No. 20 UK Women Set for Big Road Test Against Baylor
The Kentucky women’s basketball team is off to a fast start, having won their first six games of the season. Kentucky has worked its way into the national rankings, currently residing in the 20th spot in the Associated Press poll.
But how good are the 2017-18 Wildcats? Head coach Matthew Mitchell and his team are about to find out as they hit the road to face ninth-ranked Baylor on Thursday.
“Baylor is going to be a big test for us, it’s a game we need right now,” Mitchell said. “It’s a great time in the progression of our season to have this kind of challenge. They are extremely talented, always a hard-nosed team, always well-coached. They have tremendous speed, size and athleticism. This is one of the top teams in the country. For us to have the chance to go down and earn a victory on the road is a great test for our team.”
Mitchell sees this early challenge as a way to find out exactly who his team is, at least at this point in the season.
“This is a good measuring stick to see where we are, win or lose,” Mitchell said. “We’re not where we hope we’re going to be. It’s a good opportunity to get in against a good team, on the road, in a really tough place to play. That’s the experience. How are we going to deal with teams with great size that are a lot bigger than we are in the front line in some of the positions. We will find out a lot about what will work and what might now. A road win against a ranked team, or any team, is like a piece of gold at any point in the season. A lot to play for, but the experience is going to be really great.”
Kentucky earned its sixth win of the season on Sunday, topping Marshall 69-39 at Memorial Coliseum. Senior Alyssa Rice led Kentucky, notching her first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.
“She’s playing well in games, she had a really great practice yesterday,” Mitchell said of Rice. “She’s going to have to use her head (against Baylor). We can’t face up on those shot-blockers. We’ve got to use our skill and our mind to overcome their physical size. We don’t have anyone as big as a couple of kids on their front line.”
Mitchell also hopes that his young frontcourt players can hold their own against Baylor’s formidable front line. And he hopes that the chance to play against some of the best front line players in the country can help his true freshman frontcourt players, Dorie Harrison and Tatyana Wyatt.
“There’s no way you can put a price on the experience,” Mitchell said. “What you do with this game, what success they have, you build on that. There’s so many things they have to learn as far as how to really take advantage of what their gifts are. They have some speed, quickness, some athleticism, some explosiveness, but they’ve never really had to use it the way that it’s required now, play after play. That’s the biggest area for growth. They will have more knowledge after the 40 minutes in Waco than they had before.”
Mitchell realizes that this is not a must-win game for his team. Instead, it’s an opportunity.
“You get a game like this early in the season, if you win it, it’s a feather in your cap,” the UK coach said. “If you don’t, you have the experience to learn from and by the end of the season, nobody really remembers it. It’s a great time for these young players to get in against big-time post players and see what it’s all about and figure out where are their gifts and where can they shine.”
Mitchell, and the Big Blue Nation, will have a much better idea where this team is after Thursday’s measuring stick game against Baylor.
