The Crimson Tide made a statement two weeks ago with a 20-point win over Kentucky in Lexington. Tonight, Alabama looks to continue their hot start to SEC play, while the Wildcats are hunting for revenge.
LAST TIME OUT
Alabama traveled to Rupp Arena on Jan. 12 to face College Basketball power Kentucky, a team that has struggled to live to its identity so far in the 2020-21 season. Leading up to the game, Alabama had not caught the eye of everyone in the country.
The Tide had an impressive conference win over No. 6 Tennessee on the road just three games prior and had out-performed rival Auburn and newcomer Sharife Cooper, 94-90 the previous Saturday. Admirable wins? Yes. But, Alabama had not gotten that signature win to sway the voters to place them into the top-25 polls, as they entered the game as the “first team out”, ranked No. 26 in the USA Today polls.
A great night shooting the three-ball and taking advantage of 19 Kentucky turnovers, Alabama left the floor with a 20-point win, 85-65. Alabama shot 45.6% from the field, and 69% from the free-throw line. In addition to scoring 32 points in the paint, the Crimson Tide nailed 14 three-pointers, led by John Petty’s four baskets from outside the perimeter.
The win was the largest over Kentucky since 1974, and it snapped an eight-game losing streak in Lexington.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE
Alabama did earn the respect they desired by winning three straight games, two of those by at least 30 points. Their reward? They are now ranked in the top-10 of the USA Today Men’s AP poll, checking in at No. 9 ahead of their Tuesday night tilt with Kentucky.
The Tide continues to prove its worth this season, as they downed a 10-win Arkansas team at home on Jan. 16, 90-59, and torched LSU in Baton Rouge on January 19 with stellar three-point shooting, 105-75.
Mississippi State provided a tough game with Alabama on Saturday, falling to the Crimson Tide, 81-73. The 8-point win over the Bulldogs was only the third time in conference play that Alabama had failed to defeat their opponent by more than ten points (Tennessee, Auburn).
Following the loss to Alabama at home, Kentucky dropped two more games on the road before picking up a much-needed win over LSU on Saturday.
The Wildcats played well enough to earn road wins at Auburn and Georgia, but could not close. Kentucky held a lead for 19:45 against Auburn, but the Tigers offense scored 45 points in the 2nd half to pull away from Kentucky, 66-59 on Jan. 16.
On Jan. 21 in Athens, Georgia closed the game by taking advantage of a Wildcat scoring drought over the final two minutes by finishing the game on a 7-0 run, closing with a layup on the final second to win, 63-62.
Kentucky head coach asked the media for assurance following the tough loss to Georgia..
“I need someone to talk to me because I’m discouraged,” said Calipari. “What I just saw, the way we finished the game – the shot selection at the end, missed free throws, turnovers, just throwing them the ball for layups. We gave them 20 points on turnovers just throwing them the ball. I’m discouraged.”
Kentucky grabbed their first win in two weeks last Saturday by defeating LSU inside Rupp Arena, 82-69. Four Wildcats reached double-digits in scoring, Isaiah Jackson grabbed 15 boards in addition to scoring six points in the win.
No. 9 Alabama hosts Kentucky at 6 p.m. CT in Coleman Coliseum. Karl Ravich and Dick Vitale will have the call on ESPN, while Chris Stewart, Brian Passink, and Roger Hoover call the game on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.
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