Oct. 19, 2010

LEXINGTON, Ky. – 
The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team was picked to finish second in the Southeastern Conference this season 
in a voting of a select panel of both Southeastern Conference and national media members, 
as announced by the league office Tuesday.

Tennessee, which returns all five starters from a squad that went 32-3 and won both the 2010 SEC regular-season and tournament championships last year, earned 15-of-17 first-place votes. Kentucky received one first-place vote, as did Auburn. The Wildcats 
finished 28-8 overall, 11-5 in SEC play last season, and advanced to the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament after defeating Liberty, No. 24/25 Michigan State and No. 4/4 Nebraska. The Cats’ run to the Final Four ended with a loss to No. 12/12 Oklahoma.

Tennessee topped the order of finish with 202 points, with Kentucky (183), Vanderbilt (157), Georgia (150), LSU (147) and Auburn (120) rounding out the top half of the league. South Carolina (84), Arkansas (81), Alabama (65) and Ole Miss (47) were next with Mississippi State (45) and Florida (45) tied for last place.
 Kentucky returns three starters, including Victoria Dunlap, A’dia Mathies (Louisville, Ky.) and Keyla Snowden (Lexington, Ky.), while adding one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.

Dunlap, a 6-foot-1 forward from Nashville, Tenn., was the overwhelming choice by the media for SEC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year with 
13 votes. The remaining votes were for Tennessee’s Angie Bjorklund and Shekinna Stricklen. Dunlap led Kentucky in almost every statistical category last season, averaging 18.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and guiding the Wildcats to the NCAA Elite Eight. She was named 2010 SEC Player of the Year for her efforts.

Joining Dunlap on the All-SEC first team were LSU’s LaSondra Barrett, Tennessee’s Angie Bjorklund and Shekinna Stricklen, and Vanderbilt’s Jence Rhoads. Mathies, last year’s SEC Freshman of the year, was named to the All-SEC second team along with Alabama’s Tierney Jenkins, Auburn’s Alli Smalley, Georgia’s Porsha Phillips and Tennessee’s Kelley Cain.

Points were compiled on a 12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Each media member also voted for one team as an overall conference champion and a five-player All-SEC Team.

Season tickets for UK Hoops’ exciting 15-game home schedule are available for purchase in the upper level chair backs, lower level bleachers and general admission season ticket areas for only $45. Although anticipated to be sold out, lower level chair backs are $60. Single-game tickets go on sale Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 9 a.m. ET through the UK ticket office and Ticketmaster. All Reserved seats are $7 (regardless of age) while general admission tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for youth/seniors.

To purchase tickets, visit the Joe Craft Center in person, call 1-800-928-2287 or go online at UKathletics.com. Season tickets will be mailed two weeks prior to the first regular-season home game on Nov. 12.

The Wildcats’ lone exhibition game of the season is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 7 against Kentucky Wesleyan at 2 p.m. ET. The season opener is Friday, Nov. 12 against Morehead State at 11 a.m. ET, marking the first Division I women’s basketball game of the 2010-11 season.