Alabama
13-2,3-0SEC
Kentucky
10-5,1-2SEC
No. 7/7 Alabama Defense, Second Half Shooting overwhelms No. 26/25 Kentucky, 78-52
1/7/2023 3:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide’s 26-point win is its largest over the Wildcats in program history
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 7/7 Alabama men's basketball team limited No. 26/25 Kentucky to its lowest point total of the season in a dominant 78-52 victory in front of a sold-out crowd in Coleman Coliseum Saturday afternoon. The Crimson Tide limited the Wildcats to a season-low point total and under 30 percent shooting in route to UA's largest win in the modern era and the second-biggest road loss under UK head coach John Calipari
Alabama improved to 13-2 overall and 3-0 in Southeastern Conference play, marking its best start 21 years dating back to the 2001-02 campaign.
The Crimson Tide's defense was relentless throughout the contest which helped limit the reigning consensus National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe scoreless until midway through the second half. Tshiebwe would finish with four points, six rebounds and four turnovers as UA held the Wildcats to just 28.8 percent (21-of-73) from the floor and 35.0 percent (5-of-20) from beyond the arc.
Alabama had three players in double figures, led by Brandon Miller with 19 points, Mark Sears added 16 points and Jahvon Quinerly scored 12 points to lead the offensive effort. Miller pulled down a team-leading seven boards while Sear collected a team-leading four assists in the win.
Coleman is rocking!
— Alabama Men's Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) January 7, 2023
??: https://t.co/WKEKlPeg8C
#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/4XCL7o34jH
HEAD COACH NATE OATS POSTGAME COMMENTS
"I can't say enough about our guys and how hard they played on defense and how locked in to the scouting report they were. I thought (Mark) Sears was unbelievable. He got in there and made a bunch of tough plays and rebounds. I thought Charles (Bediako) was great on (Oscar) Tshiebwe. Kentucky's going to be alright. They had a bad shooting night, and our guys did a great job defensively on him. It was good. I thought we showed growth. We were up 27 against Ole Miss and let them cut it to 15. I think it was the under-eight media timeout and we were up 27 again, ironic how it worked out that way. I sat in the huddle and asked, 'What are we going to do from here?', and we pushed the lead to 31 instead of letting them back in it. We're learning, and we're trying to get a little bit better every game. The crowd was unbelievable. Students aren't in school until Wednesday, the first day of class, so for them to show up and support us like they did was great. We're trying to put a program and product out there that everyone is proud to support, and they definitely supported us tonight, so I just want to thank everybody for that."
TEAM STATS
- It was the largest margin of victory for UA over UK in program history, bettering the 83-58 victory over the Wildcats during the 1988-89 campaign
- Alabama led the contest wire-to-wire, including its largest lead of 31 points (72-41) late in the game
- Brandon Miller topped the Tide on offense with a game-leading 17 points, along with contributing five rebounds and two assists in the effort
- Alabama's 13-2 start is its best since the 2001-02 season, and UA is now 8-0 inside of Coleman Coliseum for the season
- UA is now 3-0 in conference play for the second time in the past three seasons
- The Crimson Tide turned the ball over less than 10 times for the second consecutive game
- UA dominated the interior, scoring 36 points in the paint compared to 20 by the Wildcats
- Alabama posted 13 assists to Kentucky's seven
- Alabama's 26-point win is the largest true road loss in the John Calapari era since Feb. 16, 2013 against Tennessee (88-58)
FIRST HALF
- Alabama jumped out to an early 8-0 lead over the first 2:35, highlighted by six points from Charles Bediako
- The Wildcats used a 9-3 run of their own that lasted nearly six minutes to cut the UA lead to two
- After trading baskets for the remainder of the half, the Tide went on a 6-0 run to close out the half and take a 35-24 lead into the intermission
- Noah Clowney and Bediako both recorded eight points in the opening 20 minutes, with Bediako shooting 4-of-4 from the field
- 2022 Consensus Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe was held scoreless in the first half
- Both squads shot a combined 24 percent (4-of-17) from the three-point line in the first half
- The Crimson Tide dished out eight first half assists, with Jaden Bradley and Mark Sears leading the way with three and four assists, respectively
SECOND HALF
- Sears and Brandon Miller both scored double-digit points over the final 20 minutes, with Sears posting 13 and Sears contributing 12
- After a slow start from beyond the arc, Alabama made its first four attempts from three in the second half
- The Crimson Tide only committed three second half turnovers for the second game in a row
- Alabama shot 51 percent (16-of-31) from the field in the second half
- Bediako grabbed five rebounds in the second half, including a pair on the offensive end
UP NEXT
- Alabama will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to face No. 13/13 Arkansas Razorbacks on Jan. 11 at Bud Walton Arena
- The contest will tipoff at 6 p.m. CT and air live on the ESPN2
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
