UK Athletics Photo
Kentucky is only 7-7 in Southeastern Conference play entering its final league road game at Auburn tonight and then hosting potential national champion South Carolina Sunday at home in the final regular season game.
Kentucky (20-8) lost four games when Teonni Key was out with a dislocated elbow and four losses were to top 10 teams, including two to No. 5 Vanderbilt but a combined three points.
Coach Kenny Brooks’ team led for over 30 minutes in Sunday’s 81-79 loss at Vandy and shot 81 percent at the foul line and 46 percent from the field with 10 3-pointers. Kentucky also had only 10 turnovers. It was the first time a team had compiled those numbers on the road against a top five team in 23 years.
“Their heads are really high. They know who we can be,” Brooks said after the Vanderbilt game. “I don’t think anybody’s gonna look at where you are today, they’re gonna look at ‘How’d you finish?’ Our kids are not wavering on their confidence.
“They know that a play here or there, and it’s a different outcome. We just gotta continue to play together, keep the faith. That’s what they’re doing. Their heads are held high. It’s an experienced basketball team and a really confident basketball team.”
Brooks is not looking for “moral victories” as it tries to secure a chance to host NCAA Tournament games for the second straight season. Kentucky is No. 16 in the latest NET rankings and is currently projected to be a NCAA host.
Kentucky has reasons to be optimistic about postseason play. Junior center Clara Strack has 75 blocks and broke the single-season record she set last year — she is the first UK player to have 70 or more blocks two straight seasons. Point guard Tonie Morgan has a school-record 237 assists and broke the single-season mark set by All-American Georgia Amoore last season.
Kentucky needs 10 more 3-pointers to break the record (252) set six years ago and junior Asia Boone is five 3’s from resetting Rhyne Howard’s single-season school record set in 2019-20 (84). Boone also needs 10 more points to eclipse 1,000 for her college career.
“We are getting there. We didn’t execute some of the things we needed to do to pull out a win like this,” Brooks said after the Vanderbilt loss. “This one will sting a little bit but will motivate us.”
Brooks continues to praise Strack who averages 16.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. She also had 55 assists, 37 steals and 17 3-pointers in 28 games. She’s shooting 46.9 percent from the field.
“She does so much for us. You can’t ask for a lot more than what she gives us,” Brooks said. “She is one of the premier centers in the country and showed it.”
