WCBB: Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt preview

A crucial top 20 SEC matchup is on our hands late in the campaign

The No. 16 Wildcats will travel to face the No. 5 Commodores in a nationally televised tilt Sunday afternoon.

Vanderbilt defeated Kentucky in their last time out, winning an 84-83 thriller.

The Commodores are coming off a tough loss to SEC foe Georgia, where they fell in a heartbreaking 76-74 defeat.

That loss puts them at 10-3 in conference play and 24-3 overall. They are right behind South Carolina for the conference lead.

The Wildcats have ripped off two straight victories after dropping two to very tough SEC opponents in Vanderbilt and Texas. They defeated Ole Miss and Texas A&M in dominating fashion to keep pace in the conference.

Vanderbilt will have to close out the year facing all ranked SEC opponents, and that starts with a feisty Kentucky squad.

The Commodores are led by Mikayla Blakes, who has posted a whopping 26.7 points per game, leading the country. Right behind her with 25.3 is Iowa State’s Audi Crooks.

The standout sophomore also tacks on 3.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists, while shooting a pretty healthy 45 percent from the floor.

Blakes became the third player in Division I this season to score 25-plus points in fewer than eight field goal attempts. She scored 37 points the last time they faced the Wildcats.

Vanderbilt ranks eighth in the country in scoring offense, averaging 85 points a game. Kentucky’s squad ranks 37th in the nation.

If Kentucky wants to get its revenge, it is going to need to shut down Blakes alongside the pure scorers the Commodores have.

Heading over to the Wildcats, their leading scorer is forward Clara Strack.

She is averaging a double-double this season, while leading the squad in points per game with 16. She has posted 10.5 rebounds per game as well.

The 6’5 center dropped 14 points and 15 rebounds earlier this month vs. Vandy. She was three assists shy of a triple-double, registering seven assists.

Strack gets it done on the defensive side of the ball as well. She’s first on the team in steals and blocks per game.

Tonie Morgan is the floor general at the guard position, leading the Wildcats with 8.4 assists per game.

Kentucky sits at a 20-7 record, while owning a modest 7-6 conference record. They can earn a giant conference win when they travel to Memorial Gymnasium.

Both squads are right in the thick of the SEC standings, as this game will be one of the bigger games of the women’s college basketball season.

Sunday will determine heavy playoff implications, and stars will be on display under the bright lights.

The game will be at 4 p.m. Eastern Time and 3 p.m. Central Time. It will be streamed on ESPN2.

Ben Barker is a third-year student studying broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bsb5566@psu.edu.