Since Teonni Key returned from injury, Kentucky women’s basketball has looked like a different team - not necessarily in the win column just yet, but definitely on the court.
Let’s look at the recent stretch: a 20-point road win at Arkansas, followed by a one-point loss to No. 5 Vanderbilt and a narrow defeat at No.
4 Texas, where the Wildcats were down by just one with six minutes to play. That’s a 1-2 record, sure.
But context matters - and in this case, it tells a far more encouraging story than the standings might suggest.
For most programs, going toe-to-toe with two top-five teams and coming out with competitive performances would be something to build on. And while Kentucky sits at 5-6 in SEC play and has dropped five of its last six, there’s a clear sense that this group, with Key back in the mix, is turning a corner.
Head coach Kenny Brooks sees it too.
“I do, I really do,” Brooks said when asked if he feels the team is trending in the right direction. “I like where we are going. I don’t like where we are at the moment, but I like where we are going.”
That’s a key distinction. Because while the results aren’t all there yet, the performances - especially with Key’s return - are telling a different story.
This is a team that’s finding its identity again. Key missed six games, and her absence was felt on both ends of the floor.
Now that she’s back, Kentucky is showing signs of the team it was expected to be.
“We’ve just been unfortunate,” Brooks added. “Obviously, Teonni’s a big part of what we do and not having her for six games, we didn’t have some of the results that we wanted.”
Now, with her presence stabilizing the rotation, the Wildcats are playing more cohesive, more competitive basketball. Sure, there are still the little things - missed free throws, untimely turnovers - that have cost them in crunch time.
But those are fixable. What’s harder to build is belief and chemistry, and this group seems to be rediscovering both.
“I think we are trending in the right direction and playing some really good basketball,” Brooks said. “We just have to get over the hump and start getting the results that we want.”
That hump isn’t a small one - not in the SEC, not with the schedule Kentucky has faced. But if the last three games are any indication, the Wildcats are closer than their record might show. With Key back in the lineup and the team growing more confident by the game, Kentucky might just be setting itself up for a strong finish.