In our regular postgame feature, the Cats Illustrated staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 99-70 loss to Alabama on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Nashville. Each staff member will share his three main takeaways from the game.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
1. Not too many teams can boast a three-game sweep of Kentucky in one season. I think Florida may have been the last to accomplish that feat in the 2014 season. So, hats off to Alabama. They're a matchup problem for the Cats, even when UK has a healthy roster.
2. That being said, I don't think Mark Pope is going to be happy with the effort he saw tonight at Bridgestone Arena. The Cats laid down for stretches in the second half. I expected Bama to win this one by 11-13 points -- somewhere in that range -- but Kentucky should never be losing to anyone by 29. It's one of the only times this season I thought they did not give an effort worthy of the name across the front of the jersey.
3. The points off turnovers column looked like something out of the Arkansas "40 Minutes of Hell" days. Alabama outscored UK 29-6 off turnovers. That was one of many truly horrific stats for the Cats on this night: 5-of-19 from 3; 12 missed free throws; minus-7 on the glass. Just a really poor showing for UK.
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
1. Alabama is a really bad matchup for Kentucky, especially with Lamont Butler out of the game. They have too many guys who can break you down with the dribble, and the Cats can't contain that well, even to slow them down. Alabama also has the length and explosive athleticism to get to loose balls that would otherwise go to Kentucky in some other games.
2. That length, quickness, and athleticism led to Kentucky committing twice as many turnovers as the Tide. The points off turnovers were as lopsided as you will almost ever see. You can't give the ball away that much in a team that you wouldn't have much margin for error against even when playing a clean game!
3. I said last night that Kentucky needed Otega Oweh and Koby Brea to play at the level they were at against Oklahoma to advance far in either tournament. They were excellent and efficient on Thursday. Tonight, they combined to score 16 points on 4/16 shooting with two assists and six turnovers. They weren't nearly good enough. Oweh struggled a lot against Alabama in the last game between these teams. It was one of his worst games of the season. For the game he had a team-worst -23 in the +/- rating. Oweh had one made field goal and five turnovers. They're harder to finish against than some of the other teams he has had more success against. It's asking Brea to do a lot to do as much one-on-one as he would have needed to against those Alabama guards.
TRAVIS GRAF:
1. Who’s the idiot that picked Kentucky to pick this game? Oh, wait, that’s me. Alabama is just a terrible matchup for Kentucky, especially without Lamont Butler on defense. They got whatever they wanted offensively at the drop of a hat, and that’s due to the lack of athleticism on the court and Oats calling a great game.
2. Blowouts like that can’t happen at Kentucky, and it doesn’t matter who’s injured. That was an embarrassing performance, and Kentucky laid down 15 minutes into the game and just quit. There are obviously players injured, and they’re short-handed against an elite offense, but if you’re playing for the name on the front of the jersey, you have to have more pride than that.
3. The offensive actions work and that’s been proven over the past two years for Mark Pope. To take the next step, Kentucky has to get more athletic to compete with the best of the best in the SEC. I still think Kentucky can make a little run next week outside of the conference, but the athleticism and defensive makeup need to be addressed this offseason.
