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Kentucky WBB returns home to face Auburn

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•01/26/23•

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Photo by Ethan Rand | UK Athletics

This game is a must-win for the Kentucky women’s basketball team.

On Thursday night, the Wildcats (9-10; 1-6) will square off against the Auburn Tigers (11-8; 1-6) at 7 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum. In UK’s most recent contest, the ‘Cats fell in heartbreaking fashion, 77-76, to Mississippi State. Kentucky must overcome this disappointment with a win on Thursday. If not, the disappointment could last all season.

Kentucky and Auburn are tied for 11th place in the SEC, both with a 1-6 conference record. Teams that finish 10th place or better receive a vital bye game in the SEC Tournament. While neither team has competed at the top of the conference this season, expect a viciously competitive game in Memorial.

Let’s talk about the Tigers

Unlike the ‘Cats, Auburn isn’t fighting any headwinds. The team defeated Ole Miss 77-76 in overtime on Jan. 22. Squashing the Ole Miss rebellion was no easy feat. The Rebels were 5-1 in SEC play and fourth in the conference.

The win is a huge momentum boost; momentum that could leave Kentucky in the dust. Auburn leading-scorer Aicha Coulibaly was instrumental in the Tigers’ upset, scoring 31 points on 12-20 shooting. Although Coulibaly isn’t always this fantastic, she is always good.

Coulibaly averages 17.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. As talented as the 6-foot combo guard is, she’s not a threat from outside. Coulibaly is connecting on just 22.9% of her 3-point attempts this season.

I can’t say the same for Honesty Scott-Grayson. The redshirt senior adds 14.1 points per outing to the Tigers’ effort while shooting an incredible 44.6% from beyond the arc. Scott-Grayson drains 1.8 3-balls a night.

Romi Levy provides Auburn’s two star guards some much-needed balance. The 6-foot-3 junior missed last season due to a torn ACL but has been solid so far this season. Levy averages 7.0 points and 4.1 boards per contest.

Keys for Kentucky WBB

Kentucky’s frontcourt should take notes. In the Wildcats’ loss at Mississippi State last week, Ajae Petty, Nyah Leveretter and Adebola Adeyeye combined for zero points and six rebounds. They played a combined 45 minutes.

UK’s bigs aren’t currently a threat in the post. If anything, they’re a threat to their own team. Leveretter and Petty contributed four turnovers against the Bulldogs despite rarely handling the ball. Despite the forwards’ shortcomings, Elzy is remaining patient with her post.

“Obviously, we continue to need an inside presence, but in those types of games, when the guards are scoring, your job is to rebound and defend,” Elzy said after Kentucky defeated Florida last week.

Even if it’s not the bigs doing it, the ‘Cats must score in the paint. The results speak for themselves. In Kentucky’s sole conference win this season, it scored 38 points in the paint, 47% of the team’s total. In Kentucky’s latest loss, the team scored just 21 paint points, 27% of the team’s total.

The math is simple; UK is better when it attacks the lane. Even though the Wildcats went 2-16 from deep against Florida, their excellent interior offense won them the game. Elzy acknowledged this fact after the win over the Gators.

“The big difference from this game versus earlier game, we just kept shooting 3s instead of finding another way to score,” Elzy said.

Kentucky will need a lot of ways to score if it wants to pull out a win on Thursday night. The ‘Cats will take on the Auburn Tigers at 7 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.

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2025-01-24