Alabama put up a valiant fight, but SEC Tournament favorite Kentucky was able to take home the victory 73-67.
Kentucky Fights Off Alabama
It was a bit of a sloppy first half, with both teams picking up fouls in bulk. Five different Bama players went into the break with a pair of fouls, while Kentucky’s DeMarcus Cousins (who somehow didn’t score) and Daniel Orton had two and three, respectively. Both teams shot under 40 percent before intermission as well, with Alabama’s 33.3 percent mark offset by an impressive 10 offensive rebounds.
Kentucky found its stride in the second half though. The ‘Cats made a big run a few minutes in led by the endlessly talented and perpetually preening John Wall. Once UK finally took the lead with 13 and a half minutes to go, it would never give it up. Wall would make five free throws in the final minute to ice the game despite Bama’s refusal to give up. The Tide kept fighting and never let the Wildcats push the lead to double digits.
Wall led all scorers with 23, and Patrick Patterson was right there with him with 20. Mikhail Torrance led Alabama in points with 20 of his own, and JaMychal Green had 14 and 11. Justin Knox and Tony Mitchell both got more than 10 rebounds for Alabama, who ended up outrebounding Kentucky 44-31.
Alabama is now off to the NIT while Kentucky marches on to the semifinals.
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