Big Blue Preview: No. 6/7 Kentucky Women’s Basketball Plays at RV/No. 24 Alabama on Thursday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 6/7 University of Kentucky women’s basketball program, who also is seventh in the latest NET rankings, will play at RV/No. 24 Alabama in Coleman Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. ET.
Fans in the area can purchase tickets to the game here.
Darren Headrick will have the Kentucky-Alabama 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 83 and on the SiriusXM App.
Big Blue Nation also can watch the game on SEC Network+, with Gray Robertson and Richard Hendrix on the call and Mary Reagan Bollig on the sideline.
The Wildcats travel to Tuscaloosa after a 15-1 start to the season and a 2-0 start to Southeastern Conference action, both for the second straight year under head coach Kenny Brooks.
They bring with them recently decorated point guard Tonie Morgan, who was named a U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week, March Madness Starting Five Player of the Week and SEC Player of the Week on Tuesday. The awards came after a combined 42 points, 26 assists, three turnovers and over 65.0 percent shooting from the field in Kentucky’s wins over #5/5 LSU and Missouri.
Following her 26 assists and just three turnovers last weekend, she improved to first in the nation in both assists (144) and assists per game (9.0). She also improved to sixth in the nation in assist-turnover ratio (3.51).
Going into the Kentucky-Alabama game, Morgan is the lone player in the nation with three games this season with at least 11 assists and 0 turnovers. She also is the lone player in the nation averaging at least 13.0 points per game and 9.0 assists per game.
Likewise, Clara Strack, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, is the lone player in the nation averaging at least 16.0 points per game, 9.0 rebounds per game and 2.5 blocks per game. Moreover, Strack, the 6-5 versatile center, is coming off making a career-high three 3s in the 22-point triumph over Missouri.
UK’s defense shined in that game, which is ranked third in the nation in scoring defense (52.1) and seventh in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (32.8%). UK held UM to 52 points on 29.7 percent shooting and just five 3s. Meanwhile, UK scored more than 70 points on 43.9 percent shooting and knocked down 11 3s.
It is the eighth game this season UK has made at least 10 3s in a game. Moreover, UK has scored at least 72 points in at least 14 of its first 16 games of a season for the first time since 2009-10.
Kentucky leads Alabama in the all-time series, 37-19, which officially began in 1978. UK leads UA in Tuscaloosa, 14-11. The Wildcats and the Crimson Tide have split the last four meetings, with the Cats taking the most recent appointment, 65-56, in Lexington on Jan. 30, 2025.
Prior to the last four meetings, the Cats had won 11 straight from 2015-22. The last time UK won two straight was in 2021 and 2022.
Kentucky’s associate head coach Lindsey Hicks played for Kristy Curry at Purdue from 2001-04. Later on, Coach Hicks was Coach Curry’s video coordinator at Alabama in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
