Kentucky Hopes to Carry Postseason Momentum into NCAA Tourney

When the Kentucky women’s basketball team was last on the court, the Cats were celebrating a 64-62 win over No. 1 South Carolina to win the Southeastern Conference Tournament title. By the time UK takes the court on Saturday, it will have been 13 days since the Cats were last on the floor.

So the big question is, can Kentucky keep the momentum going from two weeks ago?

“It’s definitely possible,” said UK All-American Rhyne Howard. “We’re looking forward to getting back on the court. It did feel great to win that but we’ve come down from that now.”

UK head coach Kyra Elzy has told her team that, despite their success two weeks ago, it’s time to get dialed in again.

“This team is playing with a lot of confidence,” Elzy said. “Obviously, we had great success at the SEC Tournament. But we told them that moment is over and a new season begins now. We have to re-focus ourselves. I thought we had great practices, very intense. Our players are on a mission. This is what you play for. They’re looking forward to the opportunity.”

That opportunity begins on Saturday when the Cats face Ivy League champion Princeton in Bloomington, Indiana. Princeton is known for their defense, some that the Cats and forward Dre’una Edwards have been preparing to face.

“They do have a very good defense but we’re just going to stick to our game plan,” Edwards said. “Play Kentucky basketball, have fun and just do what we do.”

Howard knows it will be important for Kentucky to dictate how the game is played.

“We can’t let them control us,” Howard said. “We have to play our game, control what we can control.”

Elzy has the utmost respect for Princeton.

“They are a great team, well-coached,” Elzy said. “What they do defensively, they keep you in front of them. Solid one-on-one and they’re forcing 19 turnovers per game. We have to take care of the ball, ball movement and find the mismatch. We have to attack offensively, we cannot play on our heels.”

How do Elzy and her team combat Princeton?

“We have to do what we do best,” she said. “Defense has to be at every game. Rebounding, we have to do that and we have to have a heart to compete. That has been part of our formula and we can’t go away from that.”

Kentucky played in Assembly Hall in Bloomington earlier this season, falling to the homestanding Hoosiers despite 23 points and nine rebounds from Howard. Can that experience help the team this time around?

“I would say it does help us,” Howard said. “We know how it feels, we have a feel for the rims. We have more of an advantage, especially with it being close to Kentucky, I feel like we’re going to have a good fan base here.”

Elzy knows that every team in the field is fighting for the same goal, making each game in the tournament that much tougher.

“It’s going to be a great game,” Elzy said. “I told the players we’re going to be in a dogfight because everyone is coming to compete. They are well-balanced. We will have our hands full but we look forward to the opportunity.”

And in March, each game is simply about one thing.

“It’s survive and advance,” Elzy said.

The Cats hope that their momentum from the SEC Tournament carries over and that, at the end of Saturday’s game, they are the ones surviving and advancing.