Alabama basketball dominates Kentucky in SEC showdown
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Alabama men’s basketball team moved to 13-2 (3-0 SEC) on Saturday afternoon after dominating the Kentucky Wildcats (10-5, 1-2 SEC) 78-52 in Coleman Coliseum.
The 26-point victor is the largest ever for the Crimson Tide in this series. Alabama won by 25 points back in 1990 (83-58), 24 points in 1956 (101-77) and 23 points in 1974 (94-71), but never by 26 points. That’s the type of historic performance and effort fans got from their team.
“That’s one that I don’t know if I wanna watch the tape,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said after the game.
Star freshman Brandon Miller once again led the way with 19 points to go with seven rebounds and a block. The 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward hit two of his six three-point attempts and all three free throws. That now gives the former five-star recruit 17 points or more in four of Alabama’s last five games.
Ohio transfer Mark Sears wasn’t far behind though. He put up 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.
All five of Alabama’s starters were +21 or better in this one, which includes Miller (+32), Sears (+22), Charles Bediako (+33), Noah Clowney (+23) and Jaden Bradley (+21). The length, athleticism and versatility of this roster is nothing short of incredible.
Coming into Saturday, Kentucky was leading the SEC in three-point percentage at 39.02%.
Yet, the Wildcats only converted 5-of-20 attempts, which comes out to a significantly lower percentage (25%). They also only had a 28.8% field goal percentage, which is remarkable considering Alabama’s best defender (Nimari Burnett) is still on the mend after a wrist injury back in mid-December.
Bediako deserves a lot of credit for his ability to score early points against Kentucky big Oscar Tshiebwe. The sophomore center only had nine points, six rebounds and two blockes, but his presence on the court was crucial to the Crimson Tide’s success. Tshiebwe, after averaging 16.8 points and 13.8 rebounds coming in, only scored four points and added six rebounds.
Those were both season-low outputs.
Alabama will return to the court next Wednesday, Jan. 11 with a road matchup against No. 13 Arkansas. The Razorbacks are currently 12-2 (1-1 SEC) with their two losses coming by a combined six points. In other words, Nate Oats and company will have their hands full, but Saturday’s performance against Kentucky was certainly encouraging.
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