PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB hosts WKU in last non-conference game before SEC play

Kentucky’s last game of the 2024 calendar year will also be its last game before the brutality of SEC play rears its ugly head. The Cats take on the Lady Toppers of WKU in what will be Kentucky’s third in-state contest this season. They beat Northern Kentucky and Louisville already — can they complete the sweep against WKU?

Read up on what the Lady Toppers bring to the table prior to tipoff.

Bio Blast

In the last 10 games against Kentucky, WKU has won six of them. Whether that’s because of former head coach Mary Taylor Cowles’ (2002-12) sheer recruiting talent, or a lack of talent of the Wildcat-side of things, the Lady Toppers have dominated the Cats. However, the all-time series is split at 14 apiece. The two teams haven’t played since 2009, a 66-57 win for WKU.

After 15 years of hardly any in-state action besides the yearly Louisville game, these two Kentucky teams will meet up at Historic Memorial Coliseum for the first time since 2007. The only Cats hold a 9-5 all-time home record against WKU.

The Lady Toppers, a team with five international players and only one Kentucky native, are currently 9-2, and first in the Conference USA. They’re averaging a little over 77 points per game, and allowing their opponents to score an average of just 62.9 points per game.

The team’s current head coach, Greg Collins, began his tenure in 2018. He’s currently 49-38 in three seasons. Former Kentucky assistant coach Crystal Kelly, who worked under Kyra Elzy last season, is a WKU alum. Kelly played as a Lady Topper from 2004-08 under Elzy when she was an assistant there, beating Kentucky in three of four games. Her final game against Kentucky ended in an overtime victory during Matthew Mitchell’s first year as head coach.

WKU’s Projected Starters

• #1 – Destiny Salary, 12.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.5 APG
• #3 – Alexis Mead, 13.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.8 APG
• #10 – Acacia Hayes, 11.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.9 APG
• #23 – Zsofia Telegdy, 8.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.5 APG
• #33 – Josie Gilvin, 11.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.5 APG

Scouting Report

The first thing you need to know about WKU is that they love to shoot the three, and they’re pretty good at finding the bottom of the net too. WKU shoots 25 threes per game (Top 50 in the country), and they make 35.3% of them (50th in the country).

Four Lady Toppers shoot at least 40% from deep, and their leading scorer, senior guard Alexis Mead, shoots 39.3% from deep. Needless to say, it’s imperative that Kentucky guards the perimeter against this team. Mead averages 13.6 points, 3.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game — filling up the stat sheet. She also shoots 85.7% from the free throw line, making her a headache to guard.

There’s also fifth-year senior guard Destiny Salary, who averages 12.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. She has scored 20+ points in two consecutive games as well. Hopefully, that hot streak can cool down a bit against the Cats.

Then, there’s junior guards Acacia Hayes (11.9 PPG) and Josie Gilvin (11.1 PPG) who can also put points up on the scoreboard. History doesn’t necessarily favor Kentucky in this game, but the Cats should have the upper hand in this one.

Projected Kentucky Starters

#3 – Georgia Amoore

5-FOOT-6 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT

16.3 PPG – 7.0 APG – 2.4 RPG

#7 – Teonni Key

6-FOOT-4 – FORWARD – JUNIOR

11.5 PPG – 9.3 RPG – 2.7 BPG

#10 – Dazia Lawrence

5-FOOT-8 – GUARD – REDSHIRT SENIOR

13.2 PPG – 2.2 APG – 2.0 RPG

#13 – Clara Strack

6-FOOT-5 – CENTER – SOPHOMORE

15.6 PPG – 9.5 RPG – 3.6 APG

#32 – Amelia Hassett

6-FOOT-3 – FORWARD – JUNIOR

11.3 PPG – 9.9 RPG – 1.5 APG

How to Watch/Listen

Place	Tipoff	TV	Radio	Live Stats
Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY)	4 p.m. EST	SEC Network+ (Jeff Piecoro, Christi Thomas)	630 WLAP, 790 WKRD (Darren Headrick)	StatBroadcast

Follow Along with KSR’s LIVE BLOG

Unable to watch the game? Don’t worry — we’ll be providing real-time updates throughout to keep you informed on the action. Follow along with KSR’s LIVE BLOG, which will get rolling on the website an hour before the game starts.

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

Want to interact with the KSR crew during tonight’s game? Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing live updates while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating).