No. 16 Kentucky women’s basketball (18-6, 5-5 SEC) had Big Blue Nation feeling as if it was slowly losing its grip on an otherwise promising season when starter Teonni Key suffered an injury and was out for six games. 

Initially, Key’s dislocated right elbow that she suffered against Missouri in early January could have meant anything from a few weeks displaced from the court to a season-ending fate. 

Fortunately, Key avoided the need for surgery and returned to the court on the earlier end of the timeline. 

While the 6-foot-5 forward was sidelined, the Wildcats went 2-4 and lost three straight games, two of which were against unranked opponents. 

When Key returned to the court on Feb. 1, her impact was immediately felt. The forward ended the afternoon with a double-double featuring 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Her contributions in the game went far beyond the box score – she also helped relieve a lot of the pressure that Clara Strack was facing throughout her absence. 

In the three-game losing skid, Strack was averaging 9.3 PPG and shooting an average 22.2% from the field. 

Before Key was injured, Strack saw averages of 16.7 PPG and 9.8 RPG, and was shooting an average of 52.8% from the field. 

In the Cats’ game against Arkansas, where Key finally returned to game action, Strack was able to finally see the numbers that she was regularly seeing through the 2024-25 season, and earlier in this slate. 

The faceoff against the Razorbacks featured Strack’s 11th double-double of the season with a career-high 33 points and 15 rebounds. 

In the following game against Vanderbilt, although a loss, Strack had 14 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. She shot 55.5% from the field. 

Three of Strack’s assists on the night were to Key, who had 27 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 73.3% from the field. 

Suddenly, it feels as though the season is virtually saved. Kentucky has already risen back up in the AP Poll, where it previously dropped for three weeks straight. 

Moreover, the narrative of which player would be the next reserve to make an impact that has haunted the Wildcats for the past month can surely disappear. 

With Key back on the court, guard Asia Boone can now work as the primary sixth-man, putting up starter minutes and relieving some exhaustion from starters. 

Moreover, she contributes well to scoring – something that was not seen from the bench when Boone shifted into the lineup.

However, it likely isn’t that simple. 

Firstly, any team faces a myriad of complications that can arise throughout the season, whether it be an injury or simply a player fouling out. 

Moreover, in this home stretch of the 2025-26 campaign, competition will steadily stiffen, and Kentucky cannot simply rely on six players to be the only contributors to victories. 

There is no debate that Key’s return is vital for Kentucky to finish up its final conference games and look towards . 

However, there is also no debate that Boone cannot be the only key contributor from the reserves. 

In the three games prior to the Arkansas victory, Kentucky’s bench was off the mark in game contributions.

The reserves had a cumulative six points in the margin of games. Kentucky’s opponents had a cumulative 45 points from the bench. The lowest contributor was, objectively, the weakest of the three opponents with Mississippi State’s 11. Georgia had 21 points come from the bench. 

Including Boone, the bench is averaging 3.9 PPG and 1.4 RPG this season, with a total of 427 points out of Kentucky’s cumulative 1,862. 

Boone accounts for 244 of those points; the other four reserves’ combined points still fall short of her total. 

If we take Boone out of the equation, only three reserves are averaging over one PPG. 

Boone held all 11 bench points against Arkansas. 

Whether it lies with the players or with Head Coach Kenny Brooks’ lack of substitutions is arguable. 

So, the question is: if another part of Kentucky’s bench should get more minutes, who should it be?

The answer is Kaelynn Carroll.

Carroll was a top-15 national recruit in the 2025 class and a 5-star recruit who has seen solid minutes in her first year with the Wildcats. 

Beyond Boone, Carroll is the leading scorer off the bench with 4.5 PPG and 2.5 RPG. 

The freshman is known for her skills beyond the arc, where she leads the reserves in 3-point field goal percentage at 34.8%. 

Although her percentage comes from fewer attempts from the field compared to the rest of the Kentucky squad, it should be noted that she currently sits second on the team for 3-point shooting behind Tonie Morgan. 

She currently sits at an average of 12.67 minutes per game, and although her experience may fall behind that of other teammates, the impact that she’s already had surely shows promise in what she can offer as relief. 

Carroll brings strong versatility to the court, and when she does see bursts of scoring from beyond the arc, it has always given Kentucky an extra edge to its offense. 

In many ways, she is objectively one of the strongest choices in any rotation. 

If the freshman were to see more minutes consistently, it may prove good for the Wildcats to have given her that chance. 

Overall, Kentucky needs a seventh go-to roster person to help carry it to success as the season winds down and post-conference play approaches.