Andrew Carr excited for another (healthy) shot at Grant Nelson, Alabama Crimson Tide

If there is one person hungry for revenge on this Kentucky team as the Wildcats prepare to travel to Tuscaloosa for a rematch against the Alabama Crimson Tide, it’s Andrew Carr. The fifth-year forward had been a steady presence in Lexington leading up to his back injury, coming up big in key moments in the team’s best victories, namely 17- and 19-point performances against No. 6 Duke and No. 7 Gonzaga, respectively.

He’ll tell you the team’s loss at Georgia on January 7 was the moment he knew something wasn’t right with his back, but he followed that up with a pair of 13-point efforts in back-to-back ranked wins at No. 14 Mississippi State and vs. No. 11 Texas A&M. Then came his real setback against the Tide, finishing with just four points on 1-4 shooting to go with one rebound, one assist, one steal and four fouls in 18 minutes — a season low at the time.

More importantly, he allowed Alabama forward Grant Nelson to earn a season-high 25 points on 7-13 shooting and 9-10 at the line while adding 11 rebounds and two steals in the 102-97 win. With Carr at his worst, his matchup was at his best, and there was really nothing he could do to fix it beyond fixing himself.

“At that point, it was just a realization, like, I need to get better — a lot better than what I was, for sure,” Carr said following Kentucky’s win over Vanderbilt on Wednesday.

He would sit out against the Commodores in Nashville on Jan. 25 — a 74-69 loss for the Wildcats — before playing just one minute in the 78-73 win at Tennessee on Jan. 28. From there, he’s been active every game, but clearly a shell of himself on the floor while coming off the bench.

Mark Pope confirmed Carr returned to back-to-back practices for the first time this week ahead of the Vanderbilt rematch, leading to his best all-around performance in well over a month. He would finish with 11 points on 5-8 shooting while adding two rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 21 minutes.

“He really did look like his old physical, attacking self,” Pope said. “… I thought he was really, really good tonight.”

With Carr “pretty much” back to 100 percent, as he put it, the focus turns toward revenge in Tuscaloosa. He wants another shot at Alabama, but more specifically, Grant Nelson.

“Just as a competitor, we’re looking forward to getting another shot at a team like that, for sure. Obviously, my matchup with Grant Nelson — he had a great game,” Carr said. “I’m super excited to step up to that challenge and to be able to face him and be able to try and shut him down. We know how good of a game he had against us this year.”

That’s not to say the Crimson Tide will be a walk in the park, obviously. They’re ranked No. 4 in the country and coming off back-to-back losses themselves. After running through the SEC to open the conference schedule — their lone loss to that point was Ole Miss at home back on Jan. 14 — this is Alabama’s first real speed bump of the year, undoubtedly starving to get back in the win column as one of college basketball’s juggernauts this season.

That’s a tricky spot for Kentucky, especially with the team’s injury situation in the backcourt. But the Wildcats have plenty to play for, too.

“They’re a super talented team. We know how fast they like to play, how much they shoot threes, all of those things offensively,” Carr said. “I think we’ve got to do a good job of trying to defend them at the rim — they shoot a great two-point percentage, as well. Just trying to limit those things. I think we’ll be able to go in there and try to get one back like we did tonight.”

It was a feel-good win for Kentucky on Wednesday, but there is no time to celebrate in the SEC. The Wildcats are back to work, preparing for revenge against the Tide.