A look back at Bama's win over KU

bama knocks off the wildcats
jacobs and gueye shine in the middle...

            All wins are as sweet as ice cream. This one had whipped cream and a cherry on the top. Anytime you beat Kentucky in SEC basketball its nice. It's even better when they are considered an NCAA Tournament lock. . And if John Calipari happens to the bag man, 'er, coach of the Wildcats that's the best of all. I'm not one of those Bama fans who hate Kentucky. After all,  they are the gold standard of basketball in the Deep South. Let's assume for the moment that the Wildcats are really a lock for the NCAA Tournament.  Where does that put Alabama?  Here's another question to think about. There were a lot of four and five star recruits on the floor that night. Which coach got the most out of their players? Was it the coach who had a full bench or the one who doesn't have to look very far to see all his players?  One final question - what if Alabama can find a really great inside player? Where will that put this team next season?

    Grant milked every atom out of Jacobs and Gueye. Jacobs stunned Kentucky with his guts and ability to score inside. Gueye might not be Nelens Noel in the blocked shot contest but he's not chopped liver either. Jacobs had his first three shots put back in this face. His next shot was a thunder dunk quickly followed by a glare at Noel. In those frenetic final minutes it was Jacobs who scored 4 of 5 of the Tide's last baskets. He even made a free throw for good measure. In the first half Bama out outboarded 22-11. Noel roamed the paint like the shark from Jaws and intimidated anyone who came near. In the second half became an afterthought. Bama made a few adjustments in their angles to the goal and got some easier baskets. Make no doubt that this was a gutty and certainly not pretty win that attests to the character of the team. Levi Randlolph plays the best all around game of any Tider. He is everywhere. In the first half he stopped and shot the short jumper over Noel and kept the Kentucky lead in sight. Randolph rarely gets acknowledged by the press. He does from his teammates and Coaches. Ray Meyers, that great ex-Tennessee head man, used to complain about TR Dunn. He called him the "the ghost". Meyer's swore you never saw Dunn do anything but turn up with the ball in key moments. Randolph has very solid stats but those numbers do not nearly tell the story of his contribution. Against Kentucky, it was Randolph that got key steals and rebounds. He locked down his man on defense. He just made Kentucky's starting five use four men on offense. That's how tough he played. He is this generation's TR Dunn with a better jump shot

       I've got to give some credit to Lacey as well. His offensive performance wasn't what he wanted, but he had steals and some big time rebounds. When he went down to leg and stomach cramps in the last 4:26 Tide fans groaned. That injury could have spelled disaster for Alabama a couple of weeks ago. Not now. This team had a serious gut check and started to win some close games. Against Kentucky, Grant put Steele in Lacey's place, and the strong finish continued unabated.  Releford was not exactly red hot in the first half, but it was his fall away floater over Noel,  and then his 3 that started the Tide rally. After those two key baskets the Wildcats lost their momentum, and the poise as well. The Cats became nervous. The were no longer loose. They became cautious and Alabama ate them alive on the defensive end. How effective was the Tide' lockdown half court defense? Kentucky went almost 12 minutes without a field goal.

        Alabama won this game on defense that gave them offense. The Tide had only 6 turnovers. They caused 16. Bama broke even on the boards in the second half. But it was Gueye and Jacobs that got the big boards.It was Kentucky that found balls stuffed down their throats in the second half. 4 times late in the second half Gueye blocked shots, and altered a couple of more. It was Jacobs who won the battle of the offensive glass. You will never get Kentucky's coach to admit what was obvious - Nick Jacobs owned Nerlens Noel in the second half. In fact, Alabama owned the tempo and the ball so much of the second half that Calipari seemed stunned. For once his team was noy his standing on the free throw in the second half. You know what I mean. It was Bama who took it to the Wildcats . In the end Bama came out with a hard earned 59-55 win. Bama now is 4-1 in the SEC and is 13-6 overall. For all the fans who think that Anthony Grant doesn't have what it takes to coach at Alabama - you are just dead wrong. In a couple of season's you'll see that for yourself.


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