Half-way through the season and the Kentucky Wildcats are still undefeated. After back-to-back tight games against Ole Miss and Texas A&M, the Wildcats showcased their dominant form with a blowout of Missouri in their third conference game of the season.
Can the Wildcats carry their momentum to remain undefeated for the rest of the season? Or will the Alabama Crimson Tide cause a shocking upset come Saturday? Read on as we give you a complete preview of the exciting college basketball game to come.
For more on college hard court action, check out our complete preview for the Nebraska vs. Wisconsin game.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Kentucky Wildcats vs. Alabama Crimson Tide Preview
Where: Coleman Coliseum, Alabama
When: Saturday, January 17, 4:00 PM ET
Line: Kentucky Wildcats at Alabama Crimson Tide – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Kentucky Wildcats
The No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats didn’t need overtime for their third conference win as they blew out the Missouri Tigers 86-37 on Tuesday.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Aaron Harrison was the star of the show as he scored 16 points. Harrison could be in for a major issue for Alabama, which has allowed 6.7 three pointers per game (ranked 241st in the league). Devin Booker should also be able to exploit this hole in Alabama’s defense as he has hit 50% of his three-point attempts this season.
The Wildcats should also keep their opponents off the boards with towering forwards Willie Cauley-Stein (7’0”) and Karl-Anthony Towns (6’11”). Alabama is currently ranked 205th in the nation with 34.3 rebounds per game. Cauley-Stein leads the Wildcats with 6.9 rebounds per game this season, while Towns isn’t far behind with 6.7.
Cauley-Stein and Towns may also have an advantage against Alabama’s shorter roster by finding mismatches down low. The two both scored in double digits on Tuesday and shot a combined 58% from the field.
Still, defense is the name of the game for the Wildcats. They’re ranked first in the nation, allowing just 50.6 points per game and averaging 8.3 blocks this season. Towns and Cauley-Stein also figure in on this side of the ball. Towns has averaged 2.9 blocks per game, while Cauley-Stein has 1.9 this season.
Betting on the Alabama Crimson Tide
Levi Randolph miffed a three-pointer as time expired, and the Alabama Crimson Tide suffered their first conference defeat in the season. The Tide’s 68-66 loss to South Carolina on Tuesday put an end to their six-game win streak.
Don’t expect Randolph to have a much better performance from three-point range against Kentucky. He has hit just 20% of his three-point attempts over his last five games. Meanwhile, Kentucky is one of the top teams in the nation in defending against three-pointers, limiting opponents to shoot 28% from downtown.
While Kentucky boasts of a dominant frontcourt, they meet quite a stylistic challenge in the guard-heavy roster of the Tide. Randolph, Ricky Tarrant and Rodney Cooper (all guards) are the top three scorers for Alabama this season.
Where Randolph, Tarrant and Cooper could find some success against Kentucky is from two-point range. Driving toward and attacking the basket should pay dividends for the Tide’s trio of guards. The Wildcats have allowed their opponents to convert 76.4 percent of two-pointers playing on the road this season.
Drawing contact on drives should also help Alabama gain some foul shots. The Tide have drawn fouls from their opponents on 32 percent of their possessions playing at home this season. Randolph, Tarrant and Cooper have each hit .800 or above on their free throw attempts this season.
The Tide are 3-0 ATS in their last three games as underdogs.
Writer’s Prediction
Alabama’s guards prove quite a challenge for Kentucky, but eventually fall short of a win. Take the Tide to cover.
Still have faith in the undefeated Kentucky? Create a betting account now and put your pick to the test.
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