Go have a shower. Rinse that one off. Dwelling on Alabama’s basketball loss to Kentucky will do little good.
The Crimson Tide scored 95 points but lost by more than 20. It doesn’t get much worse than that as a defense.
There was a lot of terrible to take away from No. 13 Alabama’s 117-95 loss to No. 17 Kentucky at Rupp Arena. That is tied for the third-most points allowed by the Crimson Tide, with a game against Vanderbilt in 1967.
The trick will be to shake that one off and move forward. The Crimson Tide’s goals are all intact, but it’s difficult not to worry about their defense.
What should we make of Kentucky’s loss? Here’s the good and bad news.
This was by far the Crimson Tide defense’s worst effort, but it was not an isolated incident. Alabama coach Nate Oats has criticized his team’s defensive effort for much of the season, and with good reason. It has been far too erratic and nowhere near as good as Alabama’s defenses during its SEC championship years under Oats. The 117 points conceded to Kentucky are the worst defensive fault in a season full of them.
“I told our guys after the game that there have been concerns about our defense all season,” Oats said. “All of those question marks have been entirely eliminated. Everyone knows we aren’t truly guarding at this time. “I thought our effort stunk.”
The game also followed a season-long trend in which Alabama has struggled on the road against the majority of good SEC teams. The Crimson Tide has lost all three SEC games on the road, with Mississippi State being the best team Alabama has beaten there. This season, the Crimson Tide has yet to score a defining road victory.
Turnover has been a concern on the road. Alabama has committed at least 15 turnovers in each of its SEC road losses. Mark Sears had six turnovers versus Kentucky, while Aaron Estrada had five.
“Our guards need to take care of the ball,” Oats stated. “They are simply careless with some of them.” Mark and Aaron are great players, but having 11 turnovers between your starting backcourt is hardly a winning formula.”
It’s concerning how the Crimson Tide has fared against good teams away from Coleman Coliseum, particularly in conference games.
That’s only one loss, and Alabama remains a strong contender for the SEC championship. Take care of business against Ole Miss on the road and Tennessee at home, and the Crimson Tide should be in an excellent position to win the SEC regular season championship for the third time in four years. Perhaps Alabama can win the SEC at home, which is about as good news as it gets given how well it has performed on the road at times.
Alabama also lost to Kentucky without Latrell Wrightsell Jr., one of the team’s most effective offensive players, top shooters, and perimeter defenders. He wouldn’t have been able to make up the difference on his own, but he could have contributed. He missed the game due to a head injury.
Another piece of good news: Alabama will not be permitted to play games at Coleman Coliseum in the postseason, but it will not be required to play genuine road games. past are the conditions in which Alabama has struggled the most; the Crimson Tide will not likely face harder environments than the ones it has encountered in past SEC road losses.
Furthermore, Alabama scored 95 points in their loss at Rupp Arena. It is apparent that the offensive is capable of traveling.
