Kentucky Women's Basketball: Strong Resume, Critical Belmont Test

Key Quotes

"kentucky right number 25 or excuse me i say 25 i was thinking with the ap top 25 right number 15 in the ap top 25 that's the highest ranking kentucky has been all season and i think it's about right you know you look at the ap top 25 and the teams that are you know first of all maryland's number seven so okay the ones that they lost to they're above you you know you look at the teams just above kentucky and it's vandy who i don't love but they're undefeated and playing really well north carolina iowa baylor like those make sense to me and you're right above usc illinois tennessee notre dame so you know i think i think generally that kind of makes sense but um you know i think you if you keep winning through non conference and you head into sec play with just this one loss then i tend to sit and think okay maybe you're all right"

The author argues that Kentucky's ranking at number 15 in the AP Top 25 is appropriate, considering their loss to Maryland, who is ranked higher. The author also notes that other teams ranked above Kentucky, such as Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Iowa, and Baylor, are understandable competitors. This suggests that Kentucky's current position reflects a reasonable assessment of their performance relative to other strong teams.

"kentucky number seven in the net rankings it's the highest kentucky has been all year in that category and then you set here and you look at the net rankings and the first thing i really noticed is that where's maryland like for playing these games and the first again it's like the first thing i notice is like where's maryland they're actually number 11 as far as i know i'm going to double check that oh maryland has dropped oh no they're up to number nine okay so this is actually slightly outdated i put this in i guess yesterday but maryland is at number nine of course with iowa losing last night too iowa state that makes sense but kentucky is still number seven i did check that this morning uh just to be sure"

The author highlights Kentucky's strong performance in the NET rankings, reaching their highest position of number seven for the season. The author also notes a slight discrepancy in the provided information regarding Maryland's ranking, indicating that while their own data might be slightly outdated, Kentucky's position at number seven is confirmed. This emphasizes the dynamic nature of these rankings and Kentucky's upward trend.

"so you know you look at kentucky's quad records oh this is interesting so miami moved up to a quad one win for kentucky woo right so kentucky is one of i think like seven or eight teams in the country with multiple quad one wins at this point already which for as much crap as we can give kenny and you know kentucky about you know oh the schedule sucks uh i already have two quad one wins that's hard to get mad about that"

The author points out that Kentucky has secured multiple Quad 1 wins, specifically mentioning the Miami game as a Quad 1 victory. The author suggests that having at least two Quad 1 wins early in the season is a positive achievement, especially when considering potential criticisms about the team's schedule. This indicates that Kentucky is accumulating quality wins that are significant for their overall resume.

"and then of course you beat central michigan so that's another quad four and then uh marshall and purdue still at quad three but yeah again you look at kentucky in the net in general and you got to be happy for the rat uh beaten if you go beat belmont on the road which we're about to go talk about that'll help a lot so that's really nice"

The author discusses Kentucky's other wins, categorizing the Central Michigan victory as a Quad 4 win and Marshall and Purdue as Quad 3 wins. The author then looks forward to a potential win against Belmont on the road, suggesting it would further improve Kentucky's NET ranking. This shows the author's focus on how different types of wins contribute to the team's standing in the NET system.

"i love this because obviously if you remember you know if or if you're new to the women's game and you don't know for sure um if you're a top four seed so one of the top 16 overall seeds you get to host the first two rounds of the ncaa tournament and kentucky had that advantage last year now obviously um georgia a more misses a floater at the end of the kansas state game so um it didn't totally play out in kentucky's favor there but you always want to have home court advantage if you can get it"

The author expresses enthusiasm for Kentucky being a projected top four seed in the latest ESPN bracketology, explaining that this seeding grants them the advantage of hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. The author recalls that Kentucky had this home-court advantage the previous year, though it did not ultimately lead to a favorable outcome due to a missed shot at the end of a game. This highlights the strategic importance of securing a top seed for potential tournament success.

"i mean 45 38 at the half it's a seven point game at the half against central michigan like hello um you know it's like the first time all season that kentucky's defense just didn't look great just didn't look phenomenal um and really to start the game that is kind of in the game i mean you held them to what is that 17 second half points so it's really just the first half they kind of came out slow um but again just didn't look great for the most part defensively but i guess it was nice to see them kind of uh excuse me kind of clean that part up"

The author critiques Kentucky's defensive performance in the first half against Central Michigan, noting that the team was only leading by seven points at halftime. The author states this was the first time all season Kentucky's defense appeared subpar. However, the author also acknowledges that the team improved defensively in the second half, holding Central Michigan to only 17 points. This indicates a mixed performance with a notable second-half correction.

"and one of them was the fact that you had 25 assists on 34 makes and first of all that's a crazy number like 25 assists 34 makes that's really efficient good ball movement all that kind of stuff and it was tony morgan again who was doing it all for kentucky 12 points um six of six from the free throw line i really like seeing players who can shoot well from the free throw line"

The author highlights the impressive statistic of 25 assists on 34 made field goals against Central Michigan, characterizing it as efficient ball movement. The author specifically praises Tony Morgan's performance, noting her 12 points and perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line. The author expresses a strong appreciation for players who