Early-season college basketball is all about establishing an identity, building habits, and finding out what kind of team you are. Right now, both Kentucky and Northern Kentucky are riding the momentum of blowout openers.
The Wildcats completely dismantled Morehead State 85-42 on Tuesday, while the Norse cruised past NAIA Defiance 84-49.
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But when these two in-state programs collide tonight, one team’s stylistic identity is going to crash headfirst into a physical barrier.
Northern Kentucky head coach Jeff Hans wants his team to play fast. He preaches a pace-and-space offense designed to spread the floor and create driving lanes.
It worked to perfection in their opener. Maya Layton stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points and seven rebounds, Caroline Eaglin dropped 14 points, and Gaia Castelli ran the show with 13 points and five assists.
The problem with relying on pace and space is that you have to secure the defensive rebound before you can run. That is exactly where this matchup becomes a nightmare for the Norse.
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Northern Kentucky has only two players on their entire roster over 6 feet tall, with Dženifera Rieksta and Kennedy Younkin both capping out at 6-foot-2.
They are walking into an absolute buzzsaw in the paint. Kenny Brooks rolls out three different starters who stand at 6-foot-5: Clara Strack, Ajša Sivka, and Me’Arah O’Neal.
Now, typically you’d have to worry about the smaller players drawing the bigs out and blowing by them. But with these ladies, Brooks has tall players who all move like guards. The least mobile is Strack, who had 6 blocks in the opener and still moves fast enough to stay in front of most players.
Kentucky dominated the boards (+19) against a similarly undersized Morehead State team, and that rebounding margin could easily be worse tonight.
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The Norse simply lack the frontcourt personnel to keep the Wildcats off the offensive glass, and should find few put-back opportunities of their own.
Once Kentucky secures the rebound, their ability to score over smaller defenders will quickly drain the energy from the Northern Kentucky attack.
Expect a spirited start from the Norse, but Kentucky’s sheer size and length will inevitably take over this game.
Game Details
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Date: Tonight
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Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
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Location: Historic Memorial Coliseum | Lexington, KY
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Channel: Streaming only on SEC Network+
Final Score Prediction: Kentucky 87, Northern Kentucky 50
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
