Alabama Basketball is home Saturday night to take on an old nemesis, the Kentucky Wildcats. The Crimson Tide is coming off a disappointing loss to the Auburn Tigers in Auburn.
Kentucky is 18-4 and 7-2 in SEC play. According to the traditional polls, Kentucky is the No. 5 or No. 7 team in the nation. Frequent injury problems have contributed to the four-loss record. When TyTy Washington went out with an injury, in the first half against Auburn, the Cats had a nine-point lead. Had Washington been able to play that entire game, Kentucky would have probably won.
Most of the SEC basketball buzz is about Auburn, but with a healthy roster, Kentucky is probably the league’s best team. The Crimson Tide must rebound from allowing Auburn to hit the century mark in a blowout win.
Alabama sits at 14-8 and 4-5 in SEC play. The latest NCAA NET rankings have the Tide at No. 23. The Kentucky Wildcats are ranked No. 7 in the NCAA NET rankings.
Washington may be the most gifted Kentucky player, but the Cats are led by Oscar Tshiebwe. The Congolese junior is 6’9″ and 260 pounds. He leads Kentucky in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks. He presents a considerable challenge for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama can be expected to put up an intense fight in Tuscaloosa. The Tide swept the Cats last season, so Kentucky will also be primed.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Auburn: Spread, Over/Under
According to WynnBET, the Alabama Crimson Tide is a 1.5-point underdog. The Over/Under is at 158.5 points.
Alabama vs. Auburn Prediction
Ken Pomeroy rates the teams more highly than their NET ranking. KenPom has the Crimson Tide at No. 18 and Kentucky at No. 4.
Alabama is a tough team to beat in Tuscaloosa and can be expected to play a strong game. If the Tide can avoid serious foul trouble and not let Tshiebwe dominate, it can win. It will also take a hot night outside the arc. In a tight game, the Cats are likely to prevail.
Game Prediction: Kentucky 81 – Alabama Crimson Tide 78
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What Channel is the Alabama Game On?
The 7:00 PM CST game can be seen on ESPN. The game’s announcer will be Tom Hart with analyst, Jimmy Dykes.
Chris Stewart, Bryan Passink and Roger Hoover will handle the radio broadcast on the Crimson Tide Sports Network and will be available on Sirius/XM, channels NA/347.
Alabama vs. Kentucky Live Stream
The broadcast of the game will be streamed on the ESPN App.
Complete Alabama Crimson Tide Game Notes are available here.
Check out this additional Game Preview.
The next three games for the Crimson Tide are Ole Miss in Oxford, followed by Arkansas and Mississippi State in Tuscaloosa.