Kentucky is riding a three-game winning streak into today’s game at Arkansas. Since getting her full roster back, Kyra Elzy has pushed all the right buttons in getting her Wildcats back to playing like the Kentucky BBN is used to seeing. With that said, Kentucky will face their toughest test since playing South Carolina when they take the court at Bud Walton Arena.
Coach Elzy will once again have her hands full in preparation for another star-studded backcourt. The Razorbacks are led by the upperclassman duo of MaKayla Daniels and Amber Ramirez. Daniels leads Arkansas in assists and rebounds per game with 2.9 APG and 5.2 RPG as well as putting up 14.5 PPG. Meanwhile, Ramirez averages the most points for the Razorbacks at 15.6 PPG and is a lethal three point shooter, making 42% of her attempts.
For Kentucky to extend their win streak to four, they will need Dre’Una Edwards to continue playing like the emerging star she is becoming. Make no mistake about it, Rhyne Howard is what makes this team go, but she’s been waiting on a teammate to step up behind her. Edwards’ energy and efficiency off the bench has been just what the doctor ordered in fixing what has been a disappointing season. Over the past three games, “Dre” has been averaging 22.3 PPG and 8 RPG which are numbers that would make her option number one on many other teams in the country.
Playing on the road has not been kind to Kentucky as they have gone 2-6 in their matchups away from Memorial Coliseum. The Wildcats will need to continue to exhaust all their effort on the defensive end as the offense has been extremely inconsistent this season. Pressing has helped Kentucky on both ends by helping them force turnovers and allowing them some easy scoring opportunities in transition. I’d expect Coach Elzy to continue implementing this scheme to as it has helped the team immensely.
The Wildcats and Razorbacks will tipoff at 2 PM ET. It will be broadcasted on the SEC network.