Olivia Owens, the missing piece for Kentucky Women's Basketball

Olivia Owens may be the most complex case for the Wildcats this season. Yet, she may also be the most intriguing.

In No. 22 Kentucky’s victory over USC Upstate on Dec. 19, Owen had her best game of the season. The 6-foot-4 center recorded seven points, eight rebounds, a steal and a block; not a bad day at the office. Owens achieved this milestone in just 19 minutes of play, as well.

Although Owens is playing well, she still has plenty to improve. But before we talk about what she’s struggling to do, let’s discuss what Owens is doing right.

The good for Owens

While Owens hasn’t been fantastic this year, she’s shown glimpses of promise. She scored six points in six minutes against DePaul. She contributed seven points against a ranked West Virginia squad. And as expected, the 6-foot-4 center is a solid defensive anchor.

Not only is Owens a problem for opposing offenses, but defenses too. Few players can match Owens’ strength and size. To make matters worse, Owens doesn’t mind physicality. Due to great positioning, Owens has the second-highest field-goal percentage on the team, making around 53% of her shots from the field.

The bad

When looking at these statistics, one may wonder why Owens isn’t receiving far more minutes. Yet, there is much more to the story than these surface-level figures.

To begin, Owens doesn’t necessarily fit Kentucky’s style of play. This season, the Wildcats are playing “position-less” basketball. With Dre’Una Edwards as the starting center, every starter has legitimate guard skills. Despite using non-traditional methods, the ‘Cats have found a flow in this style. Olivia Owens is a dam to this stream of offense.

The 6-foot-4 center is yet to shoot a 3-pointer this year. Consequently, teams are able to sag off and stuff the paint when Owens is on the court. If the ‘Cats try to counter tight defenses with impressive post play, they can’t always rely on Owens.

The ugly

Due to her physicality, Owens can get to the free-throw line often. Unfortunately, she’s not making her free-throw attempts as regularly. Owens is 3-8 (37.5%) from the stripe this season.

In fairness, this is a small sample size. What isn’t a small sample size is Owens’ massive turnover issue this year. The redshirt junior has the worst assist-to-turnover ratio on the team, averaging nearly three turnovers for every assist.

Faith in Owens

Whether fans like it or not, Owens has what you can’t teach: height. As the tallest player on the team, head coach Kyra Elzy would be foolish not to find a role for Owens.

Although at times it seems as if Owens is a round block being forced into a square peg, there’s nothing stopping Kentucky from molding Owens into the shape they desire. If Owens can reform some of her issues, she may be the final puzzle piece to a special Kentucky Women’s Basketball season.