Kentucky WBB has a lack of roster depth, but Cassidy Rowe can help fix that

When you read the headline of this article, you may scratch your head a bit. After all, the Kentucky women’s basketball rotation is eight players deep, and that number will grow to nine once Maddie Scherr is healthy again. There are a lot of teams out there with just seven or even six-player rotations, so what’s the big deal with Kentucky’s rotation?

Well, it’s not the fact that Kentucky has a lack of bodies to put in their rotation. It’s the fact that there isn’t a whole lot of contribution outside of the starting lineup.

Points off the bench are practically nonexistent

It’s very obvious at this point that Kentucky really struggles to put the ball in the hoop. Kentucky is shooting just 40.2% from the field and a horrendous 15.2% from deep in their first four games. Which, unfortunately, you could point fingers at basically everyone on the team for those struggles. That includes the players coming off the bench as well.

Out of 348 teams playing Division I women’s college basketball, Kentucky ranks 302nd in the country in bench points per game (12.5). When you look at the roster, there are only three players scoring in double figures for Kentucky. Ajae Petty leads the team in points per game (16.3), while Amiya Jenkins is currently putting up 11.8 points per contest, as she has taken a big jump in her sophomore season. Of course, Scherr (13 PPG) has been held out since she injured her ankle against USC Upstate in game two.

The only solid contributor off the bench is senior Eniya Russell, who is currently averaging 8.5 PPG. She is also grabbing 5.3 rebounds per contest to add to that. Despite that, Kentucky is only averaging 66.8 points per game as a whole, which is tied for last in the SEC with Auburn. If Kentucky is going to compete in the SEC, something needs to change. Fast.

Does Cassidy Rowe deserve more playing time?

Now, on to what my solution to this problem would be. After dropping two straight games, it’s clear that the current rotation isn’t putting up much of a fight in these games. So, how can this issue be remedied? It’s simple, Kyra Elzy needs to take a serious look at giving Cassidy Rowe a bigger role on this team. It makes sense to want to lean on players like Petty, Scherr, and Jenkins, but they need help.

If there was a “UK struggle bus”, Saniah Tyler would probably be the one driving it. She is averaging nine points per game, but that number is inflated by her shot volume. Tyler leads the team in shot attempts with 46 on the year. Ajae Petty (41) is the only other Kentucky player with more than 40+ field goal attempts at this point. However, Tyler is shooting just 28.3% from the field and only 25.9% from three. It may be time to lessen the load for Tyler and give some of it to someone like Cassidy Rowe.

Now, I’m not calling for Tyler to just be completely removed from the rotation. If Kentucky has any shot at competing in the SEC this season, they need Tyler to find her rhythm, and she can only do that through repetition. That being said, Kentucky needs someone to step up and be there as Tyler tries to gain traction. Rowe is averaging just 12.3 minutes per game right now. Kentucky is already 2-2, so what harm is there in giving Rowe more time on the floor? Things clearly aren’t working as they stand, so something needs to change as Kentucky prepares to face its toughest opponent yet, the No. 10 NC State Wolfpack, on Thursday.