On the outside John Calipari isn’t panicking. But inside the fiery coach must be seething. His Kentucky Wildcats lost four straight games for the first time during his tenure in Lexington and the mistakes that have plagued the youthful squad have persisted. We keep waiting for the Wildkittens to turn it on for a run to the NCAA Tournament, but they’re going the other way and a trip to the dance isn’t such a sure thing. And Alabama Crimson Tide isn’t going to be a pushover.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, February 17, 2018, at 2 p.m. ET at Rupp Arena. The game will be televised live on CBS. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Sunday schedule.
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It looked like Kentucky had it figured out when the Cats strolled into Morgantown and upset West Virginia in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. It was the kind of effort most expected from this talented, yet young group. But they failed to build off that win and needed overtime to beat Vandy in their next game. They’ve lost four straight games and are 0-5 ATS since beating the Mountaineers.
Avery Johnson has the Tide on a roll as they aim for their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2012. After alternating wins and losses over a six-game stretch, the Tide posted consecutive victories with an impressive home win over No. 15 Tennessee followed by a thrashing of LSU. The Tide is 2-5 SU and 4-3 ATS on the road and they’ve lost eight straight to Kentucky.
Player to Watch
Alabama is playing with a swagger thanks in large part to Donta Hall, who soared over LSU for 20 points and eight boards in Bama’s 80-65 win. At 6-9 with freakish athletic ability, Hall is a hybrid-type player that gives opponents fits. And he plays with a level of confidence that gives the Tide a chance in every game.
Hall recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 boards the previous game, helping the Tide to a 78-50 win over second-place Tennessee, which came into that matchup with a six-game winning streak.
Dominating the interior, the Tide outscored the Vols 50-18 in the paint with Hall hitting 8 of 10 shots. He also had three blocks and left the game with seven minutes still to play. Unfortunately for Bama Hall’s play has been wildly inconsistent. But he should be amped to play UK in the hostile environment of Rupp Arena.
Key Stat
The Tide has some scorers, led by Hall and Collin Sexton, but their bread-and-butter has been defense. Bama allows just over 68 points per game to rank 74th nationally, and the group has been even better in SEC play. Bama has whittled four points off that average in league contests and owns the stingiest defense in the conference by allowing only 64.5 points per outing.
Alabama gave up 50 points twice in their last four games and won them both handily. And they weren’t facing cupcakes in those matchups. Tennessee and Florida both score more than 75 points per game, yet each barely reached the half-century mark.
The ability to limit second chance opportunities and create turnovers has aided in those numbers. Bama forces the fourth-most turnovers in the SEC and they are first in defensive rebounds. Kentucky has talented players, but the group hasn’t been able to find itself yet. This will be another good test.
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We keep expecting the Cats to turn a corner and play the way everybody thinks they can. But maybe this club just isn’t as good as most thought. The mistakes continue to happen and there is no veteran leadership on a club whose top six scorers are all freshman.
If they haven’t figured it out by now, chances are they won’t. And the Wildcats are ripe for a Bama club that’s having its best season in years. The duo of Hall and Sexton are good and the supporting cast is solid.
This is the best chance for the Tide to snap their long losing streak to Kentucky and they’ll have to do it on the road, which has been a problem. As much as I think the Tide can win this game, I’m still hesitant. But the talent is there and the score will be close.
College Basketball Odds: Kentucky 74, Alabama 72
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