Crimson Red Sports

Alabama & Kentucky play at 8 pm on ESPN. Kentucky has lost its last 2 games so I feel they will be primed to take it out on someone, namely us. The crowd will be looking for blood and the Wildcats are thinking of their seeding in the NCAA Tourney. Some keys for the Tide:

1)  Which Levi Randolph shows up for the game? The guy who might score 20 points or 6 points?

2)  Will  Taylor be able to play D like his last game, block shots & rebound?

3)  Does Cooper help in the scoring and hit some 3 pointers to take the pressure off Releford?

4)  Can Shannon Hale continue to shine and score 15+ points and snag 7-10 rebounds?


I'm afraid the Cats are looking to clobber someone.


 :popcorn2:

More info.

UK Stats
21-8, 11-5 SEC
RPI 16
SOS 6
77.4 points 38th
41.8 rebounds 4th   
11.6 assist 264th
45.5 FG % 111th


TIDE
11-17, 6-10 SEC
RPI 119
SOS 5
68.4 points 252nd
32.8 rebounds 280th
11.2 assists 280th
44.5 FG% 163rd

These stats for the Tide are absolutely devastating and shows just how big the problems are for the Tide.


 :(

 

Kentucky will come into this game pizzed from losing the last two games. I'd be surprised if they didn't take it out on us. Tonight might be one of those nights for a moral victory (not losing by double digits).  :-[

But you never know. Maybe tonight will be the night where we have 4-5 players in double digits and we surprise the Cats.

(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQTo1OGapjYHOxChFSrk46VR0MYII2fNuYJvViQNp6feBNRuX-o)

Greater miracles have happened. Remember ULM, one time beat a giant? We could win this one. RTR!

 >:(

 :lol:

I was waiting for a response.


 :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Both teams seem a little tight starting off. Tide 8-7.



 :popcorn2:

UK shooting 5/22, 22%. Tide 10/24 41%. 28-25 Tide :48 left in 1st half.



 :clap: :clap: :clap:

28-25 Tide at the half.

Good 1st half.

We need to stay out of foul trouble. Our defense is giving them problems. We can win if we limit their second chance points.

Interesting halftime stats.

Rebounds: UK 22 Tide 14
FG% UK 26 Tide 44
FT  UK 12/15 Tide 3/5
3 Pointers UK 2/14 Tide 3/8




 :casablanca:

UK looks out of kilter which is why they have struggled lately. What's happened to them? They won't last long in the SEC or NCAA Tourney.



 ???

Tide hanging in there but we need a couple of 3's to fall. 38-34 UK  14:00 left




 :popcorn2:

UK getting their groove but Tide struggling & looks out-of-sync. UK 43-34. Getting killed on the boards, what a shock.



 :wall:

UK 13/18 FTS, Tide 5/7. UK 8 off. rebounds, Tide 4. Releford on bench with 3 fouls.



 :tinfoil:

Lost 6 games this year leading at half?  Ugh.



 :popcorn2:

UK 45-36 10:00 left in game. Still being killed on the backboard. Releford still sitting.



 :deadhorse:

Tide showing spark and energy since Releford reentered game. UK 45-42.



 #+

Hale gets 4th foul on 3 point shooter.



 :facepalm:

Florida absolutely crushed USC at their place by 26 points. I see Florida as a Final Four team.




 :worship:

Offensive rebounds: UK 14, Tide  6.




 :deadhorse:

THAT was ugly.   >:(

(Got within 1 point, then KY scored, we fouled on the shot, they missed the FT but we lost the rebound OOBs and KY sinks a 3, now up by 6)

Engstrom is 7'1" but plays like he is 6'1". Amazing.



 >:(

Rebounds: UK 38, Tide 24
UK 55 Tide 48  2:46 left




 :dunno:

It IS uglier without Jacobs out there.  WV was right, E is a wasted scholly.   :facepalm:

Awful shot selection by Tide near end of the game, just awful. UK wins 55-48.



 :wall: :wall: :wall:

UK 55 Bama 48

Anyone want to call that a moral victory?   >:(

 :-[

It still goes back to player development. The guy has problems dealing with passes, especially bounce passes & still has problems getting position under the basket.


 :deadhorse:

:lol:


(I'm not a believer in moral victories.)

CAG and his team wrap up a winless road season!!!  Most losses since the '69/'70 season.

http://www.al.com/alabamabasketball/index.ssf/2014/03/alabama_hangs_with_sputtering.html


I really have doubts that CAG can show enough improvement next year to justify keeping him on as HC.  But maybe.....

Nor am I. I pretty much posted that tongue in cheek, although I did expect a worse beating.

Winless road season... does that mean they were perfect on the road in a backwards sort of way?  ???

I actually though we played pretty well.

I think the officials had a lot to do with the outcome of this game. In the second half they let Kentucky do whatever they wanted under the basket. UK got one offensive rebound after another because the refs let them push us under the basket. They were allowed to use their size to push us with their body out of blockout and rebounding position. It even happened on free throws. On the other end of the floor our guys ended up on the floor every time they drove the lane. UK shot 24 free throws to our 11. UK only committed 11 fouls and we never reached the bonus in the 2nd half. All this lead to UK out scoring us 18-3 on second chance points.

I thought CAG had a plan that gave us a chance to win the game. We played very good first shot defense. We held UK to 55 points. We only scored 48 points but how many point blank lay ups did we miss. The shots were not falling. We got our share of good looks.

The team played hard. They went into one of the most difficult venues in college basketball and came up just a little short.

Unfortunately, the press spin is:  "Kentucky only scored 55 points but still won."

UK did not play well. Why... our defense caused them trouble all night on their first shot. The majority of their points came on second chances and free throws.

I thought we played well on defense but had a poor night shooting the ball.

Why does Rodney Cooper think he's the go to guy in the clutch?  I do not understand him taking the key shots at the end of the game.

But we lost the game on the sequence mentioned earlier.  We were down 1 with 4:35 to play.  Fouled on a made basket, didn't rebound the missed FT.  UK then hits a 3 and we are down 6 with 3:57 to play without ever touching the ball. 

Releford, of course, is our best option but the other team knows that and covers him. Cooper's teammates keep passing him the ball. In late game situations Randolph will pass up open shots. Cooper and Obasohan are not our best options but to their credit they are not afraid to put up a shot. I wish Randolph was more like them in that regard.

From what I had been hearing leading up to the game, Calipari had been put on the "hot seat" and I had a feeling that Bama would have a tough time getting any calls their way and I wasn't wrong. If Bama had beat Kentucky, there would have been a coaching vacancy in Lexington.

 :o  Really?  Wow.

Wow, you mean they are unhappy with "One & Done" Cal?!

Lol.  That would make Marshal Dillon seem extremely tolerant huh?  :lol2:

I sure know that Kentucky fans aren't.  :lol2:

I know Rupp Arena was as quite as I have ever seen it during the entire first half and until they made a run midway through the second half. This Kentucky team will make the tourney as a 7-11 seed and be out of it the first weekend. They are not up to Kentucky standards.