Alabama visits Kentucky on Saturday in a key SEC basketball matchup. Look inside for a preview of the game along with a prediction of the game’s final score.
By 14Powers Hoops
Stats | RPI | Players | Scouting Report | Prediction | Time/TV
Team Statistical Comparison
| FG% | 3PT% | FT% | ORB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | |
| Alabama | 0.445 | 0.372 | 0.706 | 163 | 580 | 203 | 91 | 61 | 224 |
| Alabama OPP | 0.419 | 0.304 | 0.726 | 165 | 544 | 169 | 123 | 56 | 197 |
| Kentucky | 0.464 | 0.301 | 0.782 | 137 | 524 | 213 | 75 | 66 | 174 |
| Kentucky OPP | 0.387 | 0.297 | 0.664 | 130 | 433 | 151 | 69 | 39 | 187 |
Stats | RPI | Players | Scouting Report | Prediction | Time/TV
Statistical Leaders
Alabama Scoring Leaders
| PLAYER | PPG | FGM | FTM | 3PTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Petty Jr. | 16.7 | 75 | 34 | 50 |
| Kira Lewis Jr. | 16.6 | 87 | 36 | 23 |
| Jaden Shackelford | 12.8 | 54 | 39 | 32 |
| James Bolden | 9.3 | 36 | 18 | 21 |
| Herbert Jones | 9.1 | 45 | 27 | 1 |
| Alex Reese | 9.1 | 42 | 20 | 24 |
| Javian Davis | 7.4 | 34 | 35 | 0 |
| Galin Smith | 2.8 | 17 | 5 | 0 |
| Jaylen Forbes | 2.5 | 10 | 9 | 4 |
Alabama Rebounding Leaders
| PLAYER | OR | DR | TR | RPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Petty Jr. | 22 | 80 | 102 | 7.3 |
| Kira Lewis Jr. | 16 | 64 | 80 | 5.7 |
| Herbert Jones | 20 | 53 | 73 | 5.6 |
| Alex Reese | 15 | 54 | 69 | 4.9 |
| Javian Davis | 26 | 38 | 64 | 4.6 |
| Jaden Shackelford | 14 | 39 | 53 | 3.8 |
| Jaylen Forbes | 9 | 24 | 33 | 2.5 |
| Galin Smith | 14 | 19 | 33 | 2.4 |
| James Bolden | 12 | 13 | 25 | 2.1 |
| Tyler Barnes | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1.0 |
Kentucky Scoring Leaders
| PLAYER | PPG | FGM | FTM | 3PTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrese Maxey | 14.0 | 65 | 49 | 17 |
| Nick Richards | 13.0 | 74 | 34 | 0 |
| Ashton Hagans | 12.9 | 54 | 64 | 9 |
| Immanuel Quickley | 12.8 | 49 | 48 | 21 |
| Nate Sestina | 7.4 | 25 | 22 | 9 |
| EJ Montgomery | 7.3 | 37 | 5 | 1 |
| Keion Brooks Jr. | 5.9 | 34 | 11 | 3 |
| Kahlil Whitney | 4.1 | 22 | 9 | 4 |
| Johnny Juzang | 1.7 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
Kentucky Rebounding Leaders
| PLAYER | OR | DR | TR | RPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Richards | 35 | 70 | 105 | 7.5 |
| Nate Sestina | 19 | 45 | 64 | 5.8 |
| EJ Montgomery | 19 | 44 | 63 | 5.7 |
| Tyrese Maxey | 3 | 57 | 60 | 4.3 |
| Ashton Hagans | 4 | 50 | 54 | 3.9 |
| Immanuel Quickley | 9 | 37 | 46 | 3.5 |
| Keion Brooks Jr. | 15 | 29 | 44 | 3.1 |
| Kahlil Whitney | 13 | 16 | 29 | 2.1 |
| Johnny Juzang | 5 | 19 | 24 | 2.0 |
Stats | RPI | Players | Scouting Report | Prediction | Time/TV
NCAA RPI
Alabama: 56
Kentucky: 26
Alabama Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | HT | WT | Class | City-State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Javian Davis | F | 6′-9″ | 242 | FR | Canton, MS |
| 1 | Herbert Jones | F | 6′-7″ | 205 | JR | Greensboro, AL |
| 2 | Kira Lewis Jr. | G | 6′-3″ | 165 | SO | Meridianville, AL |
| 3 | Alex Reese | F | 6′-9″ | 245 | JR | Pelham, AL |
| 4 | Juwan Gary | F | 6′-5″ | 215 | FR | Columbia, SC |
| 5 | Jaden Shackelford | G | 6′-3″ | 195 | FR | Hesperia, CA |
| 11 | James Bolden | G | 6′-0″ | 160 | SR | Covington, KY |
| 12 | Jaylen Forbes | G | 6′-4″ | 186 | FR | Florence, MS |
| 13 | Jahvon Quinerly | G | 6′-1″ | 175 | SO | Hackensack, NJ |
| 15 | Tyler Barnes | F | 6′-8″ | 201 | JR | Louisville, KY |
| 21 | Britton Johnson | G | 6′-4″ | 183 | SO | Mountain Brook, AL |
| 23 | John Petty Jr. | G | 6′-5″ | 184 | JR | Huntsville, AL |
| 25 | Adam Cottrell | G | 6′-3″ | 185 | FR | Flowery Branch, GA |
| 30 | Galin Smith | F | 6′-9″ | 240 | JR | Clinton, MS |
| 33 | James Rojas | F | 6′-8″ | 215 | JR | Jamestown, NY |
| 34 | Sam Okauru | G | 6′-5″ | 200 | FR | Raleigh, NC |
| 35 | Raymond Hawkins | F | 6′-9″ | 240 | FR | Oakland, CA |
Kentucky Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | HT | WT | Class | City-State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Ashton Hagans | G | 6′-3″ | 198 | SO | Cartersville, GA |
| 1 | Nate Sestina | F | 6′-9″ | 234 | SR | Emporium, PA |
| 2 | Kahlil Whitney | F | 6′-6″ | 210 | FR | Chicago, IL |
| 3 | Tyrese Maxey | G | 6′-3″ | 198 | FR | Garland, TX |
| 4 | Nick Richards | F | 6′-11″ | 247 | JR | Kingston, Jamaica |
| 5 | Immanuel Quickley | G | 6′-3″ | 188 | SO | Havre De Grace, MD |
| 10 | Johnny Juzang | G | 6′-6″ | 214 | FR | Los Angeles, CA |
| 11 | Dontaie Allen | G | 6′-6″ | 200 | FR | Falmouth, KY |
| 12 | Keion Brooks Jr. | F | 6′-7″ | 205 | FR | Fort Wayne, IN |
| 13 | Riley Welch | G | 6′-0″ | 185 | JR | Littleton, CO |
| 14 | Brennan Canada | F | 6′-6″ | 198 | FR | Mount Sterling, KY |
| 21 | Zan Payne | G | 6′-4″ | 235 | FR | Lexington, KY |
| 23 | EJ Montgomery | F | 6′-10″ | 228 | SO | Fort Pierce, FL |
| 33 | Ben Jordan | F | 6′-9″ | 250 | SO | Olive Hill, KY |
Stats | RPI | Players | Scouting Report | Prediction | Time/TV
Scouting Report
Alabama (8-6, 1-1 SEC) defeated Mississippi State 90-69 on Wednesday in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide built a 13-5 lead with 13:33 remaining in the first half. However, a Tyson Carter layup with with a little more than 6 minutes to play in the half, put State up 24-23. The lead would change a couple more times before Bama would head to the locker room with 42-34 halftime lead. Alabama would never trail again. Guard John Petty Jr. led the Tide in scoring with 22 points. He made 4 of 7 shots from beyond the arc. As a team, Alabama made 10-24 treys. Alabama out-shot State from 3-point range with 10 makes compared to the Bulldogs 5 made shots. Another key disparity in this game was points off turnovers. Bama led in that category 21-9.
Guard John Petty Jr. leads the Tide in scoring averaging 16.7 points per game. Another guard, Kira Lewis Jr., is not far behind Petty at 16.6 points a contest. Petty also leads the Tide in rebounding pulling down over 7 a game.
As a team, Alabama is No. 1 in the conference in scoring offense (84.4 ppg) and last in the conference in scoring defense (78.9 ppg). The Crimson Tide is second in SEC basketball in 3-point shooting making of 37% of shots. They make an average of over 11 threes a game. Bama ranks fifth in the SEC in assists (14.5 apg). The Tide is 11th in the league in both field goal defense (41.9%) and steals (6.5 spg).
Kentucky (11-3, 2-0 SEC) won its second SEC game in as many tries on Tuesday with a solid 78-69 road win over Georgia. In the first half the lead changed several times before the Bulldogs were eventually able to build a 37-31 halftime lead. Georgia would maintain that lead until the 8 minute mark in the second half when guard Immanuel Quickley’s 3-point shot put the Cats up 58-57. Kentucky then outscored the Bulldogs 20-12 for the remainder of the game to notch the win. Freshman guard Tyrese Maxey and junior forward Nick Richards added co-led the Cats in scoring with 17 points each. Kentucky out-shot Georgia 50% to 42% from the field and 50% to 21% from 3-point range. Interestingly, the Cats, a normally excellent free throw shooting team, also hit 50% from the line.
Guard Tyrese Maxey leads the Wildcats in scoring (14.0). With 17 made threes, Maxey is the threat from beyond the arc. Forward Nick Richards (13 ppg) and guard Ashton Hagans (12.9 ppg) are UKs other key scorers. Richards is the team’s leading rebounder, pulling out 7.5 per contest. Kentucky is 6th in the SEC in scoring offense (74.7 ppg) and 4th in scoring defense (62.2 ppg). The Cats struggle from three point range making just 30.1% of their attempts (12th/SEC). But from field goal range the Cats make a over 46% of shots, fourth best in the conference. UK also leads the conference in free throw shooting hitting on 78.2%. The Cats are also solid rebounders with a plus 6.5 rebounding margin. UK has pulled down almost 100 more rebounds than opponents this season.
This should be a fun game to watch. The SEC’s historical power taking on a hot shooting Alabama team. Kentucky should win this game but they’d better take Bama seriously.
Alabama-Kentucky Prediction
Kentucky 89, Alabama 80
Saturday‘s game tips off at 12:00 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN.
Stats | RPI | Players | Scouting Report | Prediction | Time/TV
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