2018-19 SEC preview: Will Mississippi State or South Carolina prevail?
Kentucky Wildcats
Last season: 15-17 (6-10, 9th)
Predicted finish this season: 7th
Key returners (last season’s stats)
G- Maci Morris, 6’0, SR- 17.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 48.4% 3pt, 47.5% 3p (T-2nd in NCAA), 30.2 MPG, Second Team All-SEC selection
G- Taylor Murray, 5’6, SR- 11.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.1 SPG, 43.2% FG, 33.5 MPG, SEC All-Defensive selection
Biggest losses (last season’s stats)
C- Alyssa Rice, 6’3- 6.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 49.4% FG, 21.8 MPG (graduated)
Newcomers
G- Rhyne Howard, 6’2, (Cleveland, TN), FR- Ranked #32 in 2018 class, #5 small forward
G- Blair Green, 6’0, (Harlan, KY), FR- Ranked #70 in 2018 class, #10 small forward
F- Ogechi Anyagaligbo, 6’1, (Stony Brook/ Miami, FL), R-JR- Was on the team last year but suffered a season-ending knee injury in an exhibition game. Transferred from Stony Brook University. Was the 2015-16 America East Rookie of the Year
Head Coach- Matthew Mitchell, 12th season
Last season’s Kentucky team achieved a few feats it had never done under Mitchell. Unfortunately, they were the bad kind of achievements. The 15-17 record marked the first sub-.500 finish since Mitchell’s arrival, their 9th place SEC finish was their lowest since 2008-09 and they missed the postseason altogether for the first time under his watch as well. It wasn’t terribly difficult to see this coming. From October 2015 to May 2016, Kentucky saw 7 players depart the program, one recruit decommited and all three assistant coaches leave. The program was left in bad condition and the aftereffects resulted in that season.
Regardless of the reasoning behind that tumultuous time in Lexington, Mitchell has put together a solid squad. Morris and Murray are both top-tier players and Rhyne Howard was a huge signing. Going forward, I don’t know how the team will replace their top two scorers, but for now, the Cats have a fighting chance.
Key non-conference games
Nov. 15– v. Virginia
Nov. 22- USF (St. Thomas Island, 2018 Paradise Jam)
Nov. 23- UCLA (St. Thomas Island, 2018 Paradise Jam)
Nov 24- UNC (St. Thomas Island, 2018 Paradise Jam)
Dec. 9- at Louisville
Dec. 15- v. Middle Tennessee
Outlook
Maci Morris is one of the deadliest shooters in the country. Besides her insane three-point percentage of 47.5 last season, she also was in the top 96 percentile in true shooting (60.2%) and effective field goal shooting (57.6%). Couple her with a defensive minded guard in Taylor Murray and you’ve got quite the tag team. While the Wildcats have gone back to playing a lot of 2-3 zone and it has a lot of people saying how that shows a weakness, I would remind you that they deployed the same defense a few seasons ago and found success with Makayla Epps and Evelyn Akhator.
The graduation of Alyssa Rice has flown under the radar and I think the Cats will miss her presence. That is, unless Dorie Harrison, who showed flashes as a freshman, can fill that role. As I mentioned before, Rhyne Howard was a big signing but fellow freshman Blair Green is not stiff either. Both will be called upon early and if they can answer the call, this team could be tough. I don’t know if this team is ready to compete with the cream of the SEC crop, but I do think they are the “best of the rest”.
Best Case Scenario- Morris and Murry continue to lead the charge as Howard wins Freshman of the Year and the Cats shock everyone by finishing in 5th place. After a run to the SEC semi-finals, that is more than enough to get them into the NCAA tournament, maybe even as a host.
Worst Case Scenario- Morris and Murry continue to lead the charge… alone. They can’t do it alone and that 2-3 zone sure did look different with Akhator in it. The team sputters down the stretch, finding themselves in the 8-9 matchup again in the SEC tournament, bowing out the next round and settling for the WNIT