Kentucky battled, but they’re not quite on Alabama’s level yet.
Alabama led by as many as 21 points in the first half Saturday, but the Kentucky Wildcats should get some credit for scrapping their way back to make it a nine-point game on two occasions in the second half before falling by a final score of 89-74.
This Alabama team was really good coming into Saturday, and they showed why with their incredible three-point shooting.
The Crimson Tide shot 15/38 from three-point range Saturday in an 89-74 win. Aden Holloway made six of those 15 three-pointers while scoring a career-high 26 points. Alabama also beat Kentucky on the boards 41-37 and had 17 assists to Kentucky’s nine.
There were some positives from this game. Otega Oweh looked like he was in an attacking mode, leading the Wildcats with 22 points. He was far from the problem. The Wildcats also had six steals. Then there was the performance from their MVP.
Box Score
MVP: Jaland Lowe
Lowe continues to impress, not just because of the way he plays, but because of his toughness. It’s reminiscent of Lamont Butler last season, playing through injury to help this Wildcats team.
If it wasn’t for him on Saturday, that game would have looked a lot worse than it turned out to be. Lowe stabilizes this offense, which is crucial for a Wildcats team that is challenged offensively.
The next step for him is to become more of a weapon from beyond the arc and from mid-range. If that comes, this Kentucky offense will be much more potent and a problem for opposing defenses.
Lowe finished Saturday with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting with eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
But the bottom line…
This team has to be more than just Otega Oweh and Jaland Lowe. Saturday’s game confirmed what this team’s identity needs to be. The effort was there, but the execution still wasn’t there Saturday. They battled back, which was good, but they need to take the next steps in executing the identity they need to have.
Twitter Reactions
Big Blue Nation was out in full force on Twitter Saturday. Here is what fans and media members had to say on Twitter during the game on Saturday.
Category: General Sports
