Well, it’s officially basketball season in Tuscaloosa, AL! It’s time to throw that Rose Bowl loss down the drain and focus on Tide Hoops! Not everyone can be a football school like Indiana, some of us have more of an affinity for roundball. Here we fight for the Final Four on the court!
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What a world! It makes you really appreciate Nate Oats, aka the Nick Saban of Alabama basketball. After a solid 10-3 non-conference performance against another brutal non-conference slate, the 14th-ranked Tide is, once again, well positioned to be a contender both in the SEC and nationally when the Big Dance rolls around in March. That’s not to say this team is without flaws (defense and rebounding still need improvement), but the firepower this team has on the offensive end will make them a nightmare for almost every player on the schedule.
It helps that the SEC has regressed significantly from last season’s historic performance. That said, Kenpom still has the SEC ranked No. 1, just ahead of the Big Ten and Big 12. The depth is still there, as the SEC has 13 teams in the top 57. There simply isn’t any juggernaut at the top of the conference this season (except maybe Vandy?). So, the conference crown is absolutely there for Alabama, which would be the Tide’s third regular-season SEC title under Oats.
It all starts Saturday in Tuscaloosa against the Kentucky Wildcats – a true heavyweight bout to kick off conference play!
How to watch
That: Kentucky (9-4) vs. #14 Alabama (10-3)
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Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
When: 11:00 am central time
TV: ESPN
Line: Tide -5.5
It’s been a strange start to the season for the Kentucky Wildcats. Second-year head coach Mark Pope exceeded expectations in his first season with a makeshift roster, as the ‘Cats finished as the third seed in the NCAA Tournament and reached the second weekend for the first time since 2019. He then followed up by assembling arguably the best portal class in the country, landing Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen, Tulane sharpshooter Kam Williams, Alabama’s own Mo Dioubate, and former five-star great. Arizona State man Jayden Quaintance. There was a lot of excitement around this Kentucky team this offseason, especially with the return of guard Otega Oweh for Pope’s sophomore year.
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However, that hasn’t really materialized. At least not until recently. Kentucky lost to Louisville, North Carolina, Michigan State and Gonzaga in non-conference games; the last two were crushing defeats. A team that was designed to play like Alabama with pace and three-point shooting hasn’t been very good at either: The Wildcats rank 163rd in pace and 177th in 3P%. It’s hard to be effective when you’re not very good at the things that define your coach’s identity and philosophy.
However, things have been progressively improving in recent weeks. Kentucky finished non-conference play with wins over Indiana (football schools, right?) and St John’s, the latter of which was Jayden Quaintance’s season debut. And that is significant. Much of the excitement for Kentucky this year was based on having Quaintance in the middle of the field providing a physicality that the ‘Cats lacked last season. The 6’10, 250-pound big man has great touch on the ball, capable of putting it on the floor and scoring from virtually anywhere within 15 feet, and NBA scouts are drooling over his potential as a modern center.
Quaintance is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered at Arizona State last season. As he gets healthier and can play more minutes, this Kentucky team will get better and better. Alabama is catching them at the right time. He just opens things up a lot offensively and at the same time helps bring athleticism and strength to the defensive end of the floor.
Three keys to victory
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Bouncing. I mean, this is obvious, right? Even without Quaintance, Kentucky has performed well in this area this year: 75th in OREB% and 33rd in DREB%. Meanwhile, Alabama ranks 114th and 297th, respectively. That has to improve. Offensive rebounds are what worries me the most. We’ve seen Tide Hoops teams under Nate Oats struggle to close out possessions with defensive rebounds, but Alabama usually makes up for it by being really good on the offensive glass. That has not been the case until now. We could really use someone like Mo Dioubate this year…
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Drive the rhythm. Part of the reason Kentucky has been really good on the boards this season is because they have a lot of size (when Quaintance isn’t in the game, they have 6’11 junior Brandon Garrison and/or 7’0 freshman Malachi Moreno), and they use that to their advantage in half-court defense as well. Therefore, Alabama should avoid having to run at that length as much as possible. Get on the court and beat the ‘Cats on defense.
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Interrupt/nervousness Otega Oweh. Defensively, Alabama really needs to frustrate Otega Oweh. Although freshman Jasper Johnson is more of a true point guard, Oweh initiates the offense more than anyone. Johnson only gets ~16 MPG. And Oweh isn’t really a point guard. He is playing out of position when he becomes the primary ball handler. Aberdeen, Williams and Collin Chandler are the only other guards in the regular rotation, and they’re more of a 3-and-D type of player. Oweh also had to take on the primary ball-handler role last year, and when the ‘Cats came to Tuscaloosa, Oweh ended up with as many turnovers as points and fouls. Alabama went 96-83. In the SEC Tournament last season, Oweh went to 1/6 of the floor and turned it over five times as the Tide routed the ‘Cats 99-70. If Oweh doesn’t successfully initiate the offense, Kentucky can get really ugly on that end of the floor. Hopefully, Labaron Philon will be able to go on Saturday after missing the Yale game with a “minor thigh/groin” injury. Otherwise, expect to see Oats direct Latrell Wrightsell or Amari Allen in Oweh.
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It’s basketball season in Tuscaloosa, friends. Alabama has a very good chance to win its third SEC regular season title under Nate Oats, but there are some obvious improvements that need to be made for that to happen. Unfortunately, the Tide fails to make the SEC schedule with Kentucky and a trip to the haunted Memorial Gymnasium against the athletics powerhouse that is NIL-era Vanderbilt first. Hopefully, Labaron Philon is ready to go tomorrow (he should be), the Tide comes out hot at home, and Quaintance’s All-SEC caliber season begins next week.
Roll tide! And get your asses to Coleman tomorrow!