2021–22 Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball team
The 2021–22 Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Wildcats, led by second-year head coach Kyra Elzy, will play most of their home games at Memorial Coliseum and two at Rupp Arena and compete as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
| 2021–22 Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball | |
|---|---|
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SEC tournament champions | |
NCAA tournament, first round | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 22 |
| AP | No. 15 |
| Record | 19–12 (8–8 SEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Memorial Coliseum Rupp Arena |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 South Carolina | 15 | – | 1 | .938 | 35 | – | 2 | .946 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 LSU | 13 | – | 3 | .813 | 26 | – | 6 | .813 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Tennessee | 11 | – | 5 | .688 | 25 | – | 9 | .735 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 23 | – | 9 | .719 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 21 | – | 11 | .656 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 9 | – | 7 | .563 | 21 | – | 10 | .677 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Kentucky † | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 19 | – | 12 | .613 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 18 | – | 13 | .581 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 18 | – | 14 | .563 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alabama | 6 | – | 10 | .375 | 20 | – | 14 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 6 | – | 10 | .375 | 15 | – | 14 | .517 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 4 | – | 12 | .250 | 14 | – | 15 | .483 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 4 | – | 12 | .250 | 16 | – | 19 | .457 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 2 | – | 14 | .125 | 10 | – | 18 | .357 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2022 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the January 27 loss to Vanderbilt, senior guard Rhyne Howard scored her 2,000th point in her college career. Howard becomes the third Wildcat to reach that benchmark.[1]
Previous season
The Wildcats finished the season 18–9 (9–6 SEC) to finish tied for fifth place in the conference. The Wildcats were invited to the 2021 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament where they defeated Idaho State in the first round before losing to Iowa in the second round.
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KeKe McKinney | 3 | F | 6'1" | Senior | Knoxville, TN | Transferred to Charlotte |
| Tatyana Wyatt | 14 | F | 6'2" | Senior | Columbus, GA | Graduated |
| Chasity Patterson | 15 | G | 5'5" | Senior | Houston, TX | Graduated |
| Erin Toller | 20 | G | 5'7" | Freshman | Louisville, KY | Dismissed from team |
| Kameron Roach | 23 | G | 5'6" | RS Junior | Hopkins, SC | Transferred to Charlotte |
| [2][3][4] | ||||||
2021 recruiting class
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jada Walker G |
Richmond, VA | Henrico HS | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: | ||||||
| Kristen Crenshaw-Gill G |
Youngstown, OH | Valley Christian School | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources: | ||||||
Roster
| 2021–22 Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule

| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| November 4, 2021* 7:00 pm |
No. 13 | Lee | W 95–51 | 21 – Edwards | 8 – Edwards | 7 – Massengill | Memorial Coliseum (1,505) Lexington, KY | ||||
| Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 pm, SECN+ |
No. 13 | Presbyterian | W 81–53 | 1–0 |
20 – Edwards | 9 – Hunt | 7 – Tied | Memorial Coliseum (3,321) Lexington, KY | |||
| November 11, 2021* 7:00 pm, SECN+ |
No. 13 | North Alabama | W 98–56 | 2–0 |
27 – Edwards | 10 – Tied | 5 – Walker | Memorial Coliseum (3,444) Lexington, KY | |||
| November 14, 2021* 5:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 13 | at No. 8 Indiana Rivalry |
L 67–88 | 2–1 |
23 – Howard | 9 – Howard | 2 – Tied | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (5,394) Bloomington, IN | |||
| November 21, 2021* 2:00 pm, SECN+ |
No. 19 | Winthrop | W 92–47 | 3–1 |
22 – Howard | 10 – Howard | 10 – Howard | Memorial Coliseum (3,587) Lexington, KY | |||
| November 27, 2021* 8:30 pm, SECN+ |
No. 20 | La Salle | W 74–52 | 4–1 |
22 – Edwards | 11 – Edwards | 7 – Massengill | Memorial Coliseum (3,383) Lexington, KY | |||
| December 1, 2021* 7:00 pm, SECN+ |
No. 16 | West Virginia Big 12/SEC Challenge |
W 83–60 | 5–1 |
27 – Howard | 10 – Edwards | 9 – Massengill | Memorial Coliseum (3,587) Lexington, KY | |||
| December 5, 2021* 2:00 pm, SECN+ |
No. 16 | Merrimack | W 90–56 | 6–1 |
21 – Howard | 11 – Edwards | 8 – Massengill | Memorial Coliseum (3,541) Lexington, KY | |||
| December 9, 2021* 7:00 pm, SECN |
No. 14 | DePaul | L 85–94 | 6–2 |
22 – Benton | 7 – Tied | 5 – Massengill | Rupp Arena (4,906) Lexington, KY | |||
| December 12, 2021* 1:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 14 | at No. 7 Louisville Rivalry / Jimmy V Classic |
L 58–64 | 6–3 |
14 – Tied | 14 – Edwards | 4 – Edwards | KFC Yum! Center (12,167) Louisville, KY | |||
| December 17, 2021* 7:00 pm, SECN+ |
No. 19 | Morgan State | Canceled | Memorial Coliseum Lexington, KY | |||||||
| December 19, 2021* 2:00 pm, SECN+ |
No. 19 | USC Upstate | W 67–44 | 7–3 |
22 – Howard | 12 – Edwards | 4 – Tied | Memorial Coliseum (3,521) Lexington, KY | |||
| SEC regular season | |||||||||||
| January 6, 2022 7:00 pm, SECN+ |
No. 21 | No. 15 Georgia | W 84–76 | 8–3 (1–0) |
30 – Howard | 6 – Edwards | 5 – Edwards | Memorial Coliseum (3,013) Lexington, KY | |||
| January 9, 2021 1:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 21 | at No. 1 South Carolina | L 54–74 | 8–4 (1–1) |
11 – Benton | 8 – Howard | 6 – Howard | Colonial Life Arena (12,327) Columbia, SC | |||
| January 16, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 19 | at No. 5 Tennessee Rivalry |
L 58–84 | 8–5 (1–2) |
24 – Howard | 6 – Tied | 3 – Howard | Thompson–Boling Arena (10,012) Knoxville, TN | |||
| January 20, 2022 7:00 pm, SECN |
No. 23 | Florida | L 52–77 | 8–6 (1–3) |
17 – Howard | 10 – Howard | 3 – Howard | Memorial Coliseum Lexington, KY | |||
| January 23, 2022 7:00 pm, SECN |
No. 23 | Ole Miss | L 54–63 | 8–7 (1–4) |
24 – Howard | 10 – Howard | 2 – Massengill | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY | |||
| January 25, 2022 8:00 pm, SECN+ |
at Auburn | W 67–55 | 9–7 (2–4) |
29 – Howard | 9 – Howard | 4 – Massengill | Auburn Arena (1,780) Auburn, AL | ||||
| January 27, 2021 8:00 pm |
at Vanderbilt | L 57–65 | 9–8 (2–5) |
25 – Howard | 10 – Howard | 6 – Massengill | Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, TN | ||||
| January 30, 2021 2:00 pm, SECN |
at No. 12 LSU | L 69–78 | 9–9 (2–6) |
23 – Howard | 12 – Howard | 3 – Tied | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,734) Baton Rouge, LA | ||||
| February 6, 2022 12:00 pm, ESPN2 |
Texas A&M | L 64–73 OT | 9–10 (2–7) |
19 – Howard | 10 – Tied | 5 – Massengill | Memorial Coliseum Lexington, KY | ||||
| February 10, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 1 South Carolina | L 50–59 | 9–11 (2–8) |
21 – Howard | 9 – Howard | 4 – Tied | Memorial Coliseum Lexington, KY | ||||
| February 13, 2021 2:00 pm, SECN |
at Alabama | W 67–63 | 10–11 (3–8) |
24 – Edwards | 9 – Howard | 5 – Massengill | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL | ||||
| February 15, 2022 5:00 pm, SECN+ |
Mississippi State Rescheduled from January 3 |
W 81–74 | 11–11 (4–8) |
23 – Edwards | 11 – Howard | 6 – Howard | Memorial Coliseum Lexington, KY | ||||
| February 17, 2022 7:00 pm, SECN+ |
Vanderbilt | W 69–65 | 12–11 (5–8) |
20 – Edwards | 7 – Edwards | 9 – Massengill | Memorial Coliseum Lexington, KY | ||||
| February 20, 2021 2:00 pm, SECN |
at Arkansas | W 78–55 | 13–11 (6–8) |
29 – Howard | 13 – Edwards | 3 – Edwards | Bud Walton Arena Fayetteville, AR | ||||
| February 24, 2021 8:00 pm, SECN+ |
at Missouri | W 78–63 | 14–11 (7–8) |
30 – Edwards | 12 – Howard | 7 – Massengill | Mizzou Arena Columbia, MO | ||||
| February 27, 2022 4:00 pm, SECN |
Auburn | W 90–62 | 15–11 (8–8) |
32 – Howard | 9 – Walker | 10 – Massengill | Memorial Coliseum (5,268) Lexington, KY | ||||
| SEC Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 3, 2022 7:00 pm, SECN |
(7) | vs. (10) Mississippi State Second Round |
W 83–67 | 16–11 |
21 – Walker | 14 – Edwards | 7 – Massengill | Bridgestone Arena (6,500) Nashville, TN | |||
| March 4, 2022 7:00 pm, SECN |
(7) | vs. (2) No. 6 LSU Quarterfinals |
W 78–63 | 17–11 |
32 – Howard | 10 – Edwards | 8 – Massengill | Bridgestone Arena (7,704) Nashville, TN | |||
| March 5, 2022 7:30 pm, ESPNU |
(7) | vs. (3) No. 18 Tennessee Semifinals / Rivalry |
W 83–74 | 18–11 |
24 – Howard | 9 – Howard | 7 – Howard | Bridgestone Arena (9,072) Nashville, TN | |||
| March 6, 2022 2:00 pm, ESPN |
(7) | vs. (1) No. 1 South Carolina Championship |
W 64–62 | 19–11 |
27 – Edwards | 9 – Edwards | 6 – Massengill | Bridgestone Arena (7,997) Nashville, TN | |||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| March 19, 2022 4:00 pm, ESPN |
(6 B) No. 15 | vs. (11 B) No. 25 Princeton First Round |
L 62–69 | 19–12 |
17 – Howard | 12 – Edwards | 3 – Tied | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (6,389) Bloomington, IN | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. [5] | |||||||||||
References
- Howard Scores 2,000th Career Point but Cats Fall at Vandy
- "Niners Add Kentucky Transfer Roach to 2021-22 Roster". charlotte49ers.com. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- "Consuegra Bolsters Lineup with Grad Transfer McKinney from Kentucky". charlotte49ers.com. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- "Former Sacred Heart star Erin Toller dismissed from UK women's basketball team". courier-journal.com. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- "Kentucky WBB Announces 2021-22 Schedule". ukathletics.com. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
