Kyra Elzy explains why Ajae Petty, Janae Walker got the start together vs. Auburn

On Thursday night, Kentucky women’s basketball fell to 9-16 overall and 2-9 in the SEC after they lost to Auburn 78-50 in Neville Arena. This game was pretty similar to past games this season in a lot of ways. Kentucky got down early, turned the ball over, couldn’t score, and lost by 20+ points.

However, there was one thing about this game that was different.

Early Thursday evening, KSR’s Katie Hutchison broke down how every single starting lineup Kyra Elzy has done this season. Some were good, some were bad, and some were awful. All nine starting lineup combinations were unique in their own way.

Then, in typical Kyra Elzy fashion, she threw us a curveball. Just when we thought we had seen it all, she gave us a new starting lineup against Auburn. The interesting part about this one was that senior forward Ajae Petty moved up to the four spot. So, who took over the five? How about 6-4 freshman Janae Walker.

Kentucky WBB's starters vs Auburn:

Brooklynn Miles
Cassidy Rowe
Maddie Scherr
Ajae Petty
Janae Walker

Walker gets her first start of the season.

— Phoenix Stevens (@PStevensKSR) February 15, 2024

Walker’s first start of the season would come against the Auburn Tigers in what was the 25th game on the schedule. On the season, the freshman forward averages just 7.6 minutes per game off the bench — the least minutes of any player in the rotation. So, why now is Walker getting the starting nod? Better yet, why is she starting along with Ajae Petty? Kyra Elzy gave us an explanation.

Needing to revamp and change the lineup

“I wanted to revamp the lineup,” Elzy said. “We talked about it in practice. I thought it would give us the ability to close the gap on rebounding with two bigs instead of it getting away from us early. Sometimes you just need a change in the lineup.”

She added, “I thought Janae has done a great job of screening for us. She’s our best screener. So, the ability to get someone open against pressure, one. Two, I know she was gonna battle on the boards,[that’s] what we needed. She’s gonna sprint, play hard. She’s coachable.“

Against the Tigers, Kentucky was out-rebounded 15-10 in the first quarter alone. Petty had four of those 10 rebounds while Walker had one. For the game, Auburn would win the battle on the glass 45-40. Petty would finish with 13 rebounds to Walker’s four. Walker also added two points, one block, and one steal in her 11 minutes of action.

It’s easy to understand why Elzy wants to make tweaks and adjustments considering how up and down this year has been, but one could argue that she’s had a rough go in finding what works for this team.