After winning double-digit Southeastern Conference games for the ninth time under head coach Matthew Mitchell, the No. 11 University of Kentucky women’s basketball team has earned a double bye and No. 4 seed in the 2019 Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Kentucky (24-6, 11-5 SEC) is scheduled to play in the quarterfinals Friday, March 8 at approx. 2:30 p.m. ET inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. The Wildcats will face the winner of Wednesday’s first-round battle between 12th-seeded Ole Miss and 13th-seeded Florida, who will advance to play fifth-seeded Missouri in the second round Thursday. If UK wins in the quarterfinals, it will advance to play in the semifinals Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
The Wildcats played all three opponents it could face Friday already this season, defeating Florida and Missouri but falling to Ole Miss. All three games were in Lexington. UK’s potential semifinal opponents are Mississippi State, LSU and Tennessee, which UK went a combined 3-1 against this season.
All games of the 2019 SEC Tournament will be televised nationally with the first round, second round and quarterfinals on SEC Network. The semifinals will be on ESPNU and the championship game will be on ESPN2. This is the second time in the last three years that Bon Secours Wellness Arena is playing host to the event.
Kentucky’s No. 4 seed marks the 10th time in Matthew Mitchell’s 12-year tenure that the Wildcats have finished top four in the league. The double-bye to the quarterfinals marks the 11th time in 12 years that UK has advanced to at least the quarterfinals of the event. UK has made nine semifinal appearances under Mitchell, including four championship games.
The Wildcats secured the four seed in the event after a come-from-behind win at Georgia on Sunday where UK outscored the Bulldogs 24-14 in the fourth quarter after trailing a majority of the game. Sophomore Tatyana Wyatt scored a season-high 17 points with four rebounds in the game to lead Kentucky. Juniors Amanda Paschal and Jaida Roper each had eight points with Paschal grabbing three rebounds and Roper hitting two 3s, including a dagger with about a minute to go to seal the UK win.
All-session and single-game tickets to the 2019 SEC Tournament are available at SECsports.com.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, or Kentucky Women’s Basketball on Facebook.
GAME SCHEDULE
FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, March 6
Game 1 – #13 Florida vs. #12 Ole Miss – SEC Network – 11 a.m. ET
#14 Vanderbilt vs. #11 Alabama – SEC Network – 25 minutes after Game 1
SECOND ROUND
Thursday, March 7
Game 3 – #9 LSU vs. #8 Tennessee – SEC Network – Noon ET
Game 4 – Game 1 winner vs. #5 Missouri – SEC Network – 25 minutes after Game 3
Game 5 – #10 Arkansas vs. #7 Georgia – SEC Network – 6 p.m. ET
Game 6 – Game 2 winner vs. #6 Auburn – SEC Network – 25 minutes after Game 5
QUARTERFINALS
Friday, March 8
Game 7 – Game 3 winner vs. #1 Mississippi St. – SEC Network – Noon ET
Game 8 – Game 4 winner vs. #4 Kentucky – SEC Network – 25 minutes after Game 7
Game 9 – Game 5 winner vs. #2 South Carolina – SEC Network – 6 p.m. ET
Game 10 – Game 6 winner vs. #3 Texas A&M – SEC Network –25 minutes after Game 9
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 9
Game 11 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner – ESPNU – 5 p.m. ET
Game 12 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner – ESPNU – 25 minutes after Game 11
FINALS
Sunday, March 10
Game 13 – Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner – ESPN2 – 2 p.m. ET
‑ GO CATS –
For more information contact:
Evan Crane