Today at 1 p.m. the Kentucky Wildcats, #2 in the AP Poll and the 1 seed in the SEC East division, will battle the Alabama Crimson Tide, the 4 seed in the SEC West division, in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals. This will be UK’s 1st game in the tournament after receiving a first round bye, while Alabama mounted a tremendous comeback against South Carolina, the 5 seed in the SEC East division, yesterday to meet the Wildcats. UK won the previous meeting between these 2 schools 66-55 at Rupp Arena on February 9th. Here are some numbers and facts of interests headed into today’s game:
The Two Most Successful SEC Tournament Teams
Everybody knows how dominant Kentucky has been historically in the SEC Tournament, but most people might not know that the Alabama Crimson Tide are actually the 2nd best school in SEC Tournament History. Here are the top 5 schools in certain SEC Tournament categories:
SEC Tournaments Played
1. Alabama – 51
1. Louisiana State – 51
3. Georgia – 50
3. Mississippi State – 50
3. Tennessee – 50
SEC Tournament Games Played
1. Kentucky – 133
2. Tennessee – 103
3. Alabama – 101
4. Louisiana State – 93
5. Georgia – 85
SEC Tournament Wins
1. Kentucky – 111
2. Alabama – 58
2. Tennessee – 58
4. Louisiana State – 43
5. Georgia – 37
SEC Tournament Winning Percentage
1. Kentucky – .835
2. Alabama – .574
3. Tennessee – .563
4. Arkansas – .526
5. Louisiana State – .462
SEC Tournament Titles
1. Kentucky – 25
2. Alabama – 6
3. Tennessee – 4
4. Florida – 3
4. Mississippi State – 3
SEC Tournament Finals Appearances
1. Kentucky – 33
2. Alabama – 13
3. Tennessee – 10
4. Florida – 6
4. Georgia – 6
SEC Tournament Semifinals Appearances
1. Kentucky – 35
2. Louisiana State – 24
3. Alabama – 22
4. Tennessee – 21
5. Arkansas – 12
5. Florida – 12
5. Georgia – 12
30-Win Seasons
With a win against the Crimson Tide, the Wildcats would have a 30-2 record on the season. That would be Kentucky’s 12th 30-win season all-time and their first 30-win season since 2002-2003. To put that into perspective, the rest of the SEC schools combined have had 6 30-win seasons, with only Arkansas (2) and Florida (2) having multiple 30-win seasons. Here are Kentucky’s 11 previous 30-win seasons, and how each season ended:
2002-2003: 32-4 (NCAA Tournament Regional Finalist (Elite Eight))
1997-1998: 35-4 (NCAA Tournament National Champions)
1996-1997: 35-5 (NCAA Tournament National Runners-Up)
1995-1996: 34-2 (NCAA Tournament National Champions)
1992-1993: 30-4 (NCAA Tournament National Semifinalist (Final Four))
1985-1986: 32-4 (NCAA Tournament Regional Finalist (Elite Eight))
1977-1978: 30-2 (NCAA Tournament National Champions)
1950-1951: 32-2 (NCAA Tournament National Champions)
1948-1949: 32-2 (NCAA Tournament National Champions)
1947-1948: 36-3 (NCAA Tournament National Champions)
1946-1947: 34-3 (NIT Runners-Up)
100 Wins Against Alabama
With a win against the Crimson Tide tomorrow, it would be Kentucky’s 100th win all-time against Alabama. They would be the 4th SEC school in which Kentucky has 100 wins all-time against. Here are the other 3 SEC schools in which Kentucky has 100 wins against:
Tennessee – 143 wins
Vanderbilt – 133 wins
Georgia – 112 wins
Patrick Patterson To Be In Select Company
Patrick Patterson is 18 points away from having 1,500 career points at Kentucky. Patrick would be the 16th player in UK’s history to score at least 1,500 points, but he would be only the 7th player in UK’s history to score 1,500 points in only 3 seasons. Here are the other 6 players to accomplish that feat:
1. Dan Issel (1967-1970): 2,138 points (3 seasons, 83 games)
2. Jamal Mashburn (1990-1993): 1,843 points (3 seasons, 98 games)
3. Kevin Grevey (1972-1975): 1,801 points (3 seasons, 84 games)
4. Cotton Nash (1961-1964): 1,770 points (3 seasons, 78 games)
5. Louie Dampier (1964-1967): 1,575 points (3 seasons, 80 games)
6. Mike Casey (1967-1971): 1,535 points (3 seasons, 82 games)
Another Freshman Record In Jeopardy
Freshman center DeMarcus Cousins has made 172 field goals so far this season. He is 9 made field goals away from breaking Kentucky’s freshman record for field goals made in a season. The record currently belongs to Chris Mills who made 180 field goals in his freshman season in 1988-1989.
UK’s Various Records vs. Alabama
UK’s overall record vs. Alabama: 99-35 (.739) (won last 4 meetings, 8-2 last 10 meetings)
UK’s record vs. Alabama at neutral sites: 20-4 (.833) (won last 7 meetings, 9-1 last 10 meetings)
UK’s record vs. Alabama in the SEC Tournament: 11-2 (.846) (won last 6 meetings, 8-2 last 10 meetings)
UK’s record vs. Alabama when UK is ranked and Alabama is unranked: 42-11 (.792) (won last 3 meetings, 9-1 last 10 meetings)
Other Various Records
UK’s overall record playing on March 12th: 12-0 (1.000)
UK’s record playing in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals: 35-13 (.729)
Largest crowd to attend a Kentucky/Alabama SEC Tournament game: 21,981 (1982 SEC Tournament Finals, Rupp Arena, March 6th, 1982, #15 Kentucky – 46 #18 Alabama – 48)
Smallest crowd to attend a Kentucky/Alabama SEC Tournament game: 3,500 (1945 SEC Tournament Semifinals, Louisville Gardens, Kentucky – 52 Alabama – 41)
RPI Rankings (As Of 9:30 P.M. March 11th)
Kentucky: 3rd
Kentucky’s Strength Of Schedule: 38th
Alabama: 103rd
Alabama’s Strength Of Schedule: 50th
Pomeroy Ratings (As Of March 10th)
Kentucky: 9th
Kentucky’s Strength Of Schedule: 63rd
Kentucky’s Non-Conference Strength Of Schedule: 202nd
Alabama: 66th
Alabama’s Strength Of Schedule: 60th
Alabama’s Non-Conference Strength Of Schedule: 168th
Sagarin Ratings (As Of March 10th)
Kentucky: 4th
Kentucky’s Strength Of Schedule: 63rd
Alabama: 74th
Alabama’s Strength Of Schedule: 59th
Kentucky In The Top 30 In Team Statistics (As Of March 7th)
Blocks Per Game: 4th (7.4)
Field Goal Percentage Defense: 8th (38.3%)
Field Goal Percentage: 21st (47.8%)
Rebou
nd Margin: 4th (+8.7)
Rebounds Per Game: 4th (41.7)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game: T-12th (14.7)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game: T-12th (27)
Scoring Margin: 7th (+14.2)
Scoring Offense: 15th (79.7)
Points Per Possession: T-12th (1.13)
Points Per Possession Defense: T-24th (.93)
Opponents’ Defensive Rebounds Per Game: T-14th (20.4)
Kentucky Players In The Top 50 In Individual Statistics (As Of March 7th)
Assists Per Game: John Wall, 6th (6.2)
Field Goal Percentage: Patrick Patterson, 8th (58.4%) DeMarcus Cousins, 34th (53.8%)
Rebounds Per Game: DeMarcus Cousins, 19th (10)
Points Per 40 Minutes: DeMarcus Cousins, 6th (27.2)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game: DeMarcus Cousins, T-6th (4.4) Patrick Patterson, T-48th (3.3)
Turnovers Per Game: John Wall, T-10th (4)
Alabama Players In The Top 50 In Individual Statistics (As Of March 7th)
Assists Per Game: Mikhail Torrance, 34th (5.3)
Free Throw Percentage: Mikhail Torrance, 33rd (86.9%)
Kentucky Individual Game Records vs. Alabama
Points: 47, Dan Issel (2/23/1970)
Rebounds: 18, Kevin Grevey (1/20/1975)
Assists: 10, Ed Davender (2/13/1988)
Steals: 5, John Pelphrey (1/17/1990)
Blocks: 6, Jamaal Magloire (2/19/1997)
Free Throws Made: 16, Kenny Walker (3/8/1986)
Field Goals Made: 19, Dan Issel (2/23/1970)
3 Point Field Goals Made: 7, Patrick Sparks (2/26/2005)
Alabama Individual Game Records vs. Kentucky
Points: 38, Reginald King (3/1/1979)
Rebounds: 25, Leon Douglas (1/20/1975)
Assists: 15, Eric Richardson (2/4/1984) (most ever by an opposing player against UK)
Steals: 5, Eric Richardson (2/4/1984)
Blocks: 9, Roy Rogers (2/20/1996)
Free Throws Made: 15, George Linn (2/25/1956)
Field Goals Made: 17, Jerry Harper (2/25/1956)
3 Point Field Goals Made: 7, Damon Bacote (1/21/1998)
Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans