Kentucky WBB’s identity is built on “defensive intensity”, but stats tell different story
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Elzy wants Kentucky to be a team that forces turnovers, holds opponents to low-scoring totals, and comes right back at you when you punch them in the mouth.
There’s only one problem with that philosophy. However, it’s a big one. Kentucky doesn’t do any of those things at a high level. Despite how much Elzy tries to instill the “defensive intensity” that she wants to see the ‘Cats play with, they just fail to live up to her standards.
In fact, Kentucky is actually a pretty poor defensive team, and that was especially the case against Alabama.
The Tide scored 91 points against Kentucky on Sunday with 20 of their 32 baskets coming off assists. That’s really all you need to know. Alabama ran circles around UK’s defense. It was seemingly pass, pass, make. Plus, senior Sarah Ashlee Barker was able to score a career-high 34 points on 12-18 (66.7%) shooting against the ‘Cats. Again, Alabama scored at will. However, that has been the case for a lot of teams this season.
Kentucky’s defense has been bad, but it’s been even worse than you might think. Opponents have scored 80+ points against Kentucky nine times this season, with seven of those games coming in losses. Additionally, the ‘Cats have given up 90+ points four times this season, and all of those games were losses too.
Forcing 15.7 turnovers per game may seem like a decent amount, but that’s only good enough for 211th in college basketball and 10th in the SEC. That puts Kentucky well below the average number. Perhaps the most damning stat is Kentucky’s overall scoring defense, however.
The ‘Cats have the second-worst total defense among Power Five teams (thanks, Northwestern), allowing their opponents to score 73.6 points per game. Not a whole lot of “defensive intensity” there either, unfortunately.
On Thursday, Kentucky will face Mississippi State, who is one of the better-scoring teams in the SEC. Their 76.9 points per game is good enough for fifth in the conference. The Bulldogs have JerKaila Jordan, who has been one of the best scorers in the SEC this season (17.1 PPG). Plus, they have Lauren Park-Lane, whose 6.1 assists per game is 13th in the nation and second in the SEC.
Will the ‘Cats turn things around and finally bring that “defensive intensity” on Thursday? Only time will tell.
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Now that Kentucky women’s basketball (9-11; 2-4 SEC) is 0-8 on the road, the Wildcats desperately need a win in Tuscaloosa on Sunday against a struggling Alabama squad.
On Thursday, Kentucky fell to its first repeat opponent of the season, Arkansas, 88-61. After previously beating the Razorbacks by double-digits, the ‘Cats should’ve been able to pull off the upset at Bud Walton Arena, but in true Kentucky-on-the-road fashion, Kyra Elzy’s team was unable to come out with the W.
The two leading scorers for the ‘Cats, Ajae Petty and Maddie Scherr, combined for only eight points on 4-18 (22.2%) against the Razorbacks. The seniors average 15.1 points and 14.0 points per game, respectively. Petty averages a double-double, adding 11.2 rebounds per game. Petty even finished Thursday’s matchup with 16 rebounds, gathering a third of her team’s 48 rebounds on the night. Scherr also got a piece of the action, finishing with seven rebounds. Despite their performances on defense, it seemed that neither of them could get the ball in the basket consistently.
On the other hand, Eniya Russell and Amiya Jenkins combined for 31 points, more than half of the Wildcats’ total. Russell, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, has been the star of Kentucky’s offense over her past few games. The senior has scored double-digits in three out of her past five outings, including Kentucky’s loss to Tennessee on Jan. 7. Russell now averages 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, and if she keeps performing like she has been, those numbers will only go up.
As for Jenkins, the sophomore sat out five games due to a shoulder injury sustained earlier in the season. In her first game back, a win against Lipscomb, she finished with 20 points. But since then, Jenkins hasn’t had much to show with her 7.5 points per game average, scoring eight points or less in the six games that followed. Thursday’s matchup was Jenkins’ first game in double digits since Dec. 21, and hopefully will continue the trend on Sunday.
Tipoff against Alabama (15-6; 2-4 SEC) is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. EST on Jan. 28 and can be streamed on the SEC Network.
The Crimson Tide started this season 15-3 but has now dropped three consecutive games here in conference play, including four of the last six. After being projected as a below-average team in the SEC, the Crimson Tide showed that they could compete in the non-conference, but that hasn’t translated well to the SEC schedule. Their 2-4 start in SEC play isn’t ideal.
Leading the way for Alabama is senior guard Sarah Ashlee Barker, who is averaging 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Tide. Last season was a rough one for Barker. She had transferred to Alabama after spending the first two seasons of her college career at Georgia, and year one in Tuscaloosa wasn’t easy for her. However, Barker has certainly figured it out here in her senior year.
Although she is shooting just 33.3% from deep, that is Barker’s best percentage from three-point range in her career. Additionally, Barker has scored in double-digits in 10 of her last 12 games. She is peaking at the exact right time for head coach Kristy Curry. Kyra Elzy will have her hands full trying to find a viable matchup for Barker.
Guards Aaliyah Nye and Jessica Thomas round out the more productive contributors for Alabama. Nye and Thomas combine for 24.9 points per game, and they are both pretty solid three-point shooters. Nye is shooting a team-high 42.7% from deep while Thomas shoots 35.8%. Again, Kentucky’s perimeter defense will be put to the test on Sunday. Arkansas made 10 threes against Kentucky in Thursday’s loss. The ‘Cats need to make sure Alabama doesn’t reach that mark on Sunday.
Alabama is a team that likes to space the floor and create shots from the three-point line. The Crimson Tide shoots a high volume of threes and they make a decent amount of them. Currently, Alabama is shooting 34.4% from deep as a team, which is good enough for fourth in the SEC. This isn’t a group that will initially look to pound the rock inside.
Will Kentucky be able to handle Alabama’s fierce three-point attack and pull off a much-needed win in Tuscaloosa? We shall see later this evening.