Crimson Tide to Face SEC Leader Kentucky on Saturday
1/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2009
ALABAMA (12-6, 2-2 SEC) vs. Kentucky (15-4, 4-0 SEC)
Saturday, January 24
Tipoff: 2 p.m. (CST)
Tickets: 1-877-TIDETIX or rolltide.com
TV: Raycom Sports (Click here for broadcast outlets)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network
Halftime: Alabama honors its Olympians and the Paralympics wheelchair basketball team
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Alabama meets its first SEC Eastern Division opponent this season when it plays host to Kentucky Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum. The cross-divisional matchup will be broadcast live across the Southeast by Raycom Sports.
A limited number of tickets have been returned to the Alabama athletic ticket office and are available for purchase at www.rolltide.com or by calling 877-TIDETIX. Prices are $18 for adults and $8 for those 18 and younger. Quantities are limited.
Both Alabama and Kentucky hit the Coleman Coliseum hardwood following wins on Wednesday evening in league play. Alabama ended a two-game league skid with a 76-73 win over Mississippi to even its league record at 2-2 and improve to 12-6 overall.
Meanwhile, Kentucky has emerged as one of the hottest teams in the SEC with an unblemished 4-0 league record and a 15-4 overall mark after defeating Auburn 73-64 in Lexington, Ky. on Wednesday.
The Wildcats will have to face the Tide on its home floor where it is 10-2 this season with a seven-game home win streak and a 2-0 home SEC record.
Saturday's game is the 133rd in the series tha UK leads by a 97-35 margin after winning six of the last 10 meetings. The Tide is 15-16 against UK in Coleman Coliseum while UA head coach Mark Gottfried is 5-7 against Kentucky. The game will be Billy Gillispie's first-ever visit to Coleman Coliseum.
For Alabma, junior Mikhail Torrance has been impressive in filling the void left by the departure of Ronald Steele with career-high in each of the past three games and 22.7 points per game average during that span. He has scored 24 points in back-to-back games and is converting on 62.9 percent of his shots from the field and 53.3 percent from three-point range since assuming duties at point guard.
"He [Torrance] is learning every game a little bit more of how to incorporate everything we've been doing prior to this point and getting other players involved," said Gottfried. "He's got great courage and he's not afraid. I'm really proud of him. We've had some other players that he's played behind and now he's getting his chance."
Alonzo Gee remains the team's top scorer and most steady performer with 14.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and has had at least 10 points and five rebounds in 14 games this season and in each of the last eight. Against Mississippi, he moved into 17th all-time in scoring at UA with his 1,407th career point.
The Wildcats have jumped out to a 4-0 league start with an average margin of victory of 15 points behind Jodie Meeks' 32 points per game in SEC play. Meeks is third in the nation in scoring this season with 26 points per game. That average has been buoyed by his school-record 54 points against Tennessee on January 13.
As a team, UK is in the top-10 nationally in blocks per game (7.4), field-goal percentage (.508), free-throw percentage (.793) and assists (17.3).
"Obviously, they're very good and they have two great players in Patterson and Meeks. Their other players are extremely talented as well. We had a good win against Ole Miss and we need to make sure we continue to improve and get ready to play a very good basketball team in Kentucky."
On Wednesday against Auburn, UK shot 52.5 percent from the field and held a +20 advantage on the glass against Auburn. Thirty-six of the team's 42 rebounds came off the defensive glass as Auburn missed more shots (41) than Kentucky attempted (40). Meeks scored 31 points, 12 of them from the free-throw line and 15 from beyond the arc.
Inside, Patrick Patterson recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 21 points and 18 rebounds while Perry Stevenson also got a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Following the UK game, the Tide will return to the road to face Arkansas before a national audience on January 29 in Fayetteville. The contest, broadcast on ESPN is schedule to tipoff at 8 p.m. CST.
