Alabama Basketball Sees Game Against No. 5 Kentucky as an Opportunity

The Crimson Tide will face the Wildcats on Saturday evening, marking the team's third-straight game against an opponent ranked in the top 5.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It hasn't exactly been a smooth road for Alabama basketball since late December, but the Crimson Tide is still hopeful to pick up another big win on Saturday against No. 5 Kentucky.

After beating No. 4 Baylor last Saturday in Coleman Coliseum, Alabama turned around and played No. 1 Auburn on the road, falling 100-81. While the loss signified a season sweep for the Tigers over their Crimson Tide rivals, Alabama still held its head high for the reason that the game still helped contribute to its NCAA Tournament resume.

It's no small secret what Alabama basketball has been able to accomplish so far this season. With just nine games left before the SEC Tournament, the Crimson Tide is tied with the Marquette Golden Eagles with the most top-25 wins in the country with five. Of those five wins, two were ranked in the top 5 in Gonzaga and Baylor, and the other three were No. 14 Houston, No. 14 Tennessee and No. 13 LSU.

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The two losses two Auburn signify Alabama's only two losses to a ranked opponent this season. With a 14-8 record for the Crimson Tide, every win matters, and coach Nate Oats is very well aware of that.

"You really got to look at it more as an opportunity than — this is an unbelievable opportunity to play three top-5 teams," Oats said. "I mean, people talk about building resumes in college basketball all the time. Well, we've got a pretty good resume right now. I think we're either No. 1 or No. 2 with top-25 wins — I think us and Marquette are right there. We've got five wins against top-15 in the AP Top 25.

"Our resume's good and we get another unbelievable opportunity to get another win against a top-5 team, so I look at it more like we get to play these teams, not have to. And when you get to play them and you get that opportunity, we've stepped up and played pretty well in most of the big games we've had and I think that's going to happen again tomorrow."

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On Saturday, Alabama will play No. 5 Kentucky (7 p.m. CT, ESPN), marking the third-straight top-5 team in a row that the Crimson Tide will have faced. The Wildcats are ranked fifth for a reason, with a solid offensive attack and one of the best rebounding games in the country.

After back-to-back games against highly-ranked opponents, Oats said that his team took it easy this week in order to avoid growing weary.

"I think you gotta be smart," Oats said. "You know, we played Tuesday, gave 'em Wednesday off, we had a good practice Thursday and we went short today — and we went in the morning, so they don't play until tomorrow evening. I think more of it is we've just got to focus on what we have to do for right now. Like, if we're looking forward to the next week, too, let's just focus on the game at hand, focus on the practice at hand and just be smart about not overdoing it with 'em."

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With the losses to Auburn being relatively understandable, the same can't be said for Alabama's other six losses. All of them being to unranked opponents, the losses have had many fans and media members scratching their heads as to why the Crimson Tide performs so well against top-tier opponents, yet falls on its face against lackluster teams.

The six other Alabama losses were to Iona, Memphis, Davidson, Missouri, Mississippi State and Georgia — all unranked, and all leaving fans puzzled.

Oats was asked if playing so many ranked opponents could contribute to some of the team's less-than-stellar losses on its resume.

"That's a good question," Oats said. "We've got the No. 1 strength of schedule in the country — we've had that. I'd like to say that it didn't have anything to do with some of the losses we had to inferior opponents, but maybe it did with just having to be that on mentally every game."

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Heading into the game against Kentucky, Alabama players can't afford to be mentally exhausted. Fortunately for them, Oats' plan on resting them this past week should help them maintain the level of energy needed for the big game.

When asked about how difficult it has been to prepare for three-consecutive top-5 opponents, grad forward Noah Gurley said that to him, it hasn't been as difficult as he would have thought.

"It's not hard at all, to be honest," Gurley said. "It's a blessing, honestly, to be playing these caliber of teams in the season. This is what you dream for when you're a kid in high school: playing in high-level games. So this group, this team, this coaching staff — we're all excited to play another high-level team."

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Junior guard Jaden Shackelford responded in kind.

"I feel like our whole team's prepared for these kind of games," Shackelford said. "We put ourselves in situations like this for a reason. We did it early on in the season and I feel like we excel in games like this. Although the outcome may not come out in our favor, I feel like we give our best shot and playing three top-5 teams in a row is just an amazing opportunity for us."

Regardless of the players' preparation for the game, it is certainly sure to be an important one for the Crimson Tide regardless of whether they win or lose to the Wildcats.

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