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Kentucky WBB's SEC Tournament run is a string of revenge

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•03/06/22•

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Photo by Eddie Justice | UK Athletics

Kentucky Women’s Basketball isn’t simply upsetting higher seeds in their improbable SEC Tournament run. The ‘Cats are, game-by-game, avenging regular-season losses.

In the past two contests, Kentucky has defeated teams that handed them painful losses in January. Now set to face No. 1 South Carolina in the conference championship, Kentucky has the opportunity to exact revenge again. Nevertheless, before looking ahead, let’s examine how the ‘Cats flipped the script in their previous two wins.

Turning the tables on the Tigers

On Jan. 30, Kentucky fell to LSU in a tightly contested 78-69 battle. On March 3, the ‘Cats dominated LSU 78-63 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. So, what changed?

To start, Jazmine Massengill and Robyn Benton both played, in the rematch after injuries held them out previously. Secondly, UK took care of the ball. In the team’s loss, they committed a poor 19 turnovers while on Friday they only had 11 miscues. Consequently, LSU scored 16 points less off Kentucky’s turnovers on Friday than in the teams’ January matchup.

Ball control wasn’t the only area Kentucky improved in the short span of time. In Kentucky’s loss to the Tigers, they didn’t capitalize on their rebounding advantage, scoring fewer second-chance points than LSU. The ‘Cats’ triumph over LSU couldn’t have been more different.

On Friday, Kentucky had more than four times as many second-chance points as LSU. Head coach Kyra Elzy was thrilled by her team’s improvement.

“I’m proud of this team. Man, the resiliency, the toughness, the togetherness. They believe in each other,” Elzy said after Kentucky’s win on Friday.

Exacting revenge on Tennessee

While Kentucky’s loss against LSU in the regular season was close, the team’s fall to the Volunteers was a blowout. On Jan. 16, Tennessee dominated UK in every facet of the game, resulting in an 84-58 victory down in Knoxville. So, how did Kentucky topple Tennessee just 47 days later?

Once again, rebounding was key. In Kentucky’s loss to the Volunteers, Tennessee secured a jaw-dropping 21 more rebounds than the ‘Cats. In contrast, Tennessee only grabbed five more rebounds than UK on Friday night. Further, Kentucky matched the Volunteers’ offensive rebounding effort.

Although Kentucky still didn’t win the battle of the boards against Tennessee, the Wildcats’ efforts won them the war. Unlike rebounding, Kentucky’s shooting performance on Friday was far superior to LSU.

In UK’s loss to the Volunteers, the team shot a poor 4-18 from beyond the arc. In Kentucky’s win, they connected on a season-high 12 3-pointers in 24 attempts. Meanwhile, Tennessee hit only three baskets from deep in the contest.

Rhyne Howard discussed the team’s improved shooting after Saturday’s win.

“We like to shoot, and when we see it going in, we’re going to keep shooting it. We are moving the ball really well to find the open person. We’re just connecting on all levels,” Howard said during the postgame press conference.

How can Kentucky WBB beat South Carolina?

Unlike the previous two teams, Kentucky has played the Gamecocks twice this season, both ending in losses. On Jan. 9, South Carolina embarrassed Kentucky in a 74-54 win. Kentucky showed slight improvement in the team’s next matchup. On Feb. 10, Kentucky fell to South Carolina 59-50 in Memorial Coliseum. So, how can Kentucky stop history from repeating itself?

Simply put, Kentucky’s offense has to be better. In the team’s first loss to South Carolina, Howard was a non-factor on offense, scoring a season-low nine points. Howard was a horrific 2-14 from the field in the contest.

Thankfully for Kentucky, Howard appears to be playing better than ever. The All-American is averaging 23.3 points per game in the SEC Tournament. The ‘Cats will need every point and then some if they want to defeat the Gamecocks.

UK’s second loss to South Carolina was the opposite of their first. Howard was the only player for Kentucky who could score. The 6-foot-2 guard was the team’s only player to record double-digit points.

Kentucky is unlikely to suffer this fate again. In the tournament, Kentucky has had at least four players score double figures in every game. Furthermore, the team has had a variety of offensive production with six different players reaching this milestone in the past three days.

As exciting as it is to get revenge on an opponent, the ‘Cats have their eyes set on a bigger prize: postseason success. Howard put this idea into words after the team’s semifinals win.

“It means a lot more when you beat them in the tournament. Yeah, we did lose to them. We weren’t playing to the best of our ability, but to be playing how we are now and as confident as we are now, it just means more than when we lost.”

UK will have a chance to complete their tour of retribution on Sunday afternoon. At 2 p.m. EST, the Wildcats will square off against the South Carolina Gamecocks for the SEC Tournament title. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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2025-04-06