Kentucky women’s basketball opened the season by absolutely bullying low-level talent, but the Wildcats are about to unleash their frontcourt advantage on a ranked opponent.
Kentucky travels to Charlotte on Sunday to face No. 25 NC State in the Ally Tipoff, presenting the Wolfpack with a physical mismatch that should dictate the entire game.
As with the recent blowout win over Northern Kentucky, early-season stats for both programs may be slightly skewed by the lower-tier competition they have faced
so far.
NC State arrives with a dynamic backcourt-frontcourt duo: guard Zoe Brooks, averaging 19.5 points and 5.5 assists, and forward Khamil Pierre, posting a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
But the Wolfpack have a glaring roster limitation that plays directly into Kenny Brooks’ hands.
No player on the NC State roster is taller than Annsley Trivette, who stands 6-foot-3.
That lack of sheer size is a devastating weakness when lining up against a Kentucky team that regularly deploys three starters standing 6-foot-5.
Clara Strack is already dominating the interior, averaging 14 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 5.0 blocks per game. Add in the length of Ajsa Sivka and Me’Arah O’Neal, and the Wildcats have a wall in the paint that the Wolfpack simply lack the physical personnel to match up well.
But height isn’t the only factor here.
Keys to the game
- Exploit the paint: Kentucky must relentlessly feed the post and crash the offensive glass; they’re built for this. If Strack and O’Neal establish deep position early, NC State will be forced to collapse, opening up the rest of the offense.
- Find the outside shot: The Wildcats are only shooting 24.1 percent from beyond the arc as a team. With Asia Boone finding her rhythm late in the last game against Morehead (five 3s), Kentucky needs to hit outside shots to prevent the Wolfpack from packing the paint.
- Contain Zoe Brooks: The NC State offense runs heavily through Brooks. If Kentucky’s guards can pressure the perimeter and disrupt her passing lanes, the Wolfpack will struggle to generate clean looks. That’s why I think Dianna Collins and Maddyn Greenway will be a huge factor in this one.
Game details
- Date: Sunday
- Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Ally Tipoff | Charlotte, NC
- Channel: ESPN2
This matchup marks a major step up in exposure and competition for the program. It will be Kentucky’s first nationally televised game this year, moving into the ESPN2 spotlight after the first two games were available via streaming only.
Prediction: I think Kentucky’s height is again too much for a pesky NC State team. Kentucky gets hot from deep and runs away from the Wolfpack in a dominant statement game.
Kentucky wins 85-69
What say you BBN?
