No. 13 seed Liberty (26-6, 16-2 CUSA) is set for a first-round showdown in the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, traveling to Lexington to take on No. 4 seed Kentucky (22-7, 11-5 SEC).
The Lady Flames punched their ticket to March Madness with a hard-fought 53-48 win over two-time defending champion Middle Tennessee in the CUSA title game last Saturday. That victory secured their first Conference USA championship in just their second season in the league.
This marks Liberty’s 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history—all of them coming within the last 29 years—but it's their first trip to the Big Dance since 2018. The seven-year gap represents their longest tournament drought since making their debut in 1997. Riding an 11-game winning streak, the Lady Flames enter the tournament with the 10th-longest active streak in the nation.
Meanwhile, Kentucky comes into March Madness ranked No. 12 in the Coaches Poll and No. 13 in the AP Poll. The Wildcats will be just the second Top 25 opponent Liberty has faced this season, the first being No. 11 Duke in an 83-67 loss back on Nov. 7 at Liberty Arena. Historically, the Lady Flames have struggled against ranked teams, dropping 42 straight games to Top 25 opponents. Their last victory in such a matchup came in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, when they upset DePaul in the second round to book a spot in the Sweet 16.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch the Kentucky vs Liberty NCAA Women's game, plus plenty more.
Kentucky vs Liberty: Date and tip-off time
The Wildcats and Lady Flames will tip off in a highly anticipated NCAAW game on Friday, March 21, 2025, at 12:00 pm ET/9:00 am PT at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky.
Date | Friday, March 21, 2025 |
Tip-off Time | 12:00 pm ET/9:00 am PT |
Venue | Memorial Coliseum |
Location | Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky |
How to watch Kentucky vs Liberty on TV & stream live online
Fans in the USA can catch all the action between the Wildcats and the Lady Flames on:
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Streaming service: Fubo
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Kentucky Wildcats team news & key performers
Kentucky has been dominant offensively, outscoring opponents by an average of 13.4 points per game with a total scoring margin of +388. The Wildcats put up 75.7 points per contest (37th in the nation) while allowing 62.3 (122nd nationally).
Leading the charge is Georgia Amoore, who has been outstanding, averaging 19.1 points and 6.9 assists per game while shooting 42.5% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, 6ft 5in center Clara Strack provides a strong presence inside, contributing 15.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per outing, giving the Wildcats a potent inside-outside combination.
Liberty Lady Flames news & key performers
Liberty has been efficient from the floor this season, ranking 16th nationally in three-point shooting percentage (36.9%) and 28th in overall field goal percentage (46.1%). However, they’ll be up against a formidable Kentucky defense, which leads the country in blocked shots (6.9 per game) while also ranking among the nation’s best in perimeter and overall field goal defense—No. 6 against the three (26.0%) and No. 8 in opponent shooting percentage (35.7%).
One area where the Lady Flames could have the upper hand is in their depth and balanced scoring. Liberty's bench has been a major factor all season, contributing 27.7 points per game, the ninth-best mark in the country. That’s a stark contrast to Kentucky, whose reserves average just 8.4 points per contest, placing them near the bottom nationally at 351st out of 353 teams.
Bella Smuda has been a key contributor for Liberty, posting 11.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, while Asia Boone has stepped up in recent weeks, averaging 11.4 points over her last 10 outings.