Kenny Brooks' mantra has been he doesn't care where Kentucky plays as long as they are healthy. The Cats won't be playing at home; we knew that ahead of Selection Sunday when the NCAA announced the top 16 seeds last night.
Now with the bracket fully announced, we know who and where the Cats will be playing.
Kentucky women's basketball lands in the region
Clara Strack's history-filled Kentucky career has yet to see a Sweet 16, and now to get there, the Cats will have to go through Z
Strack joined Candace Parker as the only other player in SEC history to record 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 1,000+ points, 150+ blocks, 125+ assists, and 50+ steals within her first two seasons in the conference.
But it's not just Strack. Kentucky is built to ride 6-7 players. Amelia Hassett, Jordan Obi, Tonie Morgan, Asia Boone, Teonni Key, and Kaelyn Carroll make up the rotation.
Morgan is in the running for the point guard of the year, finishing 2nd in assists per game. Asia Boone and Amelia Hassett's shooting will be huge for the Cats as they play with four forwards and one guard most of the time.
Kenny Brooks' squad isn't deep, but it is talented. It pushed South Carolina to the brink on Senior Day, and it only lost to Vanderbilt by a combined 3 points in their 2 meetings. They also went on the road and knocked off LSU.
The Cats did avoid the UCONN juggernaut, which is always key when you are in that 4-5 conversation. The Huskies are undefeated and the best team in the country.
Kentucky can play with anyone when they are on, but I don't know if they can touch the Huskies.
I'm not sure anyone can.
Kentucky's matchup is 12-seed James Madison
Kenny Brooks was coach at JMU for 14 seasons and is a a JMU Hall of Famer. The Dukes will be a team that Brooks knows very well. In that same pod is 4-seed West Virginia and 13-seed Miami (OH). The Cats will be playing in Morgantown as WVU is the host.
Like the men it is just around a 5 hour drive, so there should be plenty of blue that gets in.
Kenny Brooks thinks his team will be playing deep into March, and if so they could get a rematch with Texas in the Sweet 16. The Longhorns knocked off the Cats 64-53 in Austin.
Kentucky's women are right where they wanted to be, healthy and still playing.