Crimson Tide vs Wildcats Handicapping
The Kentucky Wildcats have been doing things the hard way this season, but they are still second in the SEC at 21-8 (11-5 in conference play) behind tops-in-the-country Florida. [ad-4468020]
Alabama (12-17) vs. Kentucky (21-8)
Tuesday March 4th 9:00PM ET
ESPN
Rupp Arena in Lexington KT
Line: UK -13
O/U: 133.5
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Tuesday night’s game against the rather pedestrian Tide (6-10 in the SEC) could be seen as a tune-up game for the Wildcats’s weekend showdown with the #1 Gators on national TV. John Calipari’s young men would do well to not overlook Alabama, especially coming off two straight losses to Arkansas and South Carolina, respectively.
The Wildcats thrive on their big bodies that can crash the boards and generate offense down low, spearheaded by super freshman Julius Randle and sophomore seven-footer Willie Cauley-Stein. If an opponent drives into the lane with anything weak, Cauley-Stein has a tendency to send it catapulting into the stands.
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Freshman guard James Young also brings food to the table, averaging 14.6 PPG which is second only to Randle (15.5 PPG). Kentucky will use its size to create match-up problems with Alabama, as evidenced by the Cats sitting fifth nationally in rebounds per game, shining the glass nearly 42 times per contest.
Since Calipari has been pacing the sidelines for Kentucky, it has been a program that relies on impressive young talent to come in and out-athlete teams, rather than relying on the workmanlike veteran presence of someone like senior Mississippi guard Marshall Henderson, to use an SEC example. Kentucky will always have at least a measure of success with Calipari, because his recruiting is top-tier, but some might question the Wildcats’ character when the going gets tough.
The times can be considered tough right now, seeing as Kentucky have dropped two straight and have a road game with Florida looming at the end of the week. A decisive win against middling ‘Bama would do a lot to set things right in Lexington.
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Incidentally, Alabama’s lone grave threat is cagey senior guard Trevor Releford, who is putting up an impressive 18.8 PPG to go along with a balanced 3+ rebounds and assists, despite only being six-foot tall.
Releford is quick and dynamic and probably the only member of the Crimson Tide to keep pace with the length and athleticism of their opponents. To their credit, the Tide are coming off an ego-boosting victory against in-state rival Auburn this past weekend, but they’ll have to be firing on all cylinders to stand a chance against the nationally-relevant UK. To be fair, the Tide should play like they have nothing to lose in this game, as conference hardware and NCAA tournament qualification are out of the question. Regardless, the Wildcats on their home court is a daunting task.
James’s Prediction: Last game against South Carolina, even in a loss, swingman Young and the freshman Harrison twins (guards Aaron and Andrew) did an excellent job of getting to the line for Kentucky. That sort of strategy should work well against Alabama, to get their bigs in foul trouble and to neutralize the speed of Releford.
If Young and the Harrisons can slash to the bucket and Randle and Cauley-Stein continue to do their rebounding thing, Kentucky should easily handle the Crimson Tide, especially at Rupp Arena.
The state of Kentucky treats its college hoops not unlike how Alabamians cherish college football, so for pigskin powerhouse ‘Bama to come into Lexington and pull an upset – which would go down in the ledger as Kentucky’s third straight loss – would be inexcusable for the Wildcats’ faithful.
Kentucky 82, Alabama 68
