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PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB prepares for No. 1 South Carolina

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•01/09/22•

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Photo by Eddie Justice | UK Athletics

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the main event. No. 21 Kentucky Women’s Basketball (8-3) will take on the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (14-1) Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. EST on ESPN.

The ‘Cats are coming off their first win of the season against a ranked opponent, No. 15 Georgia. Now, it’s time to kick up the difficulty. For their second game in conference play, Kentucky will march into Columbia.

Let’s discuss how the Gamecocks plan on defending their territory.

Getting to know the Gamecocks

For the majority of this season, South Carolina appeared unbeatable. However, the SEC gauntlet can expose the weaknesses of even the strongest teams.

In South Carolina’s first game of conference play, they fell to unranked Missouri in overtime. Even crazier, Missouri pulled off the miraculous win without their leading scorer. Suddenly, South Carolina wasn’t invincible.

Despite South Carolina’s shortcomings, they are excellent at most facets of the game. Led by accomplished head coach Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks average 71.9 points per outing. Additionally, the team has an average win margin of 17.9 points.

South Carolina’s blowout victories are a direct result of their paint dominance. The Gamecocks have the highest rebounding rate in the country. Further, South Carolina averages 8.4 blocks per contest, the most in the nation.

South Carolina’s lane control can be traced back to one player: Aliyah Boston. The 6-foot-5 junior is a double-double machine. Boston averages 17.4 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.

Nonetheless, the No. 1 team in the country isn’t a one-trick pony. Backing up Boston, senior Destanni Henderson contributes 11.8 points per game. Moreover, the crafty guard leads the team in assists, steals and 3-point percentage.

Rounding out the Gamecocks terrific trio, junior Zia Cooke is a human microwave. The 5-foot-9 guard averages 12.1 points per contest. While Cooke is talented, she has blind spots. Cooke is shooting 28% from deep this season and has the most turnovers on the team.

What South Carolina lacks in skill, they make up for with raw athleticism. The team has unrivaled height, boasting three players taller than 6-foot-4, including 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso.

Kentucky doesn’t have to be perfect to defeat such height, but they have to be pretty darn close.

Keys for Kentucky WBB

Momentum will be vital for the Wildcats versus South Carolina. In many ways, the Gamecocks are just a superior version of Georgia. Both teams are led by their centers; both squads rank highly in rebounding and blocks; and, finally, both teams have shown a tendency for turnovers.

South Carolina is averaging 15.6 turnovers per game. Likewise, Georgia averaged 15.6 turnovers per contest heading into their game against Kentucky. If Kentucky can repeat the success of their press against the Bulldogs, they can defeat the Gamecocks.

Here’s what head coach Kyra Elzy had to say about her team’s pesky defense after the Thursday night victory.

“We forced some turnovers. Even when we didn’t trap out of it, we forced Georgia to start their offense with 18 seconds or less,” Elzy said.

Facing another team whose offense relies on feeding the post, Kentucky must continue this defensive strategy. If the Gamecocks can’t find Boston, they won’t find their rhythm.

Speaking of star players, Rhyne Howard needs to play as well, if not better, than she did against Georgia. With Boston being Howard’s consistent competition for SEC Player of the Year, there’s more to this game than the scoreboard.

Howard cannot wait to try until the fourth period. “Rhyne Time” has to be a 40-minute process. Howard must be aggressive offensively. This fact is best displayed when looking at Kentucky’s two contests against South Carolina last season.

When the ‘Cats lost to South Carolina by a mere five points, Howard dropped 32 points and shot 25 times. When the ‘Cats were blown out by 25 points by the Gamecocks, Howard scored 12 points and only put up 11 field-goal attempts. Aggression is an advantage.

Lastly, the ‘Cats must use their position-less basketball to its full potential. Kentucky can’t rebound with the Gamecocks, but they don’t need to. Georgia had 14 more boards than the ‘Cats, yet Kentucky walked away with the win.

If Kentucky tries to play South Carolina’s game, they’ll lose. The ‘Cats must force South Carolina to play fast, shoot outside shots and defend the perimeter.

Looking toward the matchup

No matter what Kentucky does, toppling the No. 1 team in the country isn’t an easy task. Elzy knows this and wouldn’t want it any other way.

“Our non-conference has helped us get ready for this moment,” Elzy said. “Night-in and night-out, it’s going to be a dogfight, and our next game will not be any different.”

Tip-off is at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in Colonel Life Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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2025-01-23