The Alabama Crimson Tide invade Rupp Arena
this evening for an SEC clash with the third-ranked Kentucky Wildcats.
Alabama is a respectable 13-10 overall, but that record is overshadowed by a
3-6 mark versus league opponents. The Crimson Tide have suffered three
consecutive defeats, including a 74-67 setback at Ole Miss on Saturday. The
two previous losses to Auburn and Florida both came by one point.
Kentucky opened this season with 19 consecutive wins before finally tasting
defeat against South Carolina in late January. Since that setback, the
Wildcats have recorded three consecutive victories, the most recent of which
came on Saturday over LSU in an 81-55 final. Coach John Calipari's club is now
7-1 in SEC action and carries a 14-0 home record into this evening's affair.
The Wildcats own a commanding 98-35 series advantage over the Crimson Tide,
which includes wins in the last two meetings.
The Crimson Tide depend heavily on the duo of Mikhail Torrance and JaMychal
Green to be productive at the offensive each time out. Torrance leads the
club with 15.3 ppg and 128 assists. As for Green, he provides 14.7 ppg, 7.1
rpg and 47 blocks while shooting 51.2 percent from the floor. Alabama is
generating 68.2 ppg while limiting opponents to 62.9 ppg on 41.5 percent field
goal efficiency. In the seven-point loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, Green scored
18 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Tony Mitchell netted 16 points.
Torrance finished with 12 points and seven assists for the Tide, who committed
twice as many turnovers as the Rebels and were outscored 25-13 from the foul
line. The negatives clearly overshadowed 50 percent shooting from the floor.
For much of this season, Kentucky freshman John Wall has been hyped as the
best player on the Wildcats roster and perhaps the top performer in all of
college basketball. Recently, however, fellow rookie DeMarcus Cousins has
emerged as the true standout on a loaded Kentucky team. Cousins has paced the
squad in both scoring and rebounding in four consecutive games and is now
averaging the same amount of points as Wall (16.4 ppg). The big man is
shooting 54.2 percent from the field and grabbing 10.0 rpg, while Wall, a
point guard, has dished out 146 assists to complement 41 steals. Patrick
Patterson provides 15.1 ppg for the Wildcats, who are generating 82.3 ppg
while surrendering 65.9 ppg on 38.1 percent shooting by opponents. In the romp
over LSU on Saturday, Cousins racked up 19 points and 13 rebounds. Patterson
added 16 points, while Wall struggled his way to six points.
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