This player has to contain Mark Sears with Lamont Butler out for the Kentucky Wildcats

How will Kentucky defend Mark Sears with Lamont Butler out?

Feb 19, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Collin Chandler (5) guards Vanderbilt Commodores guard Tyler Tanner (3) during the second half at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Kentucky is set to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday in what will be a big-time SEC showdown. These two teams met in Rupp Arena in late January, and the Crimson Tide won a shootout.

Now, Mark Pope's team has made the trip to Tuscaloosa for a rematch between these two teams, but in this game, the Wildcats will be without Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson.

In Kentucky's Wednesday matchup with Vanderbilt, the Wildcats were without these two, and it led to the first big game of Collin Chandler's career. Chandler hadn't done much in his short time in Lexington, but it was clear the athleticism was there.

On Wednesday, Chandler proved that he has a future in this program, and on Saturday, he will be asked to help the Wildcats slow Alabama's elite point guard, Mark Sears. In Sears's last time on the floor, he scored 35 points in the loss to Missouri, so he will be feeling good heading into this game.

A mixture of Chandler, Travis Perry, and some other players will have to try and slow the elite guard Sears. If Kentucky lets Sears have a massive game, it will be hard to get this win on the road.

If Chandler could make Sears inefficient while also scoring a few points of his own, it would help Kentucky in this game where the odds are stacked against them. If the Wildcats stole this game on the road in Tuscaloosa it would go a long way for seeding in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.