Despite recent skid, Alabama has plenty of respect for Kentucky
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama forward Dazon Ingram watched the game between No. 10 Auburn and Kentucky earlier this week. He saw the Tigers start the game 1 of 14 from the floor only to beat the Wildcats 76-66. He knows Kentucky has dropped its last four games and is playing the worst basketball its played all season.
That’s what has him a little worried heading into Saturday’s game.
“It’s a whole lot tougher because they don’t have nothing to lose,” Ingram said. “We just got to be able to come in with the right attitude and mindset and just know that they are going to attack us and be aggressive from the beginning.”
Alabama (17-9, 8-5 in the SEC) will take on Kentucky (17-9, 6-7) on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT inside Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. The Crimson Tide hasn’t beaten Kentucky at Rupp Arena since 2006, but numbers will tell you this might be its best chance in recent memory.
The Wildcats’ four-game skid is their longest since 2009. It’s just the seventh time Kentucky has lost four or more in a row in program history and the first since head coach John Calipari was hired in 2009.
“I would never expect that,” Alabama forward Daniel Giddens said of Kentucky’s losing streak. “At the same time, they are going to come out swinging versus us, especially being at home in front of 24,000 people. We got to be ready for that.”
That’s what has Alabama head coach Avery Johnson more concerned than anything. Wile Alabama comes into the game fresh off of two big wins inside Coleman Coliseum, the Crimson Tide's road woes are well documented this season. Alabama is just 2-5 on the road, most recently falling to Mississippi State 67-63 in Starkville, Miss., last week.
“I just think that we have to be ourselves, and if we can do that we’ll have a chance,” Johnson said. “There’s no concern to us whether a team is on a winning streak or a losing streak. We’re just trying to see if we can win the first couple of minutes of the next game and the next couple of minutes after that and see what happens going into halftime and what adjustments we need to make.”
While Johnson wants his team to enter Saturday’s game focused, he doesn’t want his players overwhelmed by Kentucky’s pedigree. Johnson referred to Kentucky as “another jersey” stating that the same things needed in Alabama’s most recent wins against Tennessee and LSU will be key against the Wildcats.
“You better get back on defense. There’s going to be some player on transition that’s going at a high level of speed, and if you don’t get back and defend him whatever team he plays for that’s going to be a problem,” Johnson said. “If we don’t make the extra pass or if somebody on our team decides they want to dribble the ball 25 times on a possession and we don’t move the ball we’re not going to be very good. I think some of the things we’ve been talking about, it’s amazing with some of these kids that they finally say ‘Oh I got it.’”
Alabama’s young roster might be showing improvement, but it’s difficult to prepare for a 23,500-person capacity crowd cheering against them. In fact, not many Crimson Tide players have even experienced a game inside Rupp Arena.
Alabama didn’t play at Kentucky last season, making Donta Hall and Lawson Schaffer the only remaining players left from the Crimson Tide’s last trip to Lexington. Giddens has also played at Rupp Arena during his time with Ohio State during the 2015-16 season.
“It’s just the atmosphere,” Giddens said. “It’s 24,000 people all dressed in blue wanting to just rip your head off. That’s going to be a challenge, but we can overcome that. We’ve just got to play our basketball, just be locked in from the moment the time we get off the plane in Kentucky. Just be focused and be confident in our game and we’ll be fine.”