Kentucky Basketball Preview: Alabama Crimson Tide

Dec 21, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats players react from the bench during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats players react from the bench during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

The Kentucky Wildcats will travel to Tuscaloosa this weekend to take on the Crimson Tide of the SEC West Division.

John Calipari and his young team look to head to Alabama on Saturday to take on the 14-9 Crimson Tide. Bama is fresh off of a four-overtime victory over SEC frontrunner, South Carolina.

The Wildcats will be led by Naismith Award contenders Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox. The dynamic freshmen backcourt has been sensational this season carrying the Cats to a 19-5 record. The duo have combined to average nearly 38 points per game. Additionally, the athleticism and poise that the two young guards show on the court is something special. There has been a lot of talk in the college hoops world claiming the two as being one of the best backcourts in the nation.

The Game

Kentucky Basketball comes into this weekend after dropping three of the last five games. The Wildcats’ last win was at Rupp Arena over a struggling LSU team. The Cats had a commanding lead most of the game. A collapse in the final eight minutes allowed Johnny Jones’ squad back into the game. Kentucky managed to hold off the surge and pull away with a 92-85 victory .

The Alabama Crimson Tide enter the matchup with just two players averaging double figures. Freshman forward Braxton Key (11.8 ppg) and Freshman guard Dazon Ingram (10.1 ppg) are Avery Johnson’s only players consistently putting up points on a regular basis. John Calipari will need to find an answer to the scoring threat of these youngsters.

Kentucky Basketball’s Historic Streak

Kentucky Basketball enters the game looking to extend their three point basket streak to 1,000 games. This would be a huge accomplishment for the storied program. The streak dates back to 1988 when the Wildcat’s Derrick Millar started it all against California by scoring 36 points.

Next: Kentucky's Keys to Success in The Post-Season

Its always fun to speculate who will make the first shot to extend the streak to this great milestone. It could be said that a safe bet would be for Malik Monk to be the guy.

Tune in to CBS on Saturday at 1:00 pm ET and witness potential history.

Schedule

Schedule