Kentucky has never been to a Final Four but the Wildcats are two wins away from making history.
Kentucky (25-7) will attempt to achieve the feat this weekend, starting with Friday night’s game against Washington (24-10) in the Lexington Regional semifinals at Rupp Arena.
“I would love to go to a Final Four,” Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell said Thursday. “That’s been a goal of our program and a dream of all of ours, and we believe we’re going to do it one day and we hope it’s this year.”
The Wildcats opened the NCAA Tournament with wins over UNC-Asheville (85-31) and Oklahoma (79-58) while the Huskies topped Penn and stunned Maryland to earn a spot in the regional semifinals.
The home court gives Kentucky an advantage in travel and fan support, but Mitchell said playing in familiar territory isn’t a guarantee for his squad.
“The home court didn’t do much for us last year versus Dayton, so home-court doesn’t really do it for you,” Mitchell said. “(It) didn’t do much for Arizona State (and it) didn’t do much for Maryland. I mean, you still have to play.
“(If we win the regional), it won’t be because the Rupp Arena floor jumps up and makes any basket or has — the building won’t get it done for us. The players will and that’s how we’re trying to approach this.”
Based on his team’s play during the first two rounds, Mitchell is confident the Wildcats will have success in their home away from home.
“We’re not looking at pressure right now,” the Kentucky coach said. “We’re trying to look at our attitude and our effort and that’s how we were trying to make it happen for us in the first two rounds. I thought we really hustled and played hard and responded to adversity and that opportunity on our home court.”
Kentucky leading scorer and junior guard Makayla Epps is expected to play after suffering a shoulder sprain in the fourth quarter of the Wildcats’ win over the Sooners earlier this week.
“I’m feeling a lot better than I did Monday night when I took the fall,” Epps said. “I still have a little pain and soreness, but that’s expected (and) nothing that’s going to hinder me from playing (Friday) though.”
Just as his team did in the first two games of the tournament, Mitchell said the Wildcats to depend on toughness and discipline to overcome any shortcomings on both sides of the floor, especially on defense.
“An honest effort is going to be important,” Mitchell said. “(You have to) give your very best. Starting with hustle and hard work is going to be important and discipline. Those are the three things that we really try to build our defense around — honesty, hard work (and) discipline. We’ll need to exercise those (traits) at our highest level to have a chance in the game.”
Kentucky also will have to slow down Washington guard Kelsey Plum, one of the premier guards in the nation. Plum leads the nation in scoring with 26.3 points per game.
Mitchell said Plum is a unique talent and said “she’s the leading scorer in the country for a reason.”
“I haven’t really thought of a comparison (but) I can’t think of anybody right off the top of my head,” Mitchell said. “She is a fantastic player (and) she does so much for their team. What I’ve noticed, is she really keeps them together.
“They’re a really together team. It’s fun to watch and tough to prepare for. They’re very, very tough, but there is a togetherness about them that is impressive.”
Washington coach Mike Neighbors said the Huskies are prepared for “whatever they throw at us.”
“I think we’ve seen everything,” Neighbors said. “Unless somebody invents something new, we’ve seen it all.”
Along with slowing down Plum, Mitchell said the game will come down to the team that displays the most toughness.
“You’re going to have to be tougher than them,” Mitchell said. “It’s a tall task to be tougher than Washington. They’re very, very tough.”
Game tracker: Washington at Kentucky, NCAA Tournament. TV/Radio: ESPN2, 630 AM WLAP
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports writer who covers University of Kentucky athletics for KyForward.com