Kentucky Basketball's SEC Challenge and NCAA Tournament Potential

Kentucky Sports Radio Podcast Network · December 30, 2025 · Listen to Original Episode →

Original Title:

TL;DR

Kentucky's move to #11 in the AP Poll reflects a ceiling for advancement, as significant upward mobility requires multiple top teams to lose, suggesting a stable ranking position.
Kentucky's #8 NET ranking, down from #7, is attributed to Maryland's rise to #7, demonstrating how head-to-head results directly impact rankings even without a loss.
The Hofstra game's 27 assists on 31 made field goals signifies an offensively flowing and enjoyable brand of basketball, indicating effective player movement and shot creation.
Clara Strack's defensive performance, highlighted by seven blocks against Hofstra, positions her as a potential elite defensive player nationally and a program legend.
LSU's 108 points per game average is a significant offensive threat, but their schedule lacks top-100 competition, raising questions about their true strength against elite teams.
LSU's depth, with eight to nine players averaging 18-22 minutes, allows for lineup flexibility but may condense to eight key players in conference play.
The prediction of Kentucky winning 87-83 against LSU suggests Kentucky's ability to overcome LSU's home-court advantage and offensive prowess through key performances.

Deep Dive

Kentucky women's basketball enters SEC play ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 8 in the NET rankings, positioning them as a strong contender for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. While their non-conference performance has been dominant, with a 13-1 record and a single loss to Maryland, the upcoming conference schedule presents a significant challenge, particularly against top-tier opponents like LSU and South Carolina. The team's offensive flow, highlighted by a high assist rate and strong individual performances from players like Clara Strack and Emilia Hasett, indicates potential for deep tournament success.

The upcoming matchup against LSU is critical, representing Kentucky's first true test against a highly-ranked opponent. LSU, averaging 108 points per game, boasts significant offensive firepower and depth, though their strength of schedule has been questioned. The game will likely hinge on Kentucky's ability to contain LSU's dynamic backcourt, particularly Morgan and Fulwiley, and to consistently rebound against a physically imposing frontcourt. A win against LSU would provide a substantial confidence boost and validate Kentucky's status as a national championship contender, while a loss would highlight areas for improvement before facing other formidable SEC opponents.

Looking ahead, Kentucky's SEC schedule is demanding, featuring matchups against other ranked teams and consistent NCAA Tournament participants. While the team's ceiling suggests a potential 27-3 overall record and a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament, their floor indicates a potential 21-9 finish, resulting in a lower seed. The team's trajectory will depend on key matchups, particularly against LSU and South Carolina, and their ability to maintain offensive consistency and defensive effectiveness throughout the rigorous conference slate. Despite the challenges, Kentucky is well-positioned to contend for a strong conference finish and a high NCAA Tournament seed.

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Key Quotes

"kentucky moves up to number 11 in the ap poll um you know makes sense to me i don't know just looking at the ap poll i don't think kentucky can really go up a whole lot more you know if they play i guess how you would expect them to play which like you know like you need an iowa state to lose you need a tcu to lose you know you look at the schedule you would need like a michigan to lose um but the ap poll you know yukon one texas two south carolina three ucla four lsu who kentucky plays next we'll talk about that more on later number five michigan six maryland who was 13 and oh now or actually i think 14 and oh by now maybe um maybe 13 and oh i'm not sure i think they're 14 and oh though um they're at number seven tcu eight oklahoma nine and then iowa state 10 you know i think when you get to sort of the way the ap people think like i think kentucky's better than iowa state so i would flip flop them but other than that it's just i think kentucky's just gonna be at 11"

The host explains Kentucky's current ranking in the AP Poll, noting that while they moved up to number 11, further significant jumps are unlikely without other top teams losing. The host analyzes the poll's structure, suggesting Kentucky is ranked appropriately given the current landscape, even if they believe Kentucky is better than some teams ranked higher.

"kentucky did move down in the net um they were number seven they are now at number eight and normally i'd probably sit here and say well what the crap why is kentucky moving down in the net they haven't lost or anything well all this time kentucky has been ahead of maryland in the net who they have a head to head lost to and maryland is now at number seven so you look at that top 10 of the net rankings right there or if you're just listening it's yukon south carolina texas ucla lsu michigan maryland kentucky at eight tcu nine iowa not iowa state iowa at 10 so you know i can't really get mad at kentucky moving down to eight if maryland moves up to seven because you lost to maryland right and so i would say if you wanted to stay up there beat them but regardless kentucky now number eight in the net rankings still"

The host discusses Kentucky's slight drop in the NET rankings from seventh to eighth. The host attributes this movement to Maryland's rise to seventh, acknowledging that Kentucky's head-to-head loss to Maryland justifies Maryland's higher ranking. The host concludes that Kentucky's position at eighth in the NET rankings is understandable given this context.

"guys 27 assists on 31 made field goals is that not like is that not just a beautiful number is that not just you know again i'm not going to pretend to be like acts like i'm a basketball guru or like a coach myself but again 27 assists on 31 makes sounds pretty good you know you go look at somebody like a tony morgan right had nine points 3 from the field you know whatever but she had 10 assists guys she had 10 assists in that game and that win and then you look at somebody even like an asia boon right who had 11 points shot three of eight from the field from the three point line asia boon guys had eight assists i don't know those eight assists and you know looked very comfortable like passing the ball around it was i thought it was really good stuff because you know i asked kenny in the post game press conference because again like i said i'm not a coach right i'm not going to pretend to understand the game of basketball to the level he does i think i got a pretty good baseline knowledge of the sport but i was like all right kenny can you tell me what does 27 assists on 31 makes tell you what does that mean to you and you know kenny says well that means our offense is flowing it means means first of all we're playing a fun brand of basketball means we're having fun out there but it also means okay you know when you watch a team and they get stagnant and nobody's moving nobody's cutting nobody's doing their job like kentucky isn't having that problem offensively right now or at least they didn't against hofstra and it also means people are getting open and obviously they're getting open and getting open excuse me they're hitting shots so again i thought kentucky i mean obviously the stats say they played well in that department but i just remember watching the game and thinking or they're getting a lot of you know a lot of makes off of the pass right now well it's because they were 27 assists on 31 makes it's hard to do much better than that"

The host highlights Kentucky's exceptional assist-to-made-field-goal ratio of 27 assists on 31 baskets against Hofstra. The host shares coach Kenny's explanation that this statistic signifies a fluid, enjoyable offense where players are moving, cutting, and finding open shots. The host emphasizes that this indicates the team is not experiencing offensive stagnation and is successfully executing plays.

"clara strack you know continues to play like the best defensive player not just the sec but in the whole damn country right like clara strack continues to play on this in this in this phenomenal stretch right like i feel like the miami game we almost saw her take another step like we almost saw her take this step of like okay now i'm going to attack the passing lane a little bit now i'm going to you know now i'm going to it's hard i don't know it's hard to describe like i thought clara strack was already elite defensively and she was but it just feels like she's taken that even next step and obviously um are mainly talking about her blocks right now but i feel like it's just kind of all around defensively she has played tremendously"

The host praises Clara Strack's defensive performance, asserting she is playing like the best defensive player in the SEC and potentially the entire country. The host notes that Strack has elevated her already elite defense, particularly by becoming more aggressive in attacking passing lanes. The host concludes that Strack's defensive impact is evident across all aspects of her game.

"lsu 14 and 0 on the season averaging 108 points per game that is an unreal number by far first in the country and last season kentucky lost to lsu 65 58 matt if you remember last year's game like i think kentucky was up i think it was 36 20 yeah georgia a'more makes that tip play hits the layup the memorial explodes i want to ask at that point did you think lsu was gonna lose because i i thought kentucky had the win yeah i thought lsu was gonna lose because l

Resources

External Resources

Articles & Papers

"Memorial Memo" (Podcast) - Mentioned as the name of the podcast series.
"ESPN Bracketology" - Referenced for Kentucky's projected NCAA tournament seeding.
"AP Poll" - Mentioned for Kentucky's ranking in women's college basketball.
"NET rankings" - Discussed for Kentucky's ranking and its implications for NCAA tournament seeding.

People

Bria Goss - Former guest on the podcast.
Stephen - Brother of the podcast host.
Tiyani Key - Kentucky player, mentioned as being out with an injury.
Asia Boone - Kentucky player, discussed for her assists and performance.
Emilia Hasett - Kentucky player, praised for her season performance and starting potential.
Clara Strack - Kentucky player, highlighted for her defensive performance, blocks record, and potential to be one of the best in program history.
Kaylen Carroll - Kentucky player, noted for her contributions despite not having her statistically greatest game.
Ron Howard - Mentioned as a notable player in Kentucky women's basketball history.
Audia Matthews - Mentioned as a notable player in Kentucky women's basketball history.
Michaela Lips - Mentioned as a notable player in Kentucky women's basketball history.
Georgia Amore - Mentioned in relation to a specific play in a past game against LSU.
Kim Mulkey - LSU coach, discussed for her coaching style and team's performance.
Zykia Johnson - LSU player, discussed for her recruitment and current role.
Malajia Fullwiley - LSU player, highlighted as a key difference-maker for the team and a potential reason for its high potential.
Jada Richard - LSU player, mentioned as a consistent starter at point guard.
Kyla Gilbert - LSU player, noted as being away from the team for personal reasons.
Kenneth Burnett - Listener who commented on the importance of beating LSU.
Angel Reese - Former LSU player, mentioned in comparison to current LSU rebounders.
Aneesa Morrow - Former LSU player, mentioned in comparison to current LSU rebounders.
John - Listener who commented on Kim Mulkey's coaching ability and Kentucky's chances.
Senia Tyler - Former Kentucky player now playing for Missouri.
Kelly Harper - Coach of the Missouri Tigers, previously coached at Tennessee.
Grace Slaughter - Missouri player, identified as the team's primary offensive threat.
Shanondall - Missouri player, mentioned as a guard transfer.
Jordana Rizzima - Missouri player, mentioned as a forward.
Jayla Smith - Missouri player, noted for her three-point shooting.
Jordan Aubry - Kentucky player, predicted to be MVP in the Missouri game.
Captain Kirk - Mentioned in relation to NIL player for Missouri.
Phoenix - Podcast host, referred to as potentially being a "genius" for predictions.

Organizations & Institutions

Kentucky Wildcats (Women's Basketball) - Primary subject of the podcast.
LSU Tigers (Women's Basketball) - Opponent discussed in detail.
Missouri Tigers (Women's Basketball) - Upcoming opponent discussed.
SEC (Southeastern Conference) - Conference in which Kentucky and LSU compete.
NCAA - Mentioned in relation to tournament seeding.
Army - Mentioned as the branch of service for the host's brother.
UK (University of Kentucky) - Abbreviation for the University of Kentucky.
KSR (Kentucky Sports Radio) - Podcast network affiliation.
PFF (Pro Football Focus) - Mentioned in relation to Kevin Cole's past work.
National Football League (NFL) - Mentioned in relation to Kevin Cole's past work.
New England Patriots - Mentioned as an example team for performance analysis.
Iowa State - Mentioned in relation to AP Poll rankings.
TCU - Mentioned in relation to AP Poll rankings.
Michigan - Mentioned in relation to AP Poll rankings.
UConn - Mentioned in relation to AP Poll rankings.
South Carolina - Mentioned in relation to AP Poll rankings.
Maryland - Mentioned in relation to AP Poll rankings and head-to-head loss.
Oklahoma - Mentioned in relation to AP Poll rankings.
Duke - Mentioned as LSU's opponent in the SEC/ACC Challenge.
Tennessee - Mentioned in relation to Kelly Harper's coaching history and as a future opponent.
Vanderbilt - Mentioned as a future opponent for Kentucky.
Texas A&M - Mentioned as a future opponent for Kentucky.
Ole Miss - Mentioned as a future opponent for Kentucky.
Virginia Tech - Mentioned in relation to Kim Mulkey's past Final Four appearance.
UCLA - Mentioned in relation to AP Poll rankings and NCAA tournament seeding.
Alabama State - Mentioned as an example of a lower-tier opponent.
Louisiana Tech - Mentioned as an example of a lower-tier opponent.
Charlotte - Mentioned as a potential opponent for LSU.
Tulane - Mentioned as a potential opponent for LSU.
ECU (East Carolina University) - Mentioned in relation to Amaya Joiner's past accolades.
Notre Dame - Mentioned as Kate Coble's former team.
Illinois State - Mentioned as Shanondall's former team.
Kansas City University - Mentioned as an opponent for Missouri.
The Chiefs - Mentioned in relation to Kansas City.
The Royals - Mentioned in relation to Kansas City.

Websites & Online Resources

myoldkyhomerepair.com - Mentioned as a sponsor.
rollback.com - Mentioned as a sponsor.
barttorvik.com - Referenced for team ratings.
on3.com - Mentioned as an LSU fan site.
twitter.com - Mentioned as a social media platform.

Other Resources

Quad 1, Quad 3, Quad 4 - Metrics used to categorize game difficulty and opponent strength.
NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) - Mentioned in relation to Missouri player.
SEC+ - Mentioned as the broadcast platform for the Kentucky vs. LSU game.
SEC Network - Mentioned as an alternative broadcast channel.
ESPN 2 - Mentioned as an alternative broadcast channel.
Skycast views - Mentioned in relation to game broadcasts.
Pat McAfee - Mentioned in relation to potential game broadcasts.
Coaches' Show - Mentioned in relation to game broadcasts.
The Bengal Tiger - Mentioned as an LSU fan site.
SEC/ACC Challenge - Mentioned as the event where Duke played LSU.
The Fall - Mentioned as the timeframe for Tiyani Key's injury.
September or October - Mentioned as a potential timeframe for Tiyani Key's injury.
The Final Four - Mentioned in relation to Kim Mulkey's past coaching achievement.
The Elite Eight - Mentioned in relation to LSU's past NCAA tournament performance.
The NCAA Tournament - Mentioned in relation to seeding and projections.
The WNBA - Mentioned as a future destination for Clara Strack.
The bluegrass region - Mentioned as the service area for My Old Kentucky Home Repair.
The conference rival - Mentioned in relation to Malajia Fullwiley transferring from South Carolina.
The championship team - Mentioned in relation to Flau'jae Johnson's past achievement.
The ACC - Mentioned in relation to women's basketball.
The Big Ten - Mentioned in relation to women's basketball.
The Big 12 - Mentioned in relation to women's basketball.
The Pac-12 - Mentioned in relation to women's basketball.
The AAC - Mentioned in relation to Charlotte, Tulane, and Louisiana Tech.
The SEC/ACC Challenge - Mentioned as the event where Duke played LSU.
The SEC Tournament - Mentioned in relation to Kentucky's potential seeding.
The NCAA Tournament - Mentioned in relation to Kentucky's potential seeding.
The Super Bowl - Mentioned in relation to playoff games.
The Sugar Bowl - Mentioned in relation to playoff games.
The Playoff Games - Mentioned in relation to broadcast schedules.
The Chiefs - Mentioned in relation to Kansas City.
The Royals - Mentioned in relation to Kansas City.
The Bluegrass Region - Mentioned as the service area for My Old Kentucky Home Repair.
The Conference Rival - Mentioned in relation to Malajia Fullwiley transferring from South Carolina.
The Championship Team - Mentioned in relation to Flau'jae Johnson's past achievement.
The ACC - Mentioned in relation to women's basketball.
The Big Ten - Mentioned in relation to women's basketball.
The Big 12 - Mentioned in relation to women's basketball.
The Pac-12 - Mentioned in relation to women's basketball.
The AAC - Mentioned in relation to Charlotte, Tulane, and Louisiana Tech.
The SEC/ACC Challenge - Mentioned as the event where Duke played LSU.
The SEC Tournament - Mentioned in relation to Kentucky's potential seeding.
The NCAA Tournament - Mentioned in relation to Kentucky's potential seeding.
The Super Bowl - Mentioned in relation to playoff games.
The Sugar Bowl - Mentioned in relation to playoff games.
The Playoff Games - Mentioned in relation to broadcast schedules.
The Chiefs - Mentioned in relation to Kansas City.
The Royals - Mentioned in relation to Kansas City.
The Bluegrass Region - Mentioned as the service area for My Old Kentucky Home Repair.
The Conference Rival - Mentioned in relation to Malajia Fullwiley transferring from South Carolina.
The Championship Team - Mentioned in relation to Flau'jae Johnson's past achievement.
The ACC - Mentioned in relation to women's basketball.
The Big Ten - Mentioned in relation to women's basketball.
The Big 12 - Mentioned in relation to women's basketball.
The Pac-12 - Mentioned in relation to women's basketball.
The AAC - Mentioned in relation to Charlotte, Tulane, and Louisiana Tech.
**The SEC