UK-Bama Glance | TV, matchup info, storylines
NO. 1 KENTUCKY (16-0, 3-0 SEC)
AT ALABAMA (12-4, 2-1 SEC)
Game time : 4 p.m. ET
Site: Coleman Coliseum (15,383), Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Favorite: Kentucky by 9
Series: UK leads 103-37. Last meeting: UK won 55-48 on March 14, 2014 in Lexington.
Television: ESPN (Mark Jones, Kara Lawson)
Radio: WHAS-AM 840 (Tom Leach, Mike Pratt)
ALABAMA
Pos. Player Ht. Cl. Rb. Pts.
G-Ricky Tarrant 6-2 Jr. 2.3*13.3
G-Levi Randolph 6-5 Sr. 5.1 15.3
G-Rodney Cooper 6-6 Jr. 4.1 10.7
F-Michal Kessens 6-9 So. 5.6 7.5
F-Jimmie Taylor 6-10 So. 5.1 4.7
* assists per game
Key reserves – Shannon Hale, F, 6-8, So., 8.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg; Riley Norris, F, 6-7, Fr., 4.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg; Justin Coleman, G, 5-10, Fr., 4.7 ppg, 1.4 apg.
KENTUCKY
Pos.Player Ht. Cl. Rb. Pts.
G-Andrew Harrison 6-6 So. 4.2* 7.8
G-Aaron Harrison 6-6 So. 2.5 11.8
F-Trey Lyles 6-10 Fr. 5.6 7.8
F-Karl-Anthony Towns 6-11 Fr. 6.9 8.7
C-Willie Cauley-Stein 7-0 Jr. 6.8 9.7
* assists per game
Key reserves –Dakari Johnson, C, 7-0, So., 8.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg; Tyler Ulis, G, 5-9, Fr., 5.3 ppg, 3.9 apg; Devin Booker, G, 6-5, Fr., 10.5 ppg, 1.2 apg; Marcus Lee, F, 6-9, So., 2.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg; Dominique Hawkins, G, 6-0, So., 1.8 ppg, 1.2 apg.
STORY LINES
1. No hard feelings for UTEP, Dick Vitale. John Calipari and the Cats are never far from a faux controversy, and the coach found himself in the middle of two such silly flaps this week. First, Vitale told his ESPN audience that he didn't think the two-platoon system was the smartest way to play, which prompted Calipari to take a little jab during his halftime interview of the UK-Missouri game about Vitale having been fired as a coach.
"I should've smiled. I thought I smiled," Calipari said, pointing out that anyone who knows their relationship knows that was friendly banter. "Those people that don't think you're throwing stones. We've known each other for a long time. He's been great to me (and) any time he's asked me to do something for him (with charity), I have. And he was a heckuva coach, now. He was. At Detroit, beat Michigan. He was a heckuva coach, and like some people in our profession, he made a mistake and went to the NBA."
Calipari grinned as he said that, as he's also in the Fired NBA Coaches Club. But before he could even squash that non-story, another popped up. UTEP coach Tim Floyd told reporters Wednesday night that UK "backed out" of a game against the Miners in 2016 on a neutral court. That prompted the Cats to announce they'd never agreed to a game in the first place because they didn't want to give up the revenue a home game would produce.
"Tim and I are friends, and we had talked," Calipari said. "If they'd like to play us, I mean, I'm fine with it. Tim knows I'm fine. We can try to work something in the schedule if they want to come here. But I just don't think we can play (away from home)."
2. Aaron Harrison's improving defense. The sophomore shooting guard has been much more than a 3-point specialist this season and the most noticeable addition to his game has been more aggressive defense, especially lately. He's become adept at stepping into passing lanes for steals and layups. In the seven games before a no-steal night against Missouri on Tuesday, Harrison averaged nearly two thefts – almost double his season average as a freshman – and had a trio of three-steal games in that span.
"I definitely like it. I like stopping teams. I love when Willie or Karl or anybody else blocks a shot or we get a steal. It's fun," he said, noting that this season he has prioritized "off-the-ball defense and being a playmaker defensively. I think it comes (from) a lot of things. Just being focused more defensively, I think that's the biggest thing."
3. To platoon or not to platoon. After getting away from it for a few games, Calipari was back to the true two-platoon system in a 49-point rout of Missouri. To balance the two units, which took a hit when Alex Poythress tore his ACL, the coach started sophomore Dominique Hawkins against the Tigers and moved Trey Lyles back to the second unit. Will he stick with that lineup at Alabama?
"I might. We will see," Calipari said. "But I don't know why everybody's so caught up in exactly what 'platoon' is. There are people that are, like, caught up in it. I don't know if it's – I don't know what it is. I have a feeling I know, but …"
– Kyle Tucker