No. 14 Cats Ready for Challenge of Facing No. 7 Louisville
The Kentucky women’s basketball team has racked up 10 straight wins to start the season. The Cats, currently ranked 14th in the country, have won all eight of their home contests, in addition to a pair of good wins on the road (Middle Tennessee and Virginia).
But on Sunday, the Cats will see their level of competition go up significantly, as seventh-ranked Louisville comes to Rupp Arena. The Cards won their first eight games this season before falling to Ohio State on Dec. 5. Louisville bounced back by topping Northern Kentucky on Sunday to move to 9-1 this season.
Kentucky head coach Matthew Mitchell thinks the timing is just right for his team to measure itself against one of the nation’s best teams.
“It’s good timing for us. It’s a great challenge,” Mitchell said. “They’re an outstanding team and are really, really talented. They will pose a great challenge for us.”
The Cats are will be dealing with the emotions of not only playing an outstanding opponent, but also an intrastate rival.
“There is no denying that they’re excited,” Mitchell said. “They understand that this is… not only is Louisville a top team in the country and a very good team, but it’s Kentucky vs. Louisville. They’re highly motivated to win. They’re going to have to work really hard to earn a victory.”
Mitchell knows that games like this can help his team when the rugged Southeastern Conference slate begins.
“We know, throughout our conference season, we’re going to plays some very good teams, and I think this is exactly the kind of challenge we need right now for us to progress as a team,” Mitchell said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity now to see where we are. It’s an opportunity to win a very meaningful ball game and all of the emotions that come with that. So, it’s a very good test for us, and it’ll be a good opportunity on Sunday.”
Kentucky played in Rupp Arena for the first time this season on Wednesday, and the Cats seemed to enjoy the environment. Jaida Roper scored 30 points, a career high, as UK pounded Winthrop 91-36. The Cats hit a season-high 13 three-pointers in the game, something that Mitchell knows his team has been working on. He also knows that Sunday is a new day, and that a good shooting contest in the previous game does not necessarily carry over to the next one.
“One thing about it is, the previous performance doesn’t guarantee anything going forward,” Mitchell said. “The shooting part, you have to go out and earn it every day and game. And, the defense you’re playing against has something to do with it too, and I know Louisville defensively is not going to just give us anything. So, we have to go out and earn it in this game. So, from the standpoint of can you put the ball in the basket, they should have great confidence and understand that that is what we’re capable of doing, but we have to stay tremendously focused on our fundamentals, we have to be ready to catch and shoot, we have to be on balance when we shoot the ball. All of those little things add up to being successful.”
Kentucky has done it with defense this season. The Cats are third in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 45.6 points per game. UK is also third in the nation in turnover margin, at a +10.8 per contest. Kentucky is winning its games by an average of 29.2 points, which is sixth in the country.
The Cats hope that the good shooting, combined with tough defense, will come through on Sunday against a tough Louisville squad.
