No. 11 Kentucky women’s basketball (17-3, 4-2 SEC) is posting a strong showing for the 2025-26 season, falling only three times to ranked opponents No. 7 Maryland, Alabama and Mississippi State, while holding a 2-0 record against AP top five teams.

Looking at a team that hosts major talent within its starting lineup, it’s nearly impossible to pinpoint who could possibly be in the conversation as Kentucky’s best player.

“We sit down, and we figure out what type of player we want,” coach Kenny Brooks said after Kentucky’s victory against Central Michigan. “Many coaches will try to go out and they’ll assemble a bunch of talent, and then you got to put them together – you got to try to put that puzzle together. This team right here is constructed to be really good because they really play off of each other, and they know each other.”

Despite this, however, the Wildcats are typically renowned for who the media has dubbed “The Triplets”, consisting of the triple threat that is Clara Strack, Teonni Key and Amelia Hassett.

There is no question that the three athletes aforementioned are dominant parts of Kentucky’s entire game.

The Cats concluded the 2024 season as the nation’s leader in blocks per game (7.0) led by those three, as well as the fact that the three together were averaging 11.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG and 2.0 APG.

Even guard Jordan Obi is rightfully on the rise in recognition, where she added 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the Cats’ most recent showing against Central Michigan. Brooks even mentions that Obi should be added to the trio, making them “The Quadruplets”.

With all of this, however, it is incredibly clear that fans are overlooking one vital part of Kentucky’s game amongst the versatility and depth within the rotation.

One guard in particular has consistently shown up for the Wildcats – senior Tonie Morgan.

Morgan transferred to Kentucky this season from Georgia Tech, where she came in as an athlete to watch after earning a spot on the 2025-26 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Preseason Top 20 Watch List.

She also concluded her time at Georgia Tech with many accolades, including landing in the 2024 and 2025 All-ACC Second Teams, the 2024 ACC All-Tournament Second Team and the 2023 ACC All-Freshman Team.

Coming to the Bluegrass, Brooks made it clear that he wanted Morgan to mold her own legacy, not just simply fill the large shoes that former Wildcat Georgia Amoore left.

“I didn’t ask Tonie to fill Georgia’s shoes, I asked her to bring her own shoes,” Brooks said in a preseason interview.

Even with the season still in its early stages, it is an easy conclusion to make that Morgan has become one of Kentucky’s most formidable pieces, and is very likely to help carry Kentucky through another historic season.

Morgan’s numbers so far this season are putting her among some of the most elite athletes that collegiate women’s basketball has to offer.

As of Jan. 20, the senior is ranking at No. 2 nationally and No. 1 in the SEC for assists on the season with 173 and for assists per game at 8.7.

Moreover, she sits at No. 12 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC for her 2.93 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Morgan is also sitting with Strack, Key and Obi with multiple double-doubles on the season. Her first came versus USC Upstate with 11 points and 16 assists, and she has tacked on four more since then.

In her most recent double-double against Florida, the senior put up 26 points and 13 assists.

The 16 assists that the guard put up against USC Upstate tied the 43-year-old single-game school record set in 1982 – Kentucky hasn’t even seen a player make as many as 12 assists since 2015.

During the team’s stretch of games from Louisville through the SEC/ACC Challenge in Miami, Morgan led the game in scoring twice with 22 points against No. 7 Maryland and 20 points versus Miami.

Since the start of SEC play, Morgan has led the scoring in five of six games for the Wildcats. The only game that she didn’t lead, against Missouri, she was only one point off the mark for tying Strack for the game-high.

Moreover, as of Jan. 20, Morgan leads the team in career points with 1,561.

Beyond the numbers, watching the guard’s performances on the court can reach even the most minimal basketball fans as being dominant. Morgan directs and leads the team on every part of the court, and finds the balance between being a scoring threat and looking for the teammate with a better angle.

While Kentucky still operates under relatively new leadership under Brooks, it has found a lot of promise in players such as Strack, Key and Hassett. However, fans should also keep an eye on Morgan as she continues to develop alongside her Kentucky teammates this season.