PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB faces Georgia in first round of SEC Tournament

In what could very well be its last game of the season, Kentucky Women’s Basketball is entering the 2024 SEC Tournament as the 12-seed out of 14 possible spots. The ‘Cats finished the regular season 11-19 (4-12 SEC), including a loss to Georgia, the team seeded at 13th and UK’s next opponent.

If Kentucky comes out with a win over the Bulldogs on Wednesday, they’d have to face Tennessee, who was given a bye, on Thursday. Kentucky proved they could be competitive with the Vols on Jan. 7 in Knoxville, but was unable to keep the first-half momentum going. However, there is a very real possibility that the ‘Cats make it to round three against Alabama, and then maybe even the semifinals. Unfortunately for the ‘Cats, they’re on the same side of the bracket as No. 1 South Carolina, who they’d likely play in the semis. That being said, the hopeful tourney run would probably end with a screeching halt there, but just like the 2022 season, upsets are possible.

Kentucky is coming off a 21-point loss to now No. 8 LSU on Sunday, 77-56. During that game, senior Maddie Scherr went down with what seemed to be a head injury. After heading into the locker room and no updates from head coach Kyra Elzy, it’s unclear whether or not Scherr will be available for Wednesday’s matchup. The senior has had two concussions already this season, and not having one of the more experienced veterans on the court Wednesday could be detrimental.

Tipoff for the first game of the SEC tournament at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC is 11:00 a.m. EST and can be streamed on the SEC Network.

Scouting Report: Georgia Bulldogs

Kentucky lost 12 of their last 15 games to end the regular season, but as Kyra Elzy mentioned on her weekly radio show, it’s a new season upon us. Everything you do leads up to March, this is ultimately what really matters. Ideally, the ‘Cats would have a bye or even a double-bye in the SEC Tournament, but they’ll have to take on Georgia in the opening round.

Earlier this season on February 4th, the ‘Cats and the Bulldogs met in Athens, and it was Georgia who won the game 72-65. We already did a scouting report in our previous preview of the Bulldogs, but here are some things you can expect to see in Greenville on Wednesday.

Georgia’s Javyn Nicholson is the leading scorer for this Bulldogs team as she averages 16.6 points per game. The senior forward scored 23 points on 9-14 (64%) shooting against Kentucky the first go around. However, she’s an underrated rebounder as well, averaging 8.9 per game. She racked up a game-high 13 points against the ‘Cats earlier this season. Expect her to have a similar impact on Wednesday.

Then, De’Mauri Flourney should have yet another big game against Kentucky. Last time, Elzy seemed to have a world of trouble trying to figure Flourney out, and that allowed the junior to be very productive against the ‘Cats. Despite averaging 9.1 points per game this season, Flourney posted 16 points against Kentucky. She hasn’t been able to reach double figures in four of her last five games, but expect that to turn around in the SEC Tournament.

Personnel-wise, Kentucky is probably better than Georgia. This is a game that, on paper, Kentucky should win. We’ll see how the ‘Cats shape up soon enough.