Big Blue Preview: No. 11/12 Kentucky Women’s Basketball Plays at No. 5/5 LSU on New Year’s Day
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 11/12 University of Kentucky women’s basketball program, who also is seventh in the latest NET rankings, will begin the Southeastern Conference season at No. 5/5 LSU at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on New Year’s Day.
Fans in the area can attend the game by purchasing tickets here.
Darren Headrick will have the Kentucky-LSU radio call for UK Sports Network on 630 AM WLAP in Lexington and on 790 AM WKRD in Louisville. It also will be carried on SiriusXM channel 392 and on the SiriusXM App.
Big Blue Nation also can watch the game on SEC Network+, with Lyn Rollins and Victor Howell on the call.
Kentucky concluded nonconference action with a 13-1 record, as the program improved to 25-2 in regular-season nonconference games under head coach Kenny Brooks.
The Wildcats enter league play with five players averaging double-digit scoring, including Clara Strack (16.8), Tonie Morgan (12.9), Jordan Obi (11.2), Teonni Key (11.0) and Amelia Hassett (10.5), while sixth-woman Asia Boone is close behind (9.5). Meanwhile, Strack is the only player in the nation averaging at least 16.0 points per game, 9.0 rebounds per game and 3.0 blocks per game and Morgan is one of just two players in the country putting up at least 12.0 points per game with 8.0 assists per game.
Both players are coming off the regular-season nonconference finale doing what they do best.
In the 38-point margin of victory over Hofstra on Sunday, Strack became the first SEC player to have at least 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks in a game since 2018. She earned her seventh double-double of the season, while also adding two assists and two steals. Morgan put up 10 assists and just two turnovers, marking the fourth time this season she has dished out double-digit assists.
Strack is third in the nation in blocks per game thus far this season (3.1), while Morgan is second in the nation in assists per game (8.4).
The Wildcats’ nationally ranked defense will match up against the Tigers’ nationally ranked offense Thursday. The Cats enter the game ranked first in the country in blocked shots (8.2), third in the country in scoring defense (50.2) and seventh in the country in field-goal percentage defense (31.7).
Meanwhile, on offense, UK is sixth in the nation in assists-turnover ratio (1.8), seventh in the nation in fewest turnovers committed (10.6), 17th in the nation in assists per game (19.3), 22nd in the nation in 3-point field goal made per game and 25th in the nation in scoring offense (81.4).
Kentucky concluded the nonconference schedule defeating 11 opponents by at least 16 points and nine opponents by at least 27 points. It also held eight opponents to under 50 points, while it held all 14 opponents to under 40.0 percent shooting.
This will the 57th all-time meeting between Kentucky and LSU. Kentucky trails the all-time meetings with LSU, 38-18, in a series that began in 1982. UK trails LSU in the series in Baton Rouge, 17-5.
The last time the Wildcats defeated the Tigers was in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals on March 4, 2022, 78-63, en route to knocking off the one, two and three seeds to be crowned champions. The last time the Wildcats defeated the Tigers on the road was on Jan. 17, 2019 (64-60).
Last season, UK had a 12-point lead over LSU at halftime (38-26), before the Tigers used a 23-to-6, third quarter scoring advantage to take the lead and ultimately win by seven points (65-58) in Lexington, Kentucky, on Feb. 23.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
