Kentucky is a must-win for the Tide...

     

Shackleford needs a big game.

    I hate cliches. They have a way of inflating the value of something. While I hesitate in using the term must-win, it appears to be true in this case. Let's go back a couple of games. The Tide blistered the 4th ranked Baylor Bears and got a measure of respect from sportswriters and fans. Then Alabama gets slammed by Auburn. No rehash here about how the game was officiated. The Crimson loses by 19. While that loss didn't hurt the Tide's projected seeding,  I have to wonder what the mental effect will be.

BRASS KUNCKLE COMBACK...     

      Hopefully, it means the Tide will come roaring back with brass knuckles after the AU game. I think that Kentucky is better than Auburn. Auburn may be number one in the AP Poll, but Kentucky is still the preemptive program in the SEC. Alabama won the SEC with an electrifying 16-2 record. But Kentucky always is waiting to claim the top spot in basketball. Kentucky is to basketball what Alabama is to football. A team might be Kentucky, but the Wildcats will be back to exact revenge on your win. Kentucky fans are used to winning. It is an arrogance bred through victories. Sound familiar? It should. It's us in college football. Never underestimate the University of Kentucky. Never John Calipari. He is the foremost SEC coach who looks at the long run. 

     

ALABAMA NEEDS TO BEAT THE WILDCATS FOR SEEDING

     Alabama wants to be like Kentucky. The Tide wants to become the gold standard in SEC hoops. It's never too early to hope,  but far too soon to believe that is true. The Tide is getting there, however. For Tide fans, it has been an idiosyncratic season so far. A win tonight might right the ship and the rest of the season. Right now the Wildcats are ranked #4 in the AP poll. Beat the Wildcats and the Tide will see their ranking move up and solidify a good seed. Bama would have then beaten 6 teams in the top 25. That's solid. It's remarkable. The Tide must avoid bad losses in the future. 

THE SEC ROAD IS A CHAOTIC PLACE

           Auburn lucked out today to beat the Georgia Bulldogs 74-72. Don't think AU can't be beaten. The SEC road is a tough place. Tuscaloosa can be a tough place to play for the Wildcats. How can Tide beat the Wildcats? They do it by checking all the traditional boxes. Make for free throws than KU. Shoot a higher percentage from the three-point line. Win the battle of the elbow to make Wildcat defender sneak inside stop lay-ups. Try to get Oscar Tshiebwe in foul trouble. Hope the official calls Tshiebwe and Kieron Brooks for a few over-the-back fouls, which is a specialty of KU's defense. Perhaps the Tide commits four players under the defensive board to help out. 

     Shackleford and Quinerly need to do three things. Each needs to score twenty points from combination Paintsville and downtown. They also need to stop Washington and Wheeler getting free inside with the ball.  I think Bama might put Keon Ellis on Washington at times. The real problem is what can the Tide do when Toppin and Tshiebwe are in the lineup at the same time. Can Gary, Bediako, and Gurley beat them? No, but they can slow them down. I don't think the Tide wins the battle of the boards, but they need to be close and the guards have got to help. Davison needs to rebound. He needs to use his muscle and hopes to get rebounds. 

       My head tells me that Kentucky should win. My heart tells me that Bama, behind an insane crowd, will pull off an upset 83-81.