It potentially could be their best ever. And they've enjoyed some wonderful ones in the past. Giveaways like the tee shirt and the banner pictured below added to the atmosphere in past seasons. The free "T" shirts that were thrown in the stands for fans to catch after a UK women's team player hit a three-point shot were especially popular.
Coach Kyra Elzy is in her second season as head coach after coach Matthew Mitchell’s abrupt departure before the start of last season for health reasons. An off-season accident led him to retire. Her year’s experience as a head coach, after serving as an assistant for years, will make her a more effective coach this season, as I see it.
Avoiding injuries and foul trouble are a key to success, especially avoiding such things for star player Howard.
Roster
Rhyne Howard, mentioned earlier, is the star of the team. But success comes from quality teamwork. And UK has other talented players.
Dre’una Edwards, a 6’2 red shirt junior forward performed impressively last year in the early part of the season after her redshirt year. I anticipate her performing all season closer to that level this year. She had been 2019 Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year before transferring to Kentucky.
Relaxed transfer rules allowed three transfers to play last year without sitting out a year. That year of playing while adapting to the Kentucky system will hopefully make 6’0” senior guard Jazmine Massengill from Tennessee, 5’9” junior guard Robyn Benton from Auburn, and 6’ 4” center Olivia Owens a redshirt junior from Maryland more effective this season. Owens sat out her second year at Maryland due to medical issues before transferring to Kentucky and playing last season for the Wildcats.
Blair Green, a 6’0” senior guard, and Treasure Hunt, a 6’1” sophomore guard whom I expect to be much improved over her rookie season, will provide the Cats plenty of depth at the guard position.
I expect UK to start at least three guards and often play four of them at the same time. I hope to see Kentucky return to its well-known pressure defense.
Nyah Leveretter, a 6’3” sophomore forward who rebounds well, Emma King a 5”10’” junior guard, Erin Toller a 5’7” sophomore guard, and Jada Walker a 5’7” freshman guard give the Cats more depth.
From last year’s team, the Cats will miss guard Chasity Patterson, frontline players Keke McKinney and Tayana Wyatt, and guard Kameron Roach. They were seniors last year and elected not to return to Kentucky this year despite NCAA COVID-19 protocol allowing seniors to return another year. McKinney and Patterson are the biggest losses. But improved play from Edwards, Owens, and Leveretter will help the frontline. And Kentucky is blessed with much depth at guard.
Kentucky’s strength this year as usual will be its guard play. Furthermore, despite the player departures, Kentucky should be a better team overall, thanks to several returnees with experience, especially All-American Rhyne Howard.
The 2021-22 team’s complete roster is listed on the University of Kentucky Athletics website.
Nonconference Schedule
Kentucky’s nonconference schedule includes some games that should be relatively easy, giving the Cats a chance to play the bench, have fun, and learn while gaining wins.
But it also includes an early, November 14th, road game at Indiana and a December 12th game at Louisville. Both those opponents are likely to be ranked in the top ten in the nation when Kentucky plays them. These two games will give a good feel for how UK is developing.
If the Wildcats finish the preconference schedule with only two losses, they can consider it a success.
Conference Schedule
The sixteen game conference schedule includes one matchup with each of the thirteen other conference teams and home-and-away games against South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Auburn.
The two games against South Carolina are almost certain to be losses. Connecticut may be the only team in the nation that can compete effectively with South Carolina this season. I’d rank the Gamecocks ahead even of UConn.
Kentucky could conceivably win all the rest of its conference games. But the road game at Tennessee will be tough. Arkansas on the road is almost always tough. And several other conference games can be too. The University of Kentucky athletics website is one of many that list the team’s complete schedule.
Predictions
I expect UK to win at least 20 games before the final whistle sounds in NCAA tournament play. But I foresee as many as seven regular season losses being reasonable.
I expect the Cats to fall to Indiana, Louisville, and possibly one other nonconference opponent.
In the SEC I expect Kentucky to lose to South Carolina at home, and to lose to South Carolina and perhaps two other teams on the road.
However, I also think it’s possible the Cats could reasonably go through the regular season with as few as three losses, only losing to Louisville and twice to South Carolina. This would mean upsetting a likely top-ten Indiana team. Even a win over Louisville doesn't seem too far-fetched.
On April 4th, 2021 ESPN provided a “Way-Too-Early Top 25” that had Kentucky #14. That #14 forecast seems fair, but I optimistically think an Elite Eight finish for the Cats is a realistic hope.
Tournament Time
If the Cats live up to my highest expectations, they will get a #2 seed in the SEC tournament. Then they will lose to South Carolina in the SEC tournament championship game.
Kentucky then receives a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament (though a #3 or #4 seed is perhaps more realistic). Kentucky will then in my optimistic forecast go on to upset someone in the Elite Eight. The Wildcats then fall to either Connecticut or South Carolina in the national semifinals.
I expect a fun, exciting season for Kentucky. UK's colors are blue and white, so I'll write "Go Big Blue," which is often said at UK games and is the message written on the reverse side of the banner pictured earlier. Below I picture the "Go Big Blue" side.
Closing Thoughts
Basketball is only a game. A weakness of mine (and of many other persons, especially perhaps in Kentucky) is devoting too much time and attention to following the sport.
Please remember to treat it as entertainment, a sideline to life, rather than the centerpiece. But have fun.
NOTE: This article was last updated September 20th, 2021.
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