Kentucky heads to Alabama to take on the Auburn Tigers to try and do exactly what the men couldn't do. Walk away from Neville Arena with a win.
Kentucky played a tremendous game in Nashville on Sunday but came up just two points short of upsetting Vanderbilt. That heartbreak should absolutely motivate them tonight.
Win tonight, and you set up a massive showdown with South Carolina at home with a lot of momentum. Lose? You could be staring down a three-game losing streak heading into the SEC Tournament in Greensboro.
Win tonight, and you may even lock up a top-16 seed and get to play the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at home. Lose, and that almost surely goes out the window without an upset of South Carolina.
There is a massive amount riding on this game on the road. It will be Senior Night and Auburn's Play4Kay night. The emotions will be high. But if you look at the numbers, Kentucky should have the upper hand.
A massive mismatch on paper
The Tigers (14-14, 3-11 SEC) have struggled mightily to find consistent offense this season. They are averaging just 60.5 points per game and shooting a dismal 39 percent from the floor.
Kentucky, meanwhile, brings a high-octane attack. The Cats are putting up 76.5 points a night, shooting nearly 45 percent overall. A huge reason for that efficiency is Tonie Morgan. The standout guard is orchestrating everything, dishing out an incredible 237 assists on the season while adding 14.3 points per game.
But the biggest mismatch tonight is going to be in the paint.
Kentucky absolutely dominates the glass, boasting a +7.9 rebounding margin. Auburn gets out-rebounded by nearly six boards a game. And the Tigers simply do not have an answer for Teonni Key and Clara Strack.
Strack is a walking double-double, averaging 16.5 points and 10.4 rebounds to go along with 75 blocked shots. If she and Teonni Key (11.3 points, 7.0 rebounds) establish the paint early, Auburn simply won't have the second-chance points to keep up.
Auburn will rely on desperate energy
That being said, you can never completely write off a desperate team on Senior Night.
Harissoum Coulibaly (10.5 points) and Kaitlyn Duhon (10.0 points) will undoubtedly try to push the pace and use the home crowd to their advantage. Auburn forces 16.5 turnovers a game, meaning Morgan and the Kentucky guards must protect the basketball, which is something they have struggled with this season.
If Kentucky takes care of the ball and dominates the glass, they should cruise. But if they let the Neville Arena crowd dictate the energy? Things could get uncomfortably tight for a team desperate to lock up home-court advantage in March.