Matthew Mitchell acknowledges the No. 16 Kentucky women’s basketball team isn’t perfect.
But the veteran coach also knows a “commitment to hustle” can mask some of your issues.
It also helps to have the power of three at your disposal. Mitchell and Kentucky will rely on seniors Maci Morris and Taylor Murray and freshman Rhyne Howard at 4 p.m. Sunday (SEC Network) when it takes on No. 7 Mississippi State in a Southeastern Conference game at Humphrey Coliseum.
“Maci has got to do a great job and play with poise and patience and not force shots and make the offense work for her,” Mitchell said. “Rhyne has got to be aggressive and try to get to the rim as many times as she can, and the same thing with Taylor. When those three are playing aggressive, it opens up the offense for the rest of us. When one player has the ball, what you’re doing is setting the other four players up, so it’ll be really important in this game.”
Howard had 16 points and a career-high seven assists Thursday in a 77-55 victory against Vanderbilt in the SEC opener for both teams in Lexington, Kentucky.
Morris added 14 points for Kentucky (14-1), which turned 29 turnovers into 30 points. The win was the 300th in the career of Mitchell, who is in his 12th season at Kentucky.
Kentucky ranks first in the nation in turnover margin (11.2) and is fourth nationally and first in the SEC in turnovers forced per game (24.2). The Wildcats are shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from 3-point range. The 3-point mark is ninth nationally and first in the SEC. Kentucky leads the league and is 17th nationally with 123 3-pointers.
The addition of Howard, a 6-foot-2 guard from Cleveland, Tennessee, has given the Wildcats a third scorer and expanded the team’s ability to pressure opponents defensively. Howard, the 2018 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year, leads the team in scoring (17.5 points per game) and rebounding (7.1 per game). Morris is averaging 15.9 ppg. and has hit a team-best 41 3-pointers, while Murray is averaging 13.6 ppg. and leads Kentucky in assists (63) and steals (55). Junior guard Jaida Roper is averaging 8.9 ppg. and is second on the team with 44 assists.
Mitchell said Howard has impacted the Wildcats with her ability to score and to pass the ball.
“She is just so big and strong and has great passing ability and great vision,” Mitchell said. “She makes some nice plays that I think set us into a good rhythm (against Vanderbilt) where we were able to get some layups early on when it was still a tight ball game. I know from her teammates it’s fun to play with her because she has a great vision on the court and can deliver the pass. She can make the cross court pass with great accuracy and again I tell you she has so many areas where she can improve and get better in her understanding of her game. She is an extremely gifted offensive player.”
Mitchell credits Howard’s mother, Rhvonja “RJ” Avery, and her family influence for helping her to become such a polished player at such a young age. She said Howard has a “great personality, her teammates love her, her coaches love her, and she’s fun to be around.”
The 2017-18 season was the first since 2011-12 that Kentucky didn’t have at least three players score in double figures. As a result, Kentucky, which has been one of the SEC’s powers the last decade, slipped to 15-17. This season, Mitchell said Howard’s presence has helped take some of the pressure off Morris and Murray.
“It makes such a big difference where you don’t have to be so perfect every possession,” Mitchell said. “Last year, our defense wasn’t very good, so it put tremendous pressure on our offense. A lot of the players who were playing really outstanding in their role were not as good last year. They worked really hard. Jaida Roper is making a huge difference. Keke McKinney makes so many plays that show up in the stat sheet. Everyone is better. It has taken more pressure off Maci and she’s very excited because she wants to win, and she wants Kentucky to win, and she wants to be successful, so it’s a big difference from last year.”
Kentucky’s most successful teams have used pressure defense as their difference-maker. This season, the Wildcats are returning to that form thanks to what Mitchell said is a “commitment to hustle.” He said the Wildcats haven’t been perfect on defense and that he wishes they were better, but he said they have been able to force turnovers and make things happen.
“This is brand new for this team, so I just really appreciate how much they’ve hustled and tried,” Mitchell said. “That doesn’t always mean that it’s perfect, and that is why we keep practicing and trying to get better every day. But you’ve got to stick to your fundamentals and you’ve got to make a full commitment to this style of play if you want to have any success.”
MSU coach Vic Schaefer has been impressed. On Friday, he said Kentucky is “under-ranked” and will present a tough test in his team’s home opener.
“Matthew has his team playing really well, really hard,” Schaefer said. “They are forcing 24 turnovers a game. They are back to playing the way they played in years past when they were really good. From what I have seen on film, they’re really good.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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