PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB faces Alabama in first Top 25 showdown of SEC play

After falling to Texas A&M on the road, Kentucky responded by beating Arkansas by 20 in front of the home fans, and the Cats will face yet another test — perhaps their toughest of SEC play thus far — when No. 22 Alabama (17-4, 4-3 SEC) heads to Lexington for a big-time matchup.

Get to know the Crimson Tide before the game gets going.

Bio Blast

After a two-point loss to No. 23 Vanderbilt, the Alabama Crimson Tide heads to Memorial Coliseum to take on Kentucky in the Wildcats’ first top 25 matchup during SEC play. Unfortunately, the Tide is coming looking for redemption, despite defeating the ‘Cats by 17 last season in Tuscaloosa. Plus, Alabama boasts one of the more veteran rosters in the country, with five graduate students, and only seven underclassman on the 14-woman lineup.

These two teams are extremely similar on paper. Kentucky averages 79.0 points per game. Alabama? 79.5 points per game. Kentucky shoots 46.1% from the field. Alabama, on the other hand, shoots 46.3%. It’s no doubt that Kenny Brooks and the Wildcats have been preparing for this day since the beginning of the season. Especially since Brooks and Alabama head coach Kristy Curry have met only one time before. In 2018, Virginia Tech and the Tide battled it out in the WNIT quarterfinals. Brooks came out victorious.

Alabama’s potential starting five currently averages 56.5 points per game, and a whopping 42.4% from the field, 37% from three, and 62.2% from the free throw line. It’s safe to say that Curry has her hands full of talent, considering she consistently runs a nine to 10-woman rotation.

Projected Alabama Starters

• #3 – Sarah Ashlee Barker, 16.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.3 APG
• # 14 – Zaay Green, 16.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 4.5 APG
• #21 – Essence Cody, 10.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 0.6 APG
• #22 – Karly Weathers, 7.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.2 APG
• #32 – Aaliyah Nye, 13.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG,1.5 APG

Scouting Report

Alabama is one of the best three-point shooting teams in not only the SEC, but in the entire country. The Crimson Tide shoot 37.4% from beyond the arc, which ranks second in the SEC (Missouri; 38.2%) and ninth in the country. We’ve seen Kentucky struggle to hit the three, and if Alabama gets hot, it may be hard for the Cats to keep up offensively.

Fifth-year senior Sarah Ashlee Barker is the leading scorer for Alabama, posting 16.9 points per game on 51.9% shooting and 35.3% shooting from deep. In their last outing against Vanderbilt, she put up a remarkable stat line of 36 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists while she went 15-21 (3-5 3PT) from the field.

Then, there’s Zaay Green, a 6-foot-2 seventh-year senior guard. She averages 16.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game while knocking down 37.6% of her three-point attempts. Alabama’s Aaliyah Nye (13.8 PPG) and Essence Cody (10.4 PPG) are the two other players that average double figures for them in the scoring column.

Projected Kentucky Starters

#3 – Georgia Amoore

5-FOOT-6 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT

18.3 PPG – 7.4 APG – 2.4 RPG

#7 – Teonni Key

6-FOOT-4 – FORWARD – JUNIOR

12.2 PPG – 8.6 RPG – 2.0 BPG

#10 – Dazia Lawrence

5-FOOT-8 – GUARD – REDSHIRT SENIOR

13.4 PPG – 2.2 APG – 2.2 RPG

#13 – Clara Strack

6-FOOT-5 – CENTER – SOPHOMORE

15.4 PPG – 9.6 RPG – 3.0 APG

#32 – Amelia Hassett

6-FOOT-3 – FORWARD – JUNIOR

10.7 PPG – 9.1 RPG – 2.1 APG

Initial Availability Report

Starting this season in conference play, SEC teams are required to release an availability report, listing players and their injury statuses for their upcoming game.

Here is the initial report for Kentucky-Alabama:

The final availability report will be available closer to game time.

**Note: Kentucky’s Dominika Paurová is not listed as “Out” because she is completely exempt from the season due to an ACL tear she suffered in the offseason. Jordan Obi, who also suffered a lower leg injury in the summer, may return to the hardwood this season, hence why her name appears on the availability report.**

How to Watch/Listen

Place	Tipoff	TV	Radio	Live Stats
Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY)	7 p.m. ET	SEC Network (Sam Gore and Tamika Catchings)	630 WLAP, 790 WKRD (Darren Headrick)	StatBroadcast

Follow Along with KSR’s LIVE BLOG

Unable to watch the game? Don’t worry — we’ll be providing real-time updates throughout to keep you informed on the action. Follow along with KSR’s LIVE BLOG, which will get rolling on the website an hour before the game starts.

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

Want to interact with the KSR crew during tonight’s game? Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing live updates while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating).