Livescore
A top-10 battle between SEC powers with identical records and the nation’s top offenses lived up to its potential Saturday as No. 4 Alabama outlasted No. 8 Kentucky 102-97 in the first of two meetings between the scoring juggernauts.
The Crimson Tide (15-3, 4-1 SEC) were seeking to rebound from their first loss in over six weeks as they were held 27 points below their season scoring average in an uncharacteristically sloppy 74-64 home loss to No. 21 Ole Miss on Tuesday. After committing 21 turnovers and making a season-low five 3-pointers against the Rebels, Alabama looked more like itself from the jump against UK.
Grant Nelson, who had failed to reach double-digits in three consecutive games, scored 12 in the first six minutes as the Crimson Tide built an early 20-12 edge. But in a back-and-forth game, it took multiple second half runs to put away the Wildcats (14-4, 3-2).
Ultimately, four different Alabama players contributed to a 9-0 spurt late in the second half that left the Wildcats facing a 90-81 deficit with under three minutes left. Nelson finished with a season-high 25 points to lead the Crimson Tide. Mark Sears contributed 24 points, including four 3-pointers, and added nine assists.
The loss was Kentucky’s first against a top-15 foe this season after it rattled off five straight wins against top-15 opposition in coach Mark Pope’s first season. A whopping 18 second-half fouls on the Wildcats allowed the Crimson Tide to score 20 points from the free-throw line in the second half as the Wildcats struggled to contain Alabama’s relentless dribble-drive attack. The Crimson Tide’s 13 made 3-pointers were the second-most allowed by Kentucky in a game this season.
Defense is the culprit
Kentucky entered ranked No. 76 nationally in defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com. While the Wildcats are lethal offensively, they’ve now given up 100 or more points on their home floor twice in SEC play. All things considered, UK is in great shape early in the Pope era, especially in light of how much predecessor John Calipari is struggling at Arkansas. But the Wildcats must take significant defensive strides if they are going to compete for the SEC title or make a deep NCAA Tournament run. Opponents were shooting just 27.5% from 3-point range against Kentucky entering the day. But Alabama repeatedly collapsed the Wildcats’ defense and hit 13 of 34 (38.2%) 3-pointers.
Slowing down Robinson
The Crimson Tide stifled Kentucky sharpshooter Jaxson Robinson, who entered averaging 24.5 points over UK’s last two games. Robinson made a combined 12 3-pointers in wins over Mississippi State and Texas A&M but finished with just 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting against the Crimson Tide. Otega Oweh turned in a season-high 21 points to lead Kentucky, which had seven players in double figures. The beauty of Kentucky’s offense is found its diversity of weapons, but Robinson is arguably the most dangerous scoring option, and Alabama succeeded at holding him in check on Saturday.
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