Nate Oats says "first to 100 wins" in Kentucky vs. Alabama

Tomorrow’s game vs. Alabama will be anything but boring. The Crimson Tide rank No. 1 nationally in scoring offense at 91.0 points per game. Kentucky is No. 3, averaging 87.6 points per game. Neither team is good on defense, allowing teams to score over 77 points per game. Nate Oats put it best when he said the first team to reach 100 points may take home the win tomorrow at Rupp.

“Offensively, we’ve been playing well. Defensively, we’re similar to Kentucky in that we’re both top 10 offenses and neither one of us has a defense that’s even in the top 70 [of the KenPom ratings] currently. I’m sure Coach Cal’s trying his guys to guard a lot better, as am I, but we’re both gonna be preaching defense and maybe the first to 100 wins.”

Kentucky has topped the 100-point mark four times this season; Alabama has done it eight times, twice in the past three games. The Crimson Tide scored 307 points in wins over LSU, Texas A&M, and Florida. Slowing down the Tide is a daunting task for a Kentucky defense that has made baby steps of progress, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by Oats.

“I looked, two of their four best defensive performances — and maybe two of their best considering who they played — came in the last three games, so up until that LSU game, the two games previous, they’d really been guarding. The road win at Auburn was probably the best they’ve looked maybe all year.

“I do think they’re playing their best basketball. I think they had a little hiccup at LSU but I think we’ll get the best version of Kentucky that anybody’s seen all year is what I expect. We’re going to have to play well.”

Alabama is coming off a scare, needing overtime to beat No. 24 Florida on Wednesday night. The Crimson Tide trailed for most of the game before going on a 15-4 run with 4:25 remaining to take the lead. They were only 2-18 (11%) from three-point range in the first half. Oats knows they can’t afford a cold start tomorrow, especially against a Kentucky team coming off a loss. The only SEC games Alabama has lost have both been on the road, at Tennessee and at Auburn, both by sizable margins.

“We’re going to try to do a little better job defensively though. Would be nice if we could make a few more threes in the first half than we did last game too, but they’re a good team. Talented. Guard play is great. They’ve got a legitimate rim protector.

“They’ve got the talent to be a great defensive team and it looked like it was coming together. Even in the LSU game, I didn’t think they were they weren’t terrible, for sure. They weren’t as good as they were the two [games] before but they’re playing their best defensive basketball now of the year in my opinion.”

Here’s a fun stat from Corey Price: Alabama is 15-0 when its opponent scores 80 or fewer points, and 4-7 when its opponent scores 81 or more. While Kentucky is averaging 87.6 points per game, the Cats have slowed down a bit in recent weeks, averaging only 73 points in the last three games. Everyone’s talking about defense, but offense will be equally important tomorrow night.

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Latrell Wrightsell still “day-to-day” with head injury

Alabama could be down two players tomorrow. Backup big man Mohamed Wague was suspended for one game by the SEC for throwing an elbow vs. Florida on Wednesday. Starting guard Latrell Wrightsell missed the Florida game with a head injury and Oats said remains day-to-day. The Cal State Fullerton transfer averages 9.0 points per game and is second on the team in three-point field goals (57) behind star guard Mark Sears.

“[Latrell] is still being evaluated day to day and with those — we haven’t practiced yet. We’re actually going to practice in Lexington today so we’ll see how today goes, see what happens for tomorrow.”

Sam Walters stepped up in Wrightsell’s absence vs. Florida, coming off the bench to score 14 points, including four threes. Even if Wrightsell can go, Oats said Walters could have a huge impact tomorrow.

“We need Sam to play well. Like you said, Latrell had been making shots at a high clip. Sam’s capable of making shots. He was 4-7 from three in the last game. He’s gonna need to play well on both sides of the ball. Latrell has been one of our best perimeter defenders all year.

“We need Sam to really continue to step up his defense and it’s been getting better. Sam’s playing his best defense of the year right now too, and I think he’s getting his confidence back on offense. It’d be big if he stepped up and had a big game. Even if Latrell can go, it would still be huge if Sam could play well for us.”

Kentucky could also be shorthanded, as Tre Mitchell missed the last two games with a shoulder injury suffered vs. Ole Miss. If you missed today’s radio show, Ryan “Scoop” Lemond said he’s hearing Mitchell is a game-time decision for tomorrow. Fingers crossed.