< PreviousMatthew Mitchell is a flexible coach, willing to adjust scheme to fit person- nel. He's proven that throughout the course of his 12 seasons at Kentucky. There is one thing on which the winnin- gest coach in program history is unwilling to compromise. "We want to be that team that the op- ponent knows, listen, this is going to be 40 minutes of all out get after it and they're go- ing to hustle their way through the 40 min- utes," Mitchell said. With the start of the 2019-20 season here, Mitchell believes he has a team capa- ble of exactly that. That's why he isn't fussed about settling on the specifics of UK's offen- sive and defensive tactics. "If you can get there, the scheme doesn't matter as much to me," Mitchell said. "So, whether we are full-court man-to-man, whether we have more of a zone look in our press, those things don't particularly matter to me as long as everyone's hustling and on the defensive end, we're on the attack and we're disruptive." In the end, Mitchell imagines he'll settle on some combination of man and zone that depends on who's on the floor at any given moment. His group, though without two of the best guards in school history in depart- ed seniors Maci Morris and Taylor Murray, is a versatile one. Mitchell expects that to be UK's greatest attribute. "If you don't come out and guard us we're gonna be able to do some things and I think that this team has a great ability to shoot the basketball and that needs to be something that happens for us offensively because if we can do that, then our athleticism can really shine through," Mitchell said. "People have to come out and guard you and can't sit back and just let you shoot or you're going to make a bunch of shots on them." No one, in all likelihood, will make more shots than Rhyne Howard. The reign- ing National Freshman of the Year led UK in scoring a season ago and will now step into an even more prominent role. It's one she's more than talented enough to handle. "She just doesn't have many weakness- es," Mitchell said. "Great ball handler, big, strong, athletic, so I think if you try to face guard her she's athletic enough that we can find a way to get her the ball and then, she is just one of the best passers on the team, one of the best shooters on the team and, then can really make an impact on the boards and defensively." Plenty of talent surrounds Howard, but the fact remains that no one on UK's roster averaged more than 6.9 points last season. Complementary scorers will emerge, but the Wildcats' nonconference opponents will unquestionably be keyed on the 6-foot- 2 sophomore. Mitchell doesn't want her to dwell on that. "I do think that early on maybe there was some pressure on her that she really had to do something kind of otherworldly," Mitch- ell said. "I've told her, if she'll come to work every day, just practice really hard, stay in the gym and make sure she sharp and pre- pared, I think it's the other teams that have something to worry about because she's just that versatile and gifted and talented and tre- mendously competitive, wants to win badly, but we'll just have to work our way through all those challenges that the opponent sends our way and I think she'll be equipped to handle them." Women's Basketball Tips Off 2019-20 Season 68 @UKFootball By Guy Ramsey UK Athletics Photo b y Elliott Hess, UK Athletics UK Sports Network Television Information TV Affiliates: Ashland/Huntington – WQCW Bowling Green – WBKO Evansville – WFIE Fox Sports Atlantic Fox Sports Ohio Fox Sports South Hazard – WYMT & eYMT Lexington – WKYT & CW Lexington Louisville – WHAS Paducah - WPSD 70 @UKFootballUK Sports Network Radio Information Market Call Letters Frequency Ashland, KY WCMI 92.7 FM / 1340 AM Ashland/Greenup, KY WLGC 105.7 FM Benton, KY WCBL 99.1 FM / 1290 AM Bowling Green, KY WGGC 95.1 FM Burkesville, KY bb only WKYR 107.9 FM Cadiz, KY WKDZ 106.5 FM / 1110 AM Campbellsville, KY WCKQ 104.1 FM Cincinnati WCKY 1530 AM Columbia, KY WAIN 93.5 FM / 1270 AM Corbin, KY WCTT 107.3 FM / 680 AM Dry Ridge, KY WNKR 106.7 FM Elizabethtown, KY WAKY 103.5 FM / 620 AM Flemingsburg, KY WFLE 95.1 FM Grayson, KY WUGO 99.7 FM Greenville, KY bb only WKYA 105.5 FM Hardinsburg, KY WXBC 104.3 FM Harlan, KY WTUK 105.1 FM Hazard, KY WSGS 101.1 FM Henderson, KY WSON 96.5 FM / 860 AM Hopkinsville, KY WHOP 98.7 FM / 1230 AM Jamestown, KY WJRS 104.9 FM Jenkins, KY WIFX 94.3 FM Johnson City, TN WETB 790 AM Lancaster, KY WRNZ 105.1 FM Leitchfield, KY WKHG 104.9 FM Lexington WBUL / WLAP 98.1 FM / 630 AM London, KY WWEL 103.9 FM Louisville WHAS 840 AM Madisonville, KY WKTG 93.9 FM Mayfield, KY WLLE 102.1 FM Maysville, KY WFTM 95.9 FM / 1240 AM Monticello, KY WKYM 101.7 FM Morehead, KY WIVY 96.3 FM Morganfield WMSK 101.3 FM Nashville, TN WPRTHD 102.5 HD Owensboro, KY WBKR / WOMI 92.5 FM / 1490 AM Paducah, KY WKYX 94.3 FM / 570 AM Paintsville, KY WSIP 98.9 FM / 1490 AM Pikeville, KY WDHR / WPKE 93.1 FM / 103.1 FM Pineville, KY WRIL 106.3 FM Prestonsburg, KY WQHY / WDOC 95.5 FM / 1310 AM Providence, KY WWKY 104.9 FM Somerset, KY WSEK 93.9 FM / 910 AM Whitesburg, KY WXKQ / WTCW 103.9 FM / 920 AM Williamsburg, KY WEZJ / WEKX 104.3 FM / 102.7 FM 2019 Schedule Aug. 31 Toledo W, 38-24 Sept. 7 Eastern Michigan W, 38-17 Sept. 14 Florida L, 21-29 Sept. 21 at Mississippi State L, 13-28 Sept. 28 at South Carolina L, 7-24 Oct. 12 Arkansas W, 24-20 Oct. 19 at Georgia L, 0-21 Oct. 26 Missouri W, 29-7 Nov. 9 Tennessee 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at Vanderbilt 3:30 p.m. Nov. 23 UT-Martin 3:30 p.m. Nov. 30 Louisville Noon (Countdown to Kickoff begins 2 hours prior to kickoff} UKHealthCare Mark Stoops Radio (all shows are from 6-7 p.m.) Monday, August 26, 2019 Monday, September 02, 2019 Monday, September 9, 2019 Monday, September 16, 2019 Monday, September 23, 2019 Monday, September 30, 2019 Monday, October 07, 2019 Monday, October 14, 2019 Monday, October 21, 2019 Monday, October 28, 2019 Monday, November 04, 2019 Monday, November 11, 2019 Monday, November 18, 2019 Monday, November 25, 2019 @UKSportsNetwork 71Next >