The Kentucky women’s basketball team is set to close out their regular season slate vs Auburn on Sunday afternoon. Being the last home game of the season and of Rhyne Howard’s career, Kentucky is set to send off the star senior in the best way possible.
Tomorrow is officially being recognized as “Rhyne Howard Day” at Memorial Coliseum. Fans who make the trip to Lexington will receive a paper crown and poster in honor of one of, if not the best player to put on the blue and white for the women’s program. There will also be a ceremony in honor of Howard 20 minutes before tipoff at 3:40 PM ET.
The accolades that Howard has accumulated over the years is nothing short of impressive. Her achievements began early on in her freshman year as she was deemed as the unanimous freshman of the year. Howard is also holds two SEC Player of the Year awards and has been a two-time consensus first-team All-American. Even if she hasn’t taken home every award, she has been a finalist for every major national player of the year award in both her sophomore and junior seasons. Not only is her trophy case full, her name will be at the top of Kentucky’s record books until the end of time.
Heading into Sunday’s game, Howard is second in scoring in Kentucky basketball history (men’s and women’s). She passed this mark during Thursday’s win at Missouri. The Cleveland, Tennessee native is top 10 in nearly every statistical category that the University of Kentucky recognizes. This is a testament to how balanced of a player she has been throughout her career. Howard is an elite scorer, three-point shooter, rebounder, and defender. The proof of that statement lies within her ranks in the record books.
Not only will tomorrow be an important day for Rhyne Howard, it will be a crucial day for her team as well. The Wildcats have played their way back into NCAA tournament contention with the five-game win streak they have enjoyed since the full-time return of Robyn Benton, Jazmine Massengil, and Dre’Una Edwards. Edwards has been the main piece to the puzzle along with Howard in getting this team back on track and giving them hopes at playing well into March. Kentucky will be taking on the Auburn Tigers, who they have already beaten earlier in the year without a full roster. The Tigers are currently last place in the SEC and essentially have nothing to play for. With that said, Auburn is coming off of a recent upset of previously #21 ranked Georgia at home, showing they are capable of stealing a win if you’re not ready to play.
With all the attention revolving around Rhyne Howard at Memorial tomorrow, focus will be the main key for Kentucky to end the regular season on a six-game win streak. The Wildcats have already proven they can beat this Auburn team. It will be up to Kyra Elzy and her staff to keep the team focused on the task at hand while sending one of the greats in Kentucky history off with one final victory in front of the home crowd.
Tipoff is set for 4:00 PM ET on the SEC Network.