Big Blue Preview: No. 14/16 Kentucky Women’s Basketball Plays at No. 16/15 North Carolina for SEC/ACC Challenge
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 14/16 University of Kentucky women’s basketball program will play at No. 16/15 North Carolina on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. ET in Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for the Southeastern Conference / Atlantic Coast Conference Challenge.
It will be UK’s first true road game this season.
The Wildcats are 1-0 in the SEC / ACC Challenge. Kentucky defeated Boston College, 83-81, at home last season. Former Cat Eniya Russell scored on a driving layup with less than a second remaining to take the win.
Fans in the area can still purchase tickets to the game here.
Darren Headrick will have the radio call for UK Sports Network, his eighth straight season as the voice of the Wildcats. His call will be carried on 630 AM WLAP (Lexington), 790 AM WKRD (Louisville) and on SiriusXM Channel 119 or 190.
Big Blue Nation also can watch the game on ESPN2, with Debbie Antonelli and Beth Mowins on the call.
UK goes into the matchup 7-0 for the first time since 2019-20, while UK defeated its first seven opponents of the season by at least 10 points for the first time since 2013-14. Kenny Brooks is just the second head coach in program history to begin their first season at UK undefeated through seven games. Terry Hall went undefeated through her first nine games in 1980-81
Thursday’s game will mark UK’s third ranked matchup of the season and its second straight.
UK is 2-0 against ranked opponents this season, defeating No. 18/18 Louisville, 71-61, On Nov. 16 and taking down No. 19/19 Illinois, 76-53, in its most recent game on Nov. 27. UK defeated each of its first two ranked opponents of the season for the first time since 2016-17, when UK defeated No. 14 Miami and No. 12 Oklahoma. It also marked the first time in program history that UK has defeated two AP-ranked opponents in November.
Clara Strack led Kentucky in its most recent game against Illinois, scoring a career-high 25 points on 12-of-18 from the field. She added a career-high-tying 15 rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. She was named one of five Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week for her performances last week against both Arizona State and Illinois at the Music City Classic. She averaged 24.5 points per game on 60.0 field-goal percentage, 12.5 rebounds per game, 3.0 assists per game and 2.0 blocks per game in Nashville, Tennessee.
Teonni Key, who is a three-year transfer from North Carolina and a Cary, North Carolina, native, also averaged a double-double – 14.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg – at the Music City Classic. She is on a streak of three straight double-doubles.
The Wildcats trail the all-time meetings with the Tar Heels, 5-1, in a series that began in 1978. The Cats took the latest meeting, 85-75, to win the Paradise Jam on Nov. 24, 2018. The Cats rallied a second-half, double-digit deficit to beat the Heels. Then-freshman Rhyne Howard led the team with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Kentucky trails North Carolina, 2-0, in Chapel Hill, with those meetings occurring in 2001 and 1978.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
