Kentucky basketball had its chances at No. 4 Alabama, but the Cats fell short of the upset
There were numerous times during Saturday’s game when it appeared as though the Kentucky Wildcats, who are severely lacking, may pull off a significant shock.Ultimately, they were unsuccessful.No. 4 With four regular-season games remaining, UK fell to.500 in the SEC basketball rankings when Alabama upset the No. 17 Cats 96-83 at Coleman Coliseum.
Just before tipoff in Tuscaloosa, Mark Pope’s Wildcats had a double-digit lead, but Kentucky was a 12.5-point underdog against Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide.But by halftime, that advantage was vanished, and the UK was unable to overtake Bama in the second half.
A 7-0 run reduced Alabama’s lead to 53-49, and it stayed relatively close from there for the most of the game. The Cats were behind seven points at the half, and that gap grew to 11 less than three minutes after the half.
The Cats had three 3-point attempts to tie the score during that stretch, but none of them fell, as UK came within three points of the Tide three times.The Tide’s lead returned to double digits with an 8-0 Bama surge in less than 90 seconds, and Kentucky never came within seven points in the game’s final five minutes.
The Wildcats were led by 20 points from Koby Brea and 17 from Andrew Carr.Amari Williams finished with six assists, 11 rebounds, and 17 points.In his third consecutive start for Kentucky, Travis Perry finished 1-for-7 on 3-pointers but recorded a career-high 12 points and four steals.
With 15:27 remaining in the game and the Cats losing 53-49, Otega Oweh, who had scored in double figures in all 26 of his Wildcat games prior to Saturday night, received his fourth foul and fouled out with 6:49 left, putting Kentucky behind 75-66.Oweh finished with six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and just two points on 1-for-9 shooting, both of which were 2-point attempts.But with him on the court, the Cats were only outscored by two points.
Kentucky went 9-for-26 from long range after missing seven consecutive 3-point attempts after making six of its first ten.Alabama’s 3-point shooting percentage was 11-for-31.
