When Kenny Brooks took over the Kentucky women’s basketball program in 2024, they were coming off back-to-back 12-win seasons, finishing 12th or worse in the SEC. Fast forward to the start of Brooks’ second postseason in Lexington, and he has led Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season as a 5-seed or better.
This March, the Wildcats have a real path to the Elite Eight, and even the Final Four, a place the program has knocked on the door of four times, but never prevailed. Here
are five reasons this year is the year they do:
- Battle Tested: The SEC is a gauntlet as the conference has 10 bids in this year’s NCAA Tournament, including four of the top eight seeds. While Kentucky finished just 8-8 in conference play, ten of those games were against ranked conference opponents, going 4-6 with wins over LSU and Oklahoma. Overall, their strength of schedule ranked in the top 20 in the country, and playing a difficult schedule prepares you for the postseason.
- Clara Strack: Kenny Brooks challenged Strack before the SEC Tournament by telling her that she is the worst superstar he has ever coached. In reality, she could end up being his best. Averaging a double-double with 17.1 ppg and 10.0 rpg, she has received three All-America recognitions. Going into the NCAA Tournament, she has been on a tear, scoring 20 or more points in three of her last four games, including a career-high 33 points against Georgia.
- Healthy: This Kentucky team does not have much depth, playing a true rotation of just six to seven players. They lost guard Dominika Paurová to a torn ACL before the season. Off of Kentucky’s 15-2 start to the season, Teonni Key, the Wildcats’ third leading scorer, missed six games with a dislocated elbow. They went just 2-4 in that stretch. With a limited rotation, when a player goes down, it significantly hinders this team. Fortunately, Kentucky is healthy when it matters most, and when healthy, has the talent to compete with any team in the country, as shown in a 60-56 loss to South Carolina in the regular-season finale.
- Takes Care of the Ball: This Kentucky team is really good at taking care of the ball, ranking 18th nationally in fewest turnovers per game (12.7) and top 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.35). Fewer than five power teams in the field can say the same. With a top 20 offense, the Wildcats show not only that they value their possessions, but they are efficient.
- Path: As a 5-seed, Kentucky will likely have to face a 1-seed, Texas, in the Sweet 16 if they advance that far, but the path otherwise looks favorable. The Wildcats are heavy favorites over James Madison; they match up very well against a West Virginia team that struggles with three-point defense and defensive rebounding; they have beaten the 3-seeded Louisville by double digits; and they have a substantial size advantage over 2-seeded Michigan.
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Bet on the NCAA Tournament at FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Kentucky will top off NCAA Tournament play against 12-seeded James Madison on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Will it be the start of a historical run?
