No. 6 Tennessee Lady Vols basketball vs. No. 20 Kentucky: Live updates, score
Sunday marks the beginning of the 11th annual We Back Pat week in the SEC, dedicated to bringing awareness and recognition to the Pat Summitt Foundation.
The No. 6 Tennessee Lady Vols (16-1, 5-0 SEC) host the No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats (8-4, 1-1 SEC) in Thompson-Boling Arena Sunday (3 p.m., ESPN). Kentucky was a team impacted by COVID-19 issues within its own program and others, and had its first two SEC games postponed, as well as its Thursday rescheduled game against Mississippi State.
Meanwhile, Tennessee has remained the only undefeated team in SEC play, taking down Alabama, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt most recently on Thursday. The Wildcats won their first SEC game against No. 15 Georgia and lost to No. 1 South Carolina.
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Kentucky is led by Rhyne Howard, who is a favorite to be drafted No. 1 overall in this year's WNBA draft. Howard, a 6-2 guard, averages 18.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. She scored a season-high 30 points against Georgia, but was held to nine against the Gamecocks.
Tennessee has the advantage when it comes to size once again, and the Lady Vols lead the nation in rebounds per game. Kentucky coach Kyra Elzy, a former Lady Vol, is no stranger to great rebounding teams at Tennessee.
"One thing we have to commit to, is rebounding by committee, it's just not one person," Elzy said. "The one thing we've been harping on: Five people to the defensive boards. That means find a body commit to boxing out your man and we're doing it by committee, guards and posts. We must hold ourselves accountable in that area."
Tennessee coach Kellie Harper said her team would take time pregame to appreciate the significance of We Back Pat week, and when it came time for tipoff, her players would be focused on the task at hand.
"It's only fitting that we bring both Kyra Elzy and Niya Butts back into Thompson-Boling Arena for a game that we're celebrating our former coach, Pat, and her foundation," Harper said. "So, obviously, there's gonna be a lot around this game. A lot of memories, a lot of opportunities for us to really think about the foundation and all the positive things that they're doing."
Tennessee Lady Vols basketball vs. Kentucky live updates
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: No. 6 Tennessee Lady Vols basketball vs. No. 20 Kentucky live updates
