Women’s Basketball Ranked in Both National Preseason Top 25s
LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the 11th time under head coach Matthew Mitchell, the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team will begin the season ranked or receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 and/or USA Today/Coaches’ Top 25. The Wildcats sit at No. 13 in the preseason AP listing, which was released Wednesday afternoon, while they are No. 16 in Thursday’s coaches’ preseason poll.
The top-16 rankings are the highest preseason rankings for the Wildcats since the 2014-15 team started at No. 11 in the AP Top 25 and No. 10 in the Coaches’ Top 25. UK has finished its season ranked in the top 25 of both major listings nine of the last 10 seasons under Mitchell.
The release of the rankings also highlights the difficulty of the Wildcats’ 2019-20 schedule as UK will play nine games vs. teams either ranked or receiving votes in the AP poll and nine against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the coaches’ poll. In the AP poll, UK will face No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 8 South Carolina (twice), No. 9 Louisville, No. 10 Mississippi State, No. 22 Arkansas and Tennessee, LSU and Auburn, who are receiving votes. In the coaches’ poll, UK is scheduled to play No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 8 Mississippi State, No. 9 Louisville, No. 10 South Carolina (twice), No. 22 Arkansas and Tennessee, Cal and Missouri, who are receiving votes.
Louisville, Tennessee, South Carolina and Mississippi State will all make trips to Lexington this season, setting the stage for some of the biggest games of the season to happen in front of the Big Blue Nation. Season tickets and single-game tickets are on sale now at UKathletics.com/tickets. Purchasing season tickets offers the best option and price savings for fans, starting at just $69 per ticket. Single-game tickets are $10 (all ages) in reserved seating areas, while general admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children (ages 6-18) and seniors (age 65+). Children aged 5 and under do not require a ticket in general admission areas.
Kentucky is set to begin its 46th season of varsity women’s basketball on Tuesday against Mount St. Mary’s. The game will tip at 7 p.m. ET inside Memorial Coliseum and will also be streamed on SEC Network+. The action can also be seen through WatchESPN on computers, smartphones or tablets. Darren Headrick will have the call on the UK Sports Network on 98.5 FM in Lexington. Live stats and free live audio will be available online at UKathletics.com.
The Wildcats are coming off an impressive showing in its lone exhibition of the season Wednesday night in Memorial Coliseum, downing Southern Indiana 80-44. The Screaming Eagles begin the season ranked 18th in the NCAA Division II Top 25. Sophomore guard Rhyne Howard led all scorers with 20 points – 17 in the second half – hitting five 3s with six rebounds and two blocks. Junior forward KeKe McKinney had six points, seven rebounds and five blocks, while true freshman Emma King scored 12 points going 4-of-6 from long range. Senior guard Sabrina Haines, playing in her first career action for UK, scored 11 points with six rebounds.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
