Until Saturday in Coleman Coliseum, Noah Williamson had been a big-man-bust for Alabama Basketball. That changed against the Kentucky Wildcats, as Williamson emerged as a key player in the Crimson Tide's 89-74 win over the Cats.
Due to a knee injury, Aiden Sherrill played only nine minutes for the Crimson Tide. Taylor Bol Bowen was unavailable against Kentucky, so when the Tide lost Sherrell for the day, only two big men were left: Williamson and Keitenn Bristow. Alabama turned to Bristow, but it was Williamson who produced for the first time this season. In 19 minutes of play, the Bucknell transfer scored 10 points, garnered four rebounds, and delivered two assists.
The Crimson Tide also set an Alabama Basketball team record with the win. The Cats and the Tide have playing each other since 1923. Saturday's game was the 162nd contest. Kentucky leads the series by a large margin, with 117 wins to Alabama's 44. The 45th win for Alabama was the first time the Crimson Tide had won four straight games over the Wildcats.
After the game, Nate Oats said, "Kentucky has a great basketball tradition, still got a ton of great talent on that team. To be able to build a 21-point lead really speaks to the way our guys started the game out." After the Cats jumped to a 5-0 lead, Alabama outscored them 50-29 in the first half. At times, the Tide was close to running the Cats out of Tuscaloosa.
Alabama made 15 threes to four for Kentucky and also outrebounded the Wildcats. Amari Allen sprained an ankle, returned, and produced 11 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Aden Holloway and Houston Mallette were sensational, making threes. Holloway led the scoring with 26 points.
What the Alabama Basketball 4-Win Streak Means
Going back to C.M. Newton's tenure through Avery Johnson's stint, the most successful Alabama basketball coach against Kentucky was Wimp Sanderson with a 12-17 record. In his seventh Alabama season, Nate Oats is 8-5 against the Wildcats. Kentucky coach Mark Pope has yet to win against Alabama.
Kentucky remains a strong program, but thanks to Nate Oats, Alabama has passed the Cats as one of the SEC's top teams.
Note: Alabama and Kentucky history provided by mcubed.net