An Ugly Loss for the Tide at Rupp

All that can be said is it was an ugly loss for the Tide at Rupp Arena Saturday afternoon. It wasn't surprising that Alabama lost at Rupp, but the fashion in which the Cats handled the Tide was.

Kentucky losing to LSU midweek did Alabama no favors, as the Wildcats clearly took that loss personally. Kentucky made sure there would be no drama in this one, going on a 20-2 run midway through the first half and never looking back.

As an Alabama fan, today was very frustrating as it had the same feel as the games at Tennessee and Auburn. Winning on the road in the SEC is a tough task, but there should never be a time when this team should be down by 30.

This is the type of game where you just throw away the tape because this wasn't Alabama basketball. The defense was terrible, the transition game was missing for major stretches of the game, and the overall effort of the team seemed low. There was nothing positive to take away from this game other than the Tide still controls its destiny in the SEC.

Winning on the road has been a struggle for this team all season, but I am confident we will see a much better effort Wednesday night in Oxford. Latrell Wrightsell's absence in the last two games has been very noticeable and it would be great to see him back out on the court against Ole Miss.

After every ugly loss, Nate Oats has rallied the troops well, so I would be shocked if the Tide takes a loss this upcoming week. It feels like two must-win games with the SEC regular season crown on the line. This team needs a quality road win before looking to get revenge against the Vols when College GameDay visits Tuscaloosa next Saturday.

Despite what happened today, there is still a lot of excitement around this team and the sky is the limit.