PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB looks to take down No. 18 Louisville on the road

Well, everyone, here we are again. On Wednesday, after what looked to be a promising start, the Kentucky Women’s Basketball team fell to Minnesota 76-57. It was the ‘Cats first time playing at Rupp Arena since USC Upstate on Nov. 11. So far this season, Kentucky has made it clear that they don’t have an issue with playing at different courts. The Wildcats’ usual home gym, Memorial Coliseum, is still undergoing renovations. The Wildcats have played on five different courts so far, and will be making their KFC Yum! Center debut on Sunday.

Kentucky (4-6) will take on the in-state rival No. 18 Louisville Cardinals (8-1) in hopes of winning their first road game of the season. UK is 0-4 away from home this season. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. EST on the ACC Network.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, head coach Kyra Elzy continues to list Maddie Scherr (concussion protocol), Amiya Jenkins (shoulder), and Cassidy Rowe (precautionary) as “day-to-day.” On top of that, Zennia Thomas (suspended indefinitely) hasn’t made a public appearance for the ‘Cats. There’s a very real possibility Kentucky goes into the Yum! Center with a seven-woman roster once again.

However, if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Kentucky Women’s Basketball over the last few weeks, it’s that they’re fighters. In the team’s press conference following their loss to Minnesota, Ajae Petty talked about adjusting to a short bench for Sunday.

“I think that just comes from each individual player and how they choose to go about it,” Petty said. “Everyone just knowing we just lost, going back, watching, seeing what we can do better, and just having their own mental toughness about it.”

Petty, who had 20 points on Wednesday, will likely be planning a similar performance for Sunday. Unfortunately for the ‘Cats, this Louisville team is much taller than teams they’ve played in the past, so it could be an issue for the 6-foot-3 Petty.

Scouting Report: Louisville Cardinals

Sunday will mark a week since the Cardinals have taken the floor, so they’ll be fresh heading into this matchup. Meanwhile, Kentucky is still struggling to play a full 40 minutes of basketball due to their lack of depth. Advantage Louisville in that regard.

Cincinnati is a common opponent between the ‘Cats and the ‘Cards, but signs aren’t pointing in a positive direction for Kentucky. In Louisville’s first game of the season, they handled the Bearcats in a 77-59 win. However, Kentucky fell to Cincinnati 65-41 in the Paradise Jam. That’s a 42-point margin not in Kentucky’s favor.

Louisville is led by fifth-year senior Kiki Jefferson who transferred in from James Madison this past offseason. The guard is averaging 12.2 points per game on 50% shooting from the field and 35% from beyond the arc. Her 1.3 steals per game also prove she is a solid player on the defensive end of the floor as well.

Jefferson is supported by senior F Olivia Cochran and fifth-year senior G Sydney Taylor. This is Cochran’s best season to date, as she is averaging 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. Meanwhile, Taylor is seeing the same success she saw at UMass, but she is just as productive for a power conference team. Taylor is averaging 10.9 points per game to add fuel to Louisville’s fire.

Louisville is very good at drawing fouls and creating contact. Going into the game, Louisville ranks 10th in the nation with 24.6 free throws per game. Kentucky actually isn’t too far behind in that stat, averaging exactly 22 three-throws per game. Louisville also shoots 78.8% from the line, so they can rack up a big majority of their points from the charity stripe.

One last damning stat for Kentucky is that Louisville is averaging a 7.6 turnover margin in each game, which is top fifteen in the nation. Kentucky is averaging 16.3 turnovers per game. On top of that, Louisville is forcing 22.8 turnovers a game. Could be a sloppy one in The Ville.