With Kentucky’s roster pretty much set, we’re going to give out some preseason superlatives for the 2025-26 Kentucky women’s basketball team. We’ve got a lot to get through, so let’s get started.
MVP: Clara Strack
The Strack Attack is going to be the foundation of what Kenny Brooks does with the team next season. With her being the only true five on the roster, she’ll have to find ways to stay on the floor. Strack is probably going to play 35-ish minutes per game. She very well may be Kentucky’s best player heading into next season.
Brooks has put a ton of 1-on-1 focus in her development, and it sure paid off for her as a sophomore. We see her taking another leap heading into her junior campaign.
6th Man of the Year: Asia Boone
This is arguably the toughest superlative to give out because there’s actually a ton of depth on this team. There’s a handful of names to pick from, but Asia Boone is KSR’s pick for 6th Man of the Year.
While she traditionally plays off the ball, Boone can take over at the point, and that’s a massive plus going into this year. With her ability to playmake and knock it down from deep, the 5-foot-8 guard is going to bring a ton of value on the court.
Of course, we’re assuming that Boone will be coming off the bench in this case, but she’s certainly a contender for a role as a starter.
Most Improved: Lexi Blue
Lexi Blue is one of those names that could have very well been 6th Man of the Year, but Most Improved Player feels like better fit for the rising sophomore.
As a freshman, Blue averaged just 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per game. It took some time for the former Top 40 recruit to adjust to the college level. However, she was still able to provide some productive minutes off the bench, especially on the defensive end of the court.
If Blue can put things together this season, she could see a big spike in production.
Newcomer of the Year: Tonie Morgan
This superlative goes out to any one of Tonie Morgan, Asia Boone, Josie Gilvin or Kaelyn Carroll, and we’re giving it to Morgan.
She steps into the shoes of Georgia Amoore to be Kentucky’s point guard, and the 2x All-ACC star has all the qualities needed to be translate in the SEC. There’s a world where she is Kentucky’s best player next season, but for now, we’ll just give her Newcomer of the Year honors.
Most Underrated: Josie Gilvin
Josie Gilvin is one of the most underrated offensive players in the country, so it didn’t take too much thinking to decide on who would receive this honor.
The Western Kentucky transfer could very well be a starter on next year’s squad, but even if she isn’t, the tenacity that she brings on defense coupled with her efficient scoring abilities will make her an under-the-radar threat on opposing scouting reports.
Most Upside: Teonni Key
There was once a time where Teonni Key was a Top 10 recruit, and after a couple of lackluster years at North Carolina, her potential flashed as a junior in Lexington.
Key put up 11.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while starting in all of Kentucky’s 31 games. Her physical frame allowed her to be versatile on both ends of the floor, but on top of that, she possess a level of athleticism that a lot of kids just don’t have. Watching her fly down the floor and handle the ball in transition is truly a thing of beauty given her 6-foot-4 stature.
As a senior, Key can take the next step and potentially be an All-SEC caliber player.
Best Shooter: Dominika Paurová
As a freshman at Oregon State, Dominika Paurová shot 37.2% from beyond the arc. It may have just been on 1.2 attempts per game, but that’s still a nice clip. We expect to see that number rise a bit this season, and as a result, she becomes Kentucky’s marquee three-point threat.
There’s plenty of capable shooters on this team, but Paurová could have the best year of any of them.
Also, while we’re at it, let’s do a fun over/under exercise, shall we?
U 2.5 Kentucky losses at home
Kentucky went 15-3 at home last season, defending Historic Memorial Coliseum with pride. The Cats even went undefeated at home through non-conference play. Their only losses at home came against No. 3 Texas, No. 7 LSU and 5-seed Kansas State in the Round of 32. Not too shabby, really.
Well, we’re expecting Kentucky’s success at home to continue next season. A lot of Kentucky’s toughest games will be on the road next season (Louisville, Tennessee, Texas, LSU). South Carolina and Oklahoma will be coming to town, however, which is certainly threatening.
However, even if Kentucky were to drop both of those games, they’d still hit the under in our 2.5 home losses spread. Just gotta take care of business elsewhere.
O 300.5 Clara Strack rebounds
Clara Strack averaged 9.7 rebounds per game last season, recording exactly 300 rebounds on the year.
With her being the only true five on next year’s roster, her rebounding numbers should increase. Thus, we’re expecting her to average double figures on the boards and get north of 300 rebounds this year.
U 0.5 Louisville wins against Kentucky
No explanation needed here. L’s down forever.
O 0.5 Kenny Brooks technicals
This is a fun one. Brooks is normally very calm and collected on the sidelines, which is actually one of his biggest strengths as a coach. He’s able to set the tone for his players, and they don’t panic as a result.
But he’s gotta slip at some point. He’s gotten fiery at bad calls before. We’re calling our shot and saying he gets T’d up at some points (probably when Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers draws a 12th foul despite her giving Clara Strack a JBL-esque Clothesline from Hell).
Oh, and here are some hot takes to round things out.
Tonie Morgan will break Georgia Amoore’s assists record
Georgia Amoore made a ton of history in her brief stint at Kentucky, including setting the single-season total assists record with 213. Our first hot take is that record doesn’t stand very long as Tonie Morgan averages close to eight assists per game while breaking Amoore’s record.
Her passing style fits perfectly with how this roster was built. She can kick the ball out or dish it down low for the assist, and she’s going to record a lot of them — the most we’ve ever seen in, in fact.
Clara Strack will repeat as SEC Defensive Player of the Year
Somehow, Clara Strack didn’t make an All-SEC team despite winning SEC Defensive Player of the Year. She set the program record for blocks in a season (73), and the 6-foot-5 junior could replicate similar numbers again this year to go back-to-back as SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
Cats will knock off one of South Carolina or LSU
Kentucky has within one point of knocking of South Carolina on the road with five minutes to go, and they had a 36-20 lead on LSU before the Tigers rallied for their largest comeback win of the season.
The Gamecocks may not be quite as good as they were last year, but even if they are, a home game for Kentucky could be the difference in getting a big upset win against Dawn Staley’s crew. It sucks that Kentucky has to go on the road for the LSU game this year, but the Tigers don’t seem to have the bigs that Kentucky has. There’s a real shot Kenny Brooks and the Cats pull off one of those wins.
Kentucky has three All-SEC selections
Take your pick as to who, but Kentucky is going to have three All-SEC selections when the regular season comes to a close. We’ll say those three are Tonie Morgan, Teonni Key and Clara Strack. Jordan Obi could very well be in the mix for an all-conference honor as well.
Regardless, next year’s team is shaping up to be a really, really good one, and they should continue to build upon what Kenny Brooks accomplished in his first year at the helm at Kentucky.
The post Preseason superlatives for Kentucky WBB: MVP, most underrated, most upside and more appeared first on On3.