No. 18 Kentucky Earns 16th Appearance in NCAA Tournament
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 18 University of Kentucky women’s basketball team has been selected as an at-large team in the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, earning the Wildcats’ 10th appearance in the last 11 tournaments. Fourth-seeded Kentucky (17-8) will face 13th-seeded Idaho State (22-3) in the first round on Sunday inside the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The game will air live on ESPN at 2 p.m. ET.
The Wildcats earned a No. 4 seed in the event, marking the fourth time the Wildcats have been a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This is the 11th time UK has been a top-four seed in the event and the first since 2017. Kentucky is 5-3 all-time as a four seed with an Elite Eight and two second-round appearances. UK was last a four seed in 2017 when they hosted the first and second rounds in Memorial Coliseum, defeating Belmont to open the tournament before a loss to Ohio State.
Kentucky is 21-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, making its first appearance in the first season under head coach Kyra Elzy. Elzy becomes the first UK women’s basketball head coach to take the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in her first season at the helm. The best finishes for UK came in 2013, 2012, 2010 and 1982 when the Wildcats fell one win shy of the Final Four. This is Kentucky’s 16th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since falling in the second round to NC State back in Raleigh, N.C. in 2019. The Wildcats are 12-3 all-time in first-round games and have won 11 straight.
The Wildcats enter the event with a 17-8 record and ranked No. 18 in the final Associated Press Top 25 that was released earlier Monday. The Wildcats have won five games against ranked opponents this season and have four wins against teams ranked in the top 25 of the NCAA NET rankings. The Wildcats are one of 10 teams in the nation to have four or more wins against the top 25 NET teams. Overall, UK is 6-5 against teams that make up the 64-team NCAA Tournament field.
Kentucky has been led this season by junior guard Rhyne Howard, who is the only player in the nation averaging over 20 points per game with at least 7.3 rebounds per game, 70 assists and 50 steals. The native of Cleveland, Tennessee, is leading Kentucky in scoring, rebounding and assists, while she sits second in steals and third in blocks. Howard has hit a team-best 49 3-pointers. Half of her 22 games played this season are against ranked opponents and in those games Howard is averaging an impressive 22.3 points per game with 6.7 rebounds per game and hitting 47.1 percent from the field with 3.0 assists per game and 28 steals.
Idaho State was the regular-season and tournament champions from the Big Sky. The Bengals are averaging 72.2 points per game this season while limiting opponents to 58.9 points per game. Idaho State is hitting 6.4 3s per game and has a +5.0 rebounding margin with a +0.8 turnover margin. Dora Goles leads the team with 12.4 points per game and has hit 44 3s, while Diaba Konate is averaging 11.7 points per game with 104 assists. Estefania Ors and Callie Bourne are both averaging 10 points per game with Bourne leading the team with 8.4 rebounds per game.
Kentucky was one of seven Southeastern Conference teams to be awarded a bid to the NCAA Tournament on Monday evening. South Carolina earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the conference tournament, and is a No. 1 seed in the Hemisfair Regional. Texas A&M, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama are also going to the Big Dance.
San Antonio and the surrounding region will play host to the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship. Attendance for the first two rounds will be limited to teams and team guests. For ticket information regarding the Sweet Sixteen and on, please contact the UK Ticket Office at 800-928-2287
The first round will be played Sunday, March 21 and Monday, March 22 at various locations around San Antonio, including the Alamodome, Bill Greehney Arena, Frank Erwin Center, University Events Center and UTSA Convocation Center. The second round will be Tuesday, March 23 and Wednesday, March 24 at the Alamodome, Bill Greehney Arena and UTSA Convocation Center. From the Sweet 16 through the national championship game, all games will be played in the Alamodome. The Sweet 16 takes place Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28, followed by the Elite Eight on Monday, March 29 and Tuesday, March 30. The Final Four begins Friday, April 2 with the national championship game on Sunday, April 4.
For the 19th consecutive year, an ESPN channel will broadcast all 63 games of the NCAA Tournament taking place March 21 through April 4. Viewers can expect games to be played in the traditional championship broadcast windows, with every game of all rounds carried in full national on ESPN networks. This year will mark the 26th straight year (since 1996) that ESPN has served as the championship’s exclusive television home. All games will be available online via the ESPN app.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL QUOTES
NCAA TOURNAMENT SELECTION SHOW NEWS CONFERENCE
MONDAY, March 15, 2021
JOE CRAFT CENTER – LEXINGTON, KY.
Head Coach Kyra Elzy
On the draw and the tournament…
“Thank you so much. We are excited. We were excited to see our name pop up on the screen. Idaho State, the staff is already hard at work breaking down film. So, as far as the state of the team, we have had some of our best practices of the year. I like the energy. I like the focus. We are looking forward to going to Texas to make a run.”
On being a first-year head coach dancing in the tournament…
“Grateful, excited, but this team has been resilient all year. We’ve had our ups and downs, but I love how together we are. We battle together. And then, just an overall excitement. This what you play for. March Madness, here we are.”
On what has to happen for us to make a run…
“In order for us to make a run, we have to sell out defensively. Leave our heart on the floor no matter what defense we are in, and then we have to have a balanced scoring attack. When we are at our best, we are pushing the ball in transition and we have three to four people scoring in double figures.”
On being born and raised in Kentucky and taking Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament…
“It’s an honor. I am a Kentucky girl through and through, and it’s a big responsibility, but we represent the state of Kentucky, the community in Lexington, so to make them proud and them be behind this team, it’s more than what I can ask for, so thank you to everybody who has cheered us on and supported us all year, it’s truly an honor.”
On Treasure Hunt going into the postseason…
“That is correct, freshmen aren’t freshmen anymore. Treasure and I actually watched film today and that’s exactly what I told her, you are no longer a freshman, and I thought she really came on right before we played Georgia. Had one of her best practices of the year, and she has continued to get better and better each game that we have played. She is playing with a lot of confidence, and one thing that she can do, even when she was trying to transition into college, she can score. She knows how to put the ball in the basket, so she’s confident in that. I love that she is helping us rebound, and she will be a big X factor for us.”
On how the advantage of having her in the tournament…
“You know, Rhyne Howard is one of the best in the game and we’ve talked about it all year, her versatility and what she is able to do offensively and defensively. But, I think what makes Rhyne special is she can play the one through the five, but she also makes the people around her better, and she has matured into a vocal leader this year. Her teammates want to do well for her, as well. So, I think having Rhyne is a big advantage, but I just think that not only Rhyne, we have so much talent across the board, and that’s what makes us a dangerous team during this time.”
On what else the team is doing to stay healthy from COVID-19…
“You know, I hate to hear about Coach Geno Auriemma and I hope he recovers and is doing well under the circumstances. As far as our team, we are healthy and ready to go. We can continue just to follow the protocol. It does get tiring receiving all of the tests, you know, social distancing, wearing your mask, but those are things we must stay diligent in in order to play in March. So far, so good, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed to continue to do what we need to do to keep everyone safe. Shoutout to Courtney Jones, our trainers and our medical staff here at Kentucky have been amazing.”
On what you expect the biggest difference will be being a head coach at the tournament, rather an associate head coach…
“That’s a great question. You know, I’ve been in the business a long time, and as an assistant coach, you’re very cognitive and aware of what the head coach is doing, but it’s not until you move over to the seat, the sense of responsibility that you feel. You are no longer giving suggestions, you are the final say. Being able to really delegate and stay focused on the priorities that are important. At the end of the day, everything falls into your lap, so surrounding yourself with a staff that you trust, that is competent, that is willing to do whatever to make your program successful, then you’ve hit the jackpot, and I’ve hit the jackpot with this staff, so I am blessed to have them, and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the team behind me.”
On how playing in the SEC prepares your team for the NCAA Tournament…
“You are right about the gauntlet of the SEC, and you could see the caliber of play as you watch the SEC teams go up on the board. The SEC was well represented, so shoutout to the SEC teams. But, I think playing in this league, it forces you to put your best foot forward night in and night out. We are battle tested. We’ve had to go against top caliber teams all year long in this league, so in order to prepare to be the best, you have to beat the best, and we’ve done that night in and night out in this league.”
#10 Rhyne Howard, Jr., G
On overall feeling going into the tournament…
“It’s just great to be able to have a tournament this year, because like you said, it did get canceled, so for us to know who we are playing and know where we’re going is a good chance for to go ahead and get a head start on it and get more prepared.”
On being selected second team All-America by ESPN.com…
“Um, I have a lot of thoughts about it, but we will keep it cordial. I definitely think it’s political. I am upset about it, and I’m hurt about it. But, I felt like I deserved it, of course, and I felt like I worked hard enough, but I’m just going to use it as motivation and continue to work hard and continue to prove myself.”
On the key to being consistent in the tournament…
“When everyone is moving around, or we’re making the extra pass, or we’re locked in defensively, we always play at our highest level when those things are happening. Um, we’re always on the same page, and we have to knock down shots and we’ll be good.”
On which part of your game do you think you can most improve upon…
“Um, I can always improve on everything, really. But, for sure still rebounding, and you know, assists, and definitely steals, continue to play defense, so, the other things will come. Like scoring will come if I play defense harder, if I get a couple more steals, I can turn them into fast break points, or get assists off of those.”
On how you would assess the mental aspect of your game…
“Um, I try not to get too high or too low because nothing is ever set until the last horn goes off. I know if I get too down, then my teammates are looking at me and they’re going to get really down, or if we get too high, then the other team can make a run, and then we’re just like, back to down, back to the beginning. So, I try to keep it steady and set the tone.”
On being in the tournament …
“It’s great to go back and continue to help prove myself as a whole and show what we’re made of.”
On if “having fun” is still in the game plan now that you’re in the tournament…
“We still want to have fun with it, but as long as we’re getting the job done. If we’re not doing what we’re supposed to do then it’s not going to be very fun.”
