Alabama basketball dominates Kentucky in SEC Tournament Quarterfinals: 3 Takeaways
The third meeting of the year between Alabama basketball and Kentucky was a mismatch. The Crimson Tide rolled to a 99-70 win over the Wildcats in Nashville. For the first time in school history, Alabama beat Kentucky for a third time in a single season.
It’s also the first time since 1983 that Alabama beat Kentucky in the SEC Tournament. The Cats had won the last 10 meetings between the two in this setting.
Alabama struggled from three in the first half, hitting just 2-of-13 attempts. But the effort on both ends was good the entire game, and something Nate Oats and company can build on as they look to win two more games and capture the SEC Tournament crown.
Alabama led 47-40 at the half despite the poor shooting. When the lid came off the basket in the second half, the game turned into a blowout.
Alabama hit 9-of-16 attempts in the second half. Perhaps most encouraging was the Tide’s ability to take care of the basketball and play smothering defense on an elite offensive team. The ‘Cats came into the game ranked 7th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency metric.
Turnovers had been an Achilles Heel for this team, but they only gave it away 10 times with two of those coming in the final two games with the game well in hand.
Alabama will advance to the SEC Tournament Semifinals where the Florida Gators will be waiting.
3 Takeaways from Alabama’s blowout win over Kentucky
3. Some big second half shots to get some guys going
If Alabama is going to make a run in Nashville and in the NCAA Tournament starting next week, they’ve got have Mark Sears, Chris Youngblood, and Aden Holloway playing at a high level. Those three combined to shoot 2-of-14 from the floor and 0-of-7 from three in the first half.
They all had some much-needed shots fall in the second half. Youngblood connected on 2-of-3 in the final 20 minutes while saw his only attempt fall through the net. Holloway hit both of his attempts from deep and scored 13 points in the second half. Sears only went 5-of-17, but I’m less concerned with his ability to get going. His effort level was outstanding. His shots will go start going down.
But Alabama needs complimentary pieces like Youngblood and Holloway to play at a high level to have a shot at winning the whole thing. It was good to see them knock down some shots in the second half.
2. The effort level on both ends is enough to take this team all the way
It’s tournament time and Nate Oats and his team seem to know it. They flipped the switch with their energy and effort, particularly on the defensive end. It was one of the best efforts of the season on that end of the floor. Everyone defended well.
Alabama held Kentucky to 21-of-56 (37.5%) from the field and only 5-of-19 (26.3%) from three.
In particular, Labaron Philon, Mo Dioubate, and Jarin Stevenson led the way with the effort on both ends of the floor. We’ll talk more about Philon in a minute, but Dioubate and Stevenson are both unsung guys on this team and both brought maximum effort for the Crimson Tide tonight.
Dioubate finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds while Stevenson went 3-of-5 from deep and scored 16 points. Both made effort plays to garner extra possessions, too.
1. Labaron Philon was the best player on the court
If you were holding out hope that Philon might return to Alabama next season instead of making the jump to the NBA, you can go ahead and forget about it. Philon is turning it on at the right moment and with the lights shining brightly in Nashville in front of a pro-Kentucky crowd, Philon was the best player on the floor.
Philon finished with 21 points on 8-14 shooting and added four assists, three steals, and a blocked shot. Alabama’s offense has taken off with Philon running the point and Sears playing more off-the-ball. He’s controlling the flow of the game and taking care of the ball. He’s also been a menace defensively.
Philon looks like a lottery pick. This version of him makes this team even more dangerous.
