LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Alabama cruised to the men’s basketball regular-season title in the Southeastern Conference last season, and one measure of the Crimson Tide’s success was wins over Kentucky in Tuscaloosa by 11 and Rupp Arena by 20.
John Calipari’s team has its shot to reverse the season double against Alabama on Saturday. After losing at Tennessee on Tuesday night, the Wildcats begin a stretch of their five remaining SEC regular-season games against the Crimson Tide, a team UK beat on the road two weeks ago.
One question looms over the Wildcats: What is the status of injured guard TyTy Washington?
"We could be a couple down, two or three down,” Calipari said Friday. “I don't know yet."
Washington missed 14 minutes after suffering an injury to his left lower leg against Florida last Saturday. He played Tuesday at UT but appeared to aggravate the injury and was limited to 12 minutes.
Calipari said after the game that playing Washington before he was fully healed was likely a mistake.
Kentucky guard TyTy Washington Jr. (3) shoots over Alabama guard Jaden Shackelford (5) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Alabama believes it has the deepest backcourt in the SEC. Washington’s status could be critical.
Time/Place: 1 p.m., Saturday, Rupp Arena, Lexington.
TV: CBS Sports, Ian Eagle, play by play; Bill Raftery, analyst.
Records: Alabama, 17-9 overall, 7-6 in the Southeastern Conference, tied for fifth place; Kentucky 21-5, 10-3, tied for second with Tennessee.
The Last Time: The Wildcats won in Tuscaloosa, 66-55, two weeks ago. Five UK players scored in double figures, led by Washington who had 15.
The Ratings: The Crimson Tide are ranked No. 25 in the AP poll, No. 19 in Ken Pomeroy’s computer power formula and No. 22 in the NCAA Net formula. The Wildcats are fourth in AP but third in KenPom and Net.
The Quote from Calipari on Friday: "I don't know how we're going to finish the regular season, but going into March, this is the team I want to coach."
The News: First place in the SEC is likely out of reach for Kentucky. Not only do the Wildcats trail Auburn by two games with five to play, the Tigers own the tiebreaker because of their victory over UK. But the Wildcats remain one of the prime contenders the three NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed slots that will not be taken by Gonzaga.
The Matchup That Matters: Alabama guard Jaden Shackelford is a 36% three-point shooter who has made 78 shots from distance this season. Against Kentucky, Shackelford missed all seven of his three-pointers. UK’s defensive work against Shackelford will remain key.
Strengths: According to the analytics at KenPom, Alabama plays at the fastest tempo in the SEC and the Crimson Tide rank third in offensive rebounding percentage. But Kentucky continues to lead the league in effective field goal percentage, committing the fewest turnovers and shooting the best percentage from deep.
Weaknesses: Alabama takes nearly 47% of its field goal attempts from distance, but that hasn’t been a great strategy for Nate Oats’ team. The Crimson Tide rank 12th in three-point shooting percentage in SEC-only games at 27.9%.
Tasty Tidbits: The Crimson Tide have never won consecutive games in Lexington — at Rupp Arena or Memorial Coliseum. Alabama’s strength of schedule ranks No. 1 in the national in multiple metrics. Kentucky forced the Crimson Tide into their worst shooting night this season in Tuscaloosa two weeks ago. Bama went 3-30 from distance and 15-34 on two-point attempts.
Prediction: Kentucky 84, Alabama 77.
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