The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team will go head-to-head with Tennessee on Sunday, January 7 at noon ET in Knoxville, Tennessee. This match will mark Kentucky’s first Southeastern Conference road game of the season. Fans can catch all the action on SEC Network, with Eric Frede and Christi Thomaskutty providing the commentary. For radio listeners, the game will also be broadcast on UK Sports Network and 630 AM WLAP, with Darren Headrick as the voice of the Wildcats.
The Wildcats currently hold an 8-7 record for the season, with a 0-2 record in true road games and a 1-0 record in the SEC. Kentucky is on a four-game winning streak and has been victorious in six of their last eight games. In their conference opener, the Wildcats triumphed over Arkansas with a score of 73-63. This win improved their record to 8-0 when scoring at least 70 points during the 2023-24 season.
Leading the charge for Kentucky is senior forward Ajae Petty, who managed to notch 22 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in the game against Arkansas. This performance marked her eighth double-double of the season. Petty is also one of only four players in the SEC to have achieved at least eight double-doubles so far this season. She currently ranks second in the SEC in field-goal percentage (59.0) and rebounds (157), and is leading her team in scoring (16.3) and rebounding (10.5) for the season.
Supporting Petty is Maddie Scherr, the only other player on the team averaging double-digit scoring, with an average of 14.6 points per game. Since returning from the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Kentucky has seen an increase in scoring contributions from multiple players, with Petty (19.4), Scherr (15.0), Amiya Jenkins (11.3), and Saniah Tyler (10.8) all averaging double-digit scoring. Kentucky has also been passing the ball well, averaging 15.9 assists per game since returning from their overseas trip.
On the other side of the court, Tennessee holds an 8-5 record for the season and a 1-0 record in the SEC. They recently secured a victory against Auburn in Auburn, Alabama, with a score of 75-67. One of Tennessee’s most notable wins this season was against top-25 team Oklahoma, with a score of 76-73 during a Thanksgiving tournament in Fort Myers, Florida. The Lady Volunteers have an impressive five players averaging double-digit scoring, with fifth-year guard Rickea Jackson leading the team in both points (20.0) and rebounds (11.2).
In terms of head-to-head matchups between Kentucky and Tennessee, Tennessee currently leads the series 59-16, with Kentucky winning two out of the last five meetings. The last time Kentucky secured a victory against Tennessee in Knoxville was on January 10, 2019, with a close score of 73-71.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
