Thursday is big for the women’s basketball team. Like potentially program-changing big – the biggest since upsetting No. 1 Tennessee in Rupp Arena four years ago.
Although Tennessee has already wrapped up at least a share of the Southeastern Conference title, UK can still claim a share with two consecutive wins and two consecutive Lady Volunteer losses.
There’s that, there’s the measuring stick of facing Tennessee, the spotlight of playing traditionally the best program in women’s basketball and the opportunity to bolster an already strong NCAA Tournament résumé.
In other words, a lot is riding on Thursday’s 7 p.m. game in Knoxville, Tenn.
But what if, after all the buildup Thursday’s game will likely have, UK comes out flat, stumbles in its primetime matchup and walks away with a loss? Would one failed test take away from the historic turnaround after all the emphasis that will be placed on the Tennessee game?
“We’ve lost games this season,” senior forward Lydia Watkins said, “but we’ve been able to bounce back very well from it.”
Watkins isn’t predicting a loss, much less even hinting of one. She’s only emphasizing the Cats’ remarkable ability this season to manage the big-game expectations and hype and to execute the game plan as if it were any other game.
“We’re used to it now,” Watkins said. “We had a lot of transfers and freshmen come in, but we’ve been able to play with each other and play as a team. Our team has not just involved around one person. Everybody can play, which helps in big games.”
That’s why, win or lose, head coach Matthew Mitchell isn’t worried about his team’s ability to treat Tennessee like it’s any other game.
Is it big? Sure, Mitchell says. But he doesn’t believe he has to guard his team from falling victim to the big-game mentality. According to him, they’ve responded to the pressure and hype all season long.
“I think our team has done a really fantastic job of staying balanced and grounded and I don’t think that’ll be an issue,” Mitchell said. “They’ll be highly motivated to play because it’s great competition and I’m sure they will want to play well against great competition. We put a lot of emphasis into every game and that has been the beauty of our team, and they’ve responded to that and have been super prepared for every test they have had.”
The numbers more than back up Mitchell’s case. The Cats are 3-2 against top-25 teams this season and have broken notorious losing streaks to Vanderbilt and LSU. All were billed as big-time games, including Sunday’s avenging win over South Carolina, which sealed an undefeated home record for just the second time in program history.
But none of those will compare to the crowd and the buildup UK will face Thursday. Junior forward Victoria Dunlap, who was named SEC Player of the Week for the fourth time this season on Monday and is a top contender for SEC Player of the Year, said the Tennessee game will be about the Cats’ ability to execute their normal up-tempo offense and stifling defense.
“Obviously Tennessee is a good team,” Dunlap said. “They’ve always had good players and they’re going to come out hard. It’s just a matter of us going in there and not worrying about the atmosphere or what they’ve done, where they’re ranked or our ranking. We just have to go in there and play basketball and have fun.”
Much like the decade-plus losing streaks to LSU and Vanderbilt that UK conquered earlier this year, the Cats will face a daunting losing streak in Knoxville, a place they haven’t won at since 1985.
Even though UK upset a mediocre (by Tennessee standards) 13th-ranked Lady Vols team in Memorial Coliseum last year, this season’s trip to Tennessee will be no easy task. The Lady Vols are more talented, more experienced and more balanced than ever. As a result, they’re 25-2 overall, 13-1 in conference, and ranked No. 4 in the nation.
Five players are averaging 9.8 points or more per game for Pat Summitt, but Mitchell and Co. sounded particularly concerned about Tennessee center Kelley Cain, who is averaging 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and shooting 60.5 percent from the floor.
“The biggest thing that worries me is our ability to rebound,” Mitchell said. “They are just so powerful on the boards and they have such big, athletic players. That is something we have been battling all year is rebounding against bigger and more athletic teams. If there was one really big concern going into the game, it would be rebounding.”
The fact that Kentucky is even talking about shutting down Cain to stay in the hunt for the SEC title is a remarkable feat within itself. Mitchell maintains that the Cats always had a belief in-house that they could compete for a title, but that was not shared by the rest of the nation as UK was picked to finish 11th in the preseason by the league’s coaches.
Dunlap hasn’t been surprised by the results.
“I’m not surprised about our effort and how we’ve been playing,” Dunlap said. “I was surprised at the beginning that we got picked 11th. Now that we’ve been showing people how we can play, I’m not surprised at all. I’m surprised at how people’s reactions are because they haven’t seen us play.”
Now with a week to go in the season, UK has given itself an opportunity to compete for a conference title. To even be in this position with a week to play is a testament to the players and their ability to buy into the program, Mitchell said.
“It’s a remarkable group of players that really care about each other and are starting to understand the opportunity that they have to play at a special place like Kentucky and that’s just the thing that makes me happy about this group,” Mitchell said. “They are a selfless group that plays for each other and the university and it’s exactly how we want it to be around here. It’s fun to watch and something that is not going to be taken for granted.”
No matter what happens in Thursday’s “big game,” it won’t determine the season. The Cats have built too much and come too far to let one game dictate the season. Other goals still lie ahead – although a win wouldn’t be so bad either.
“This is not a stopping point for us,” Watkins said. “We’ve been putting in a lot of work just to get to where we are right now. Tennessee has always been our rival and it’s going to be a huge game, not only because it’s Tennessee but because where we’re ranked and where they’re ranked. To get a win over them would be a great feeling.”
