Alabama vs. Kentucky: Game Preview, Prediction

By Tim Letcher
Dak Dillon, USA TODAY SPORTS
Dak Dillon, USA TODAY SPORTS

The Kentucky Wildcats return home on Saturday to host the Alabama Crimson Tide in an SEC clash.

Top-ranked Kentucky will have a quick turnaround after winning on the road against the Missouri Tigers on Thursday night. In the victory, which was the 20th straight for the ‘Cats, Andrew Harrison had 15 points, while his twin brother Aaron Harrison scored 11.

Kentucky is now 20-0 and 7-0 in the SEC. As the wins mount, the talk of an undefeated season gets louder, but the Wildcats face a tough stretch of games over the next two weeks, beginning with the Alabama game on Saturday night.

The Wildcats are led in scoring by Aaron Harrison, who posts 11.6 points per game. Freshman guard Devin Booker is the only other Wildcat averaging in double figures, scoring 10.7 points per outing.

Anthony Grant and his team are 13-7 overall and just 3-4 in SEC play. Three of the four SEC losses have come by two points. The other loss was a 70-48 thumping at the hands of Kentucky. Grant hopes that his team will have more success against the Wildcats the second time around.

Senior guard Levi Randolph leads the Tide in scoring at 14.7 points per game. Junior guard Ricky Tarrant averages 13.1 points, while senior guard Rodney Cooper averages 10.9 points.

In the first matchup between these teams, it was the Kentucky bench (aka, the White Platoon) that did most of the damage. Booker had 13 points, while Dakari Johnson and Tyler Ulis each had 11 for head coach John Calipari and the Wildcats. Alabama simply couldn’t match Kentucky’s depth, as the Big Blue wore the Tide down in the second half. Expect the same type of game on Saturday, with Kentucky’s size and depth eventually winning out.

Final score prediction: Kentucky 68, Alabama 54

Tim Letcher is a contributing writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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