$3 tickets available online at UKathletics.com/tickets using promo code UKWBB19
UK GAME NOTES | LOUISVILLE GAME NOTES | ESPN | LIVE STATS | FREE AUDIO | TICKETS
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 14 University of Kentucky women’s basketball team will conclude what has been a successful seven-game homestand Sunday when it faces in-state rival No. 7 Louisville for a 1 p.m. ET tip inside Rupp Arena. Kentucky fans are encouraged to wear blue to the game and free pom poms will be given out while supplies last.
Fans can purchase $3 tickets for the game by using the promo code UKWBB19 at UKathletics.com/tickets. UK students get into all Kentucky women’s basketball games free of charge with a valid UK Student ID, while UK faculty and staff get in free plus up to three guests with a valid UK ID. UK students that check into the event with a completed BBN Rewards profile will receive a chance to win $10,000.
Beth Mowins, Debbie Antonelli and Brooke Weisbrod will have the call on ESPN. The action can also be seen through WatchESPN on computers, smartphones or tablets. Darren Headrick will have the call on the UK Sports Network on 630AM WLAP in Lexington. Live stats and free live audio will be available online at UKathletics.com.
Construction along the back of Rupp Arena, near the Jefferson Street bridge, has eliminated a majority of parking in the Manchester Street lot. This will cause a number of spaces in the High Street lot to now be utilized for game day operations. Due to reduced parking in the High Street lots, fans are encouraged to use alternative game day parking options that are listed below.
- Transit Center Garage (150 East Vine Street) — 600 spaces, $5 per vehicle
- Helix Garage (150-160 West Main Street) — 250 spaces, $5 per vehicle
- Courthouse Parking Garage (105 Barr Street) — 350 spaces, $4 per vehicle
Lexington Center will still provide accessible parking on a game-by-game basis in the High Street Lot inside Gate 1. This lot will open approximately four hours prior to tip-off. This lot requires a state-issued disabled placard and will be cash only.
Kentucky (10-0) is off to its second best start under Matthew Mitchell, who has led the Wildcats to start 10-0 or better five times in his tenure. UK is coming off arguably its best performance of the year, defeating Winthrop 91-36. On top of earning a season high in points scored, UK hit 13 3-pointers – 11 in the first half alone, which tied a program record for most 3s made in the first half – and shot over 50 percent from the field for the second straight game. Senior guard Jaida Roper was the star for Kentucky in the game, scoring a career-high 30 points on 12-of-13 shooting with four assists. The strong showing from the field was the third-best field goal percentage for a UK player in a game in program history (minimum 10 attempts). Four other Wildcats scored double figures in the game, including a career-high tying 13 from sophomore guard Blair Green.
Sophomore guard Rhyne Howard leads Kentucky this season averaging 19.6 points per game. Howard is also averaging 5.6 rebounds per game and has 25 assists, 23 steals and 11 blocks. Senior guard Sabrina Haines, who ranks second in the Southeastern Conference in 3-point field-goal percentage, is averaging 11.6 points per game with 5.1 rebounds per game. Roper has upped her season average to 9.2 points per game with a team-best 43 assists, while Green is averaging 8.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Junior forwards Tatyana Wyatt and KeKe McKinney are having great seasons averaging 7.4 points and 6.8 points per game respectively.
As a team, Kentucky has been clicking on all cylinders during this homestand. In the last six games, UK is hitting 49.2 percent from the field with 59 3s made, 115 assists and just 70 turnovers. The Wildcats have hit 10 or more 3s in three straight games for the first time in program history. The stretch started with 10 against Charlotte before 11 against Samford and a season-best 13 against Winthrop. UK has already hit 10 or more 3s in five games this season. Kentucky hit 10 or more 3s in five games last season.
Louisville enters Sunday’s game with a 9-1 record and ranked seventh in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today/Coaches Top 25. The Cardinals started the year with eight straight wins, including topping No. 1 Oregon in the Paradise Jam in late November that moved them up to No. 2 in the national rankings. In its following game, UofL lost at Ohio State, 67-60. Louisville got back in the win column in its last outing, winning at Northern Kentucky 85-57 on Sunday, Dec. 8.
The Cardinals are averaging 77.3 points per game this season while limiting opponents to 57.9 points per game. Louisville is shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from long range on the year, averaging 15.8 assists per game and a 11.3 rebounds margin. Defensively, teams are hitting just 36.7 percent from the field and 26.8 percent from 3 against the Cardinals, who are forcing 17.7 turnovers per game.
Junior guard Dana Evans leads Louisville in scoring this season at 19.1 points per game, adding 31 assists and a team-high 30 3-pointers. Senior guard Jazmine Jones is averaging 13.6 points per game with a team-best 35 assists and 17 steals, while sophomore guard Elizabeth Balogun is the final Cardinal player averaging 10 or more at 10.1 points per game. Balogun has added 19 3-pointers and 11 blocks. Senior forward Kylee Shook leads the team with 19 blocks, adding 8.2 rebounds per game and 9.6 points per game.
Kentucky leads the all-time series in games played against Louisville, 34-21, including a 22-5 mark in games played in Lexington. UofL has won three straight meetings, including the last game played in Lexington – a 87-63 win in Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 17, 2017. This is the fifth time the two teams have met in Rupp Arena with the series tied 2-2. The last meeting in Rupp Arena was on Dec. 10, 2015 with UK winning 72-54.
Last season, the two teams played at the KFC Yum! Center with UofL winning 80-75. Howard had a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while five Louisville players scored in double figures led by Asia Durr, who had 32 points. Jones had 12 points, while Evans had 10 points.
Kentucky holds a 28-18 all-time record at Rupp Arena, including an 9-9 mark under Matthew Mitchell. Last year, UK won both of its games in Rupp Arena defeating Virginia 63-51 and Florida 62-51. UK has played at least one game in Rupp Arena each of the last nine years. This is the third straight year Kentucky has played two or more games in the historic venue.