The Cats fought valiantly, but the Tide rolled in the final stretch.
The Kentucky Wildcats fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night by a score of 96-83.
The Cats once again set the nets ablaze to start the game, but they couldn’t hold off the Tide for long. Kentucky went up 30-18, but before Mark Pope could blink, Nate Oats’ squad was up by 9 points before taking a 47-40 lead into the half.
After the break, the Tide were just too much to handle for an injury-riddled Kentucky team. No excuses, but the Cats had to play near-perfect to pull off this upset, and they didn’t play close to that level. They cut the lead to three at one point in the second half, and it was 70-66 going into the final eight minutes, but Bama would simply explode every time you thought Kentucky might have a chance.
Next up, the Cats will travel to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners on Wednesday night.
Andrew Carr is BACK
Andrew Carr was Kentucky’s X-factor early in the season. He dealt with some back issues that kept him from being 100%, then held him out, then continued to prevent him from playing at 100%.
Last time out, it finally looked like Carr was fully healthy again and back to his old self. He was more aggressive and physical, and he just looked like a confident player.
Fast-forward to today, and I think it’s clear that the Wake Forest transfer is ALL the way back. It appeared Alabama’s game plan was to make Carr beat them, and he took full advantage of that. He looked confident in the paint and didn’t hesitate to shoot the ball.
If Carr really is back to normal, that’s huge once Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson, who were both out again, return to the court. This team has a lot to look forward to once they’re fully healthy.
Travis Perry’s Turn
Since the team has been ravaged by injuries, it seems like the freshmen have taken turns playing well.
First, it was Trent Noah, then it was Noah again, and then it was Collin Chandler on Wednesday night in a win over the Vanderbilt Commodores. Now, it’s Travis Perry’s turn.
Perry played well against the Tennessee Volunteers, but Noah rightfully stole the show. Not this time. Although Perry continues to struggle on the defensive end, he continues to gain confidence on offense. He’s not afraid to pull the trigger from deep, but he’s also started to take the ball inside a little bit. He even had an and-one at the rim in this game.
I’ve discussed it at length in numerous articles over the last few weeks, but it’s true that the freshmen are growing and that’s going to go a long way come March. It just tends to be slightly more exciting when it’s a Kentucky kid.
Koby Brea and Amari Williams Show Fight
Carr played extremely well, but it was clear that Alabama was daring him to beat them. The same was basically true for Perry. However, it was also clear that the game plan was to shut down Koby Brea and Amari Williams.
Neither of those guys had anything come easy for them in this game, but they fought all night long, and both put up strong performances. Brea did everything he could on the offensive end, while Williams did everything he could all over the court.
Brea seemed a bit hesitant at times, but he knew the team was relying on him to help carry them offensively. He did his best to do just that, but it just wasn’t enough.
Williams, on the other hand, also had a lot to deal with, but he continued his hot streak of dominant basketball. He scored, passed, and rebounded extremely well. Even more importantly, he also continued to shoot the ball well from the foul line. The big man has really come into his own.
The outcome wasn’t a good one, but Williams’ and Brea’s increased confidence will be a big boost when Kentucky’s healthy.
The Otega Oweh Streak Ends
Otega Oweh held the longest streak of 10-plus point games in the SEC entering tonight. He had scored in double figures in every game this season (26). It was the longest such streak since Malik Monk did it 30 times in a row back in 2016-17.
Unfortunately, the streak came to an end as Oweh was completely nonexistent in this game when the Cats really needed him to have any chance. He scored two points and fouled out with 6 minutes left in the game.
He’s been Mr. Consistency this season, but this performance was one to forget.
Now, it’s time to prepare for Oklahoma next Wednesday.