photo by Eddie Justice | UK Athletics

Ready or not, conference play is coming for Kentucky women’s basketball. The ‘Cats don’t plan on hiding.

On Thursday, the Wildcats (8-4) will kick off their SEC schedule against the Missouri Tigers (11-2) at 9 p.m. inside Mizzou Arena. Kentucky ended a three-game losing streak in their last contest with a win over Ohio on Dec. 21. Head coach Kyra Elzy believes her team is ready to represent their school with pride.

“We are here to represent the University of Kentucky. There’s a way that we’re going to play, a way that we’re going to represent this program,” Elzy said.

The Wildcats’ first chance to live up to the Wildcat name in conference play won’t be easy.

Let’s talk about the Tigers

Missouri has won 11 games but fell to Illinois by 10 points in their most recent contest. In other words, the Tigers are talented and angry, a scary combination for Kentucky. This catastrophic cocktail only becomes more potent when you realize Missouri’s strengths.

“They run a five-out motion. They’re always moving; their ability to score the basketball, their shooting 3s very well,” Elzy said on Dec. 27. “This will be a true road test. They’re very tough, and Missouri is just a tough place to play.”

Hayley Frank is spearheading this five-out offense. The 6-foot-1 senior averages 15 points per game while shooting 56.9% from the field and 41.9% from beyond the arc. For reference, no Wildcat with more than five attempts is shooting better from deep.

Frank isn’t Missouri’s only sharpshooter. Senior guard Lauren Hansen drops 14.8 points per outing while connecting 35.3% from downtown. Haley Troup and Ashton Judd are connecting on over 35% of their 3-point attempts, as well.

The Tigers know how to hit the glass, snagging 36.7 rebounds per game. The team boasts four players who are 6-foot-3 or taller. The ‘Cats have half that number. UK must come with a plan, or they might as well plan to lose.

Keys for Kentucky WBB

Hopefully for the ‘Cats, this plan includes improved 3-point shooting. Kentucky is 52-212 (24.5%) from beyond the arc this season. Worse, Kentucky’s “shooters” can’t buy a basket. From 3-point range, Blair Green is 9-39, Emma King is 1-15 and Robyn Benton is 17-60 — that’s a combined 27-114, or 23.7 percent.

Of course, not every moment has included miserable shooting from the ‘Cats. In Kentucky’s win over Ohio on Dec. 21, Benton caught fire and drained four 3s in just the third quarter. Elzy believes the team’s rare spurts of shooting are due to confidence.

“[Benton] gave us some confidence, then somebody made a basket, then somebody made a basket. It was a kind of feel-good type of day. I told them at halftime, ‘You need to be confident, set in, you all are great shooters you scored your whole life. See the ball go in and be confident,'” Elzy recalled during the postgame press conference.

Kentucky must improve its inside efficiency along with its perimeter play. Averaging 6.2 rebounds per game while only regularly playing 16 minutes, Ajae Petty has proven her ability to dominate the glass. Now, it’s time for Nyah Leveretter and Adebola Adeyeye to do the same.

Luckily, Leveretter has stepped up her game lately. Elzy discussed her 6-foot-3 junior’s recent performances.

“Nyah, I thought the last couple of games she has been extremely bouncy playing in her role,” Elzy said. “My message: star in your role. Everybody has a role and play it to the best of your abilities and collectively we have enough to get it done.”

The ‘Cats will have a chance to play their roles again for the first time in eight days on Thursday. Kentucky will tipoff against the Missouri Tigers at 9 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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