West Virginia is a team that Kentucky was designed to beat, but that doesn’t always happen.

The Mountaineers are small, ferocious, and force turnovers at an elite rate. Kentucky needed to counter that with the size West Virginia just doesn’t have.

Early on, they did just that.

1st half showcases the size difference

West Virginia’s average height is 5’9, and they love to press. Kentucky should be able to just find Strack or Key and allow runners to come off them. The Cats opened up handling the pressure pretty well. Amelia Hassett hit two first-quarter 3’s, and Clara Strack had 4 and 4. But West Virginia was also handling the Cats’ size pretty well.

6’1 Kierra Wheeler had 4 points and 4 rebounds herself as she battled down low in the opening frame. Teonni Key was a monster in the opening half. The senior had 11 points and 5 rebounds, but as the half wore on, the pressure started to get to Kentucky.

After the Cats stretched the lead to double figures, West Virginia would force a 10-second violation as Kentucky struggled to find Clara Strack in the middle of the press. When they did a couple of possessions later, it was a double dribble, and those are the simple kind of unforced turnovers that Kentucky can not have in a game like this.

A 13-2 run from West Virginia sent the two teams to halftime tied at 36. Kentucky shot 48% percent from the floor but had 7 turnovers, 3 from Key and 1 from Strack. West Virginia was led by 13 from Gia Cooke and 10 from Wheeler.

If Kentucky was going to get to its first Sweet 16 in a decade, it would come from Strack and Key.

2nd half started with a Kentucky streak

The Cats started the 3rd with a big flurry, a 13-2 run saw Kentucky extend back to an 11-point lead. It was kind of identical to how the 2nd quarter played out, with Kentucky handling the pressure and using its height to convert easy baskets.

West Virginia really struggled down low against Kentucky’s size. They converted just 13-of-32 from 2-point range.

Kentucky would have a 12-point lead heading to the 4th, just 10 minutes away from a first Sweet 16 appearance since 2015-16.

It started with a bang as West Virginia would throw a haymaker. The Mountaineers would go on a 12-2 run to start the 4th, and Kentucky did look rattled. But to their credit, they slowed it back down and went down low to Key and Strack. The two stars on the day for Kentucky would answer and get back up 8 behind a beautiful post move from Strack.

Gia Cooke, as she did all day, answered. She hit a huge 3 to stem the Cats’ momentum and bring West Virginia back to within 5. The guard would finish with 23.

Tonie Morgan would rise up with 2 minutes to go; she missed the jumper, but a huge hustle play from Clara Strack would give Kentucky another chance to build on its 4-point lead.

Strack would then convert, but like she did all afternoon, Sydney Shaw hit a clutch 3 from the corner, her 6th, to bring West Virginia to within 3 with just 90 seconds to play.

Clara Strack’s turnover issues would play big as she tried to back down, and Jordan Harrison would swipe her 4th steal of the night. Two free throws later, and it was just a 1-point game.

Tonie Morgan hadn’t hit a lot of shots, just 2-for-8. But the point guard hit a massive free-throw line jumper to get Kentucky back up 3 with 55 seconds to go.

West Virginia would hit 2 more clutch free throws, and with 8 seconds to go, Hassett had a wide-open 3. It clanged off the rim, and the Mountaineers would have the last shot.

The Mountaineers had not led since early in the 4th quarter. Gia Cooke shook Teonni Key and had an open jumper that rimmed out. Key would secure the rebound, and Kentucky called a timeout.

On the inbound play, the ball would be hit off Morgan’s shoe. West Virginia would get a chance for a tip-in with .2 left.

West Virginia couldn’t get a shot off, and the Cats will be heading to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016. And they did it on the road.

Up next is (1) Texas, which the Cats lost to by 11 earlier this year. That game was a lot closer than the final score, as the Cats were actually within 1 with just over 5 to go.

The game will be in Fort Worth, so it will be another road game. But we should all enjoy this Sweet victory.

The sting of the men’s tournament exit is still fresh. A turnover-fueled, 19-point loss to Iowa State is a tough pill for the Big Blue Nation to swallow. But in March, the page turns quickly. Now, the ladies have everyone’s undivided attention, and they should. They have been tremendous this year.

Kenny Brooks and company are set to take on West Virginia at 5 PM on Monday on ESPN2. The Mountaineers are fast, aggressive, and dangerous. If the Wildcats want to keep their postseason dreams alive and move on to the next round, they have to execute in three critical areas.

Here is the blueprint for a Kentucky victory and a trip to the Sweet 16 for the first time in a decade.

Key #1: Protect the basketball at all costs

You are probably sick of hearing about turnovers after watching the men struggle with them yesterday, but the reality is that West Virginia is going to try to replicate that exact same nightmare.

The Mountaineers are absolute pests defensively, forcing an average of 22 turnovers per game. Kentucky has shown they can get loose with the ball; it was the defining factor that cost them the game against Vanderbilt at home, and it has haunted them in several other close matchups this season. Looking at the season stats, the Cats average 12.7 turnovers a game, but they have 9 games with 16 or more turnovers. Against West Virginia’s pressure, that number can spiral out of control in a hurry. Job number one is simple: value the basketball, make strong passes, and do not let the Mountaineers speed up the offense. Easier said than done, but it is a key.

Key #2: Dominate the War on the Glass

This is where Kentucky’s size has to neutralize West Virginia’s speed. The Mountaineers average a respectable 36.6 rebounds per game, but Kentucky has the edge on paper, pulling down 40.6 boards a night.

To win this game, that paper advantage has to translate into unrelenting effort on the hardwood. The Cats need their frontcourt to dominate. Clara Strack (10.1 rebounds) and Teonni Key (7.3 rebounds) both need to be hunting double-doubles. Furthermore, Amelia Hassett needs to chip in and do the dirty work in the paint. If Kentucky can outwork West Virginia and finish the game +7 on the boards, they will control the tempo and limit second-chance points. That will offset some of the turnovers that will surely happen.

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Key #3: Find a Spark Off the Bench

Kentucky doesn’t boast the deepest rotation in the tournament, with its core six players chewing up the vast majority of the minutes. But in a high-stakes, high-pressure tournament setting, relying solely on the starters is a recipe for fatigue, and we have seen that already this year in the loss to South Carolina at home.

The Wildcats desperately need Kaelyn Carroll, Lexi Blue, or Jordan Obi to step up and push into double figures. Obi will get the most minutes, as usual, so she is most likely to do so. More importantly, they need Carroll to provide highly productive minutes just to give the starters a breather without the offense stalling. Blue hasn’t seen the floor much this season (averaging just 6.7 minutes), but if she can come in and provide two to three solid, mistake-free minutes, it would be massive for the rotation.

If Kentucky can squeeze 15 points out of the bench, you have to feel incredibly good about their chances of advancing.

I really believe this team wins this game as long as they don’t turn it over, even on the road.

Prediction Kentucky 77, West Virginia 69