Tre Mitchell to miss Alabama game with shoulder injury

Tre Mitchell will not play against Alabama, Kentucky announced shortly before tip-off.

Mitchell, who will now miss his third consecutive game, has been dealing with a shoulder injury since Kentucky’s Feb. 13 win over Ole Miss. He left that game with a shoulder injury and was deemed questionable to return at the time and hasn’t played since.

He collided with Rebels center Moussa Cisse and hit his left shoulder on the play, and his return was questionable, according to the ESPN broadcast.

Despite his injuries, Mitchell entered the matchup against Ole Miss averaging 12.3 points per game along with a team-leading 7.6 rebounds on average. At the time of his departure, Mitchell had five points and six rebounds.

The veteran forward has played in just two games during February for the Wildcats, as he had just returned to the lineup from nursing a previous injury that kept him out of games a few weeks ago. Mitchell has missed the Auburn win and LSU loss, and now Saturday’s big game against Alabama. Earlier this month he missed the team’s win at Vanderbilt and the loss to Gonzaga on Feb. 6 and 10, respectively, with a hurt back.

For Alabama, they aren’t at full strength, either. Senior guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who is averaging nine points and 3.2 rebounds shooting 45% from 3-point range, is out with a head injury.

Saturday’s matchup will be a first-time meeting between the two squads this season. Alabama maintains a one-game lead atop the SEC standings, and a win over Kentucky in Rupp Arena would only separate themselves further from the pack. In turn, a win for Kentucky would once again make the SEC regular season championship up from grabs as two games separate the top four spots in the standings.

Tip-off between the Wildcats and Crimson Tide is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET live on CBS.

Odds for Alabama vs. Kentucky

Coming into the game, Kentucky is a 2.5-point favorite over Alabama, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The Wildcats are currently listed at -142 for the moneyline as of Saturday morning, while the Crimson Tide are sitting at +118.

The point total for the game is set at 174.5 points. Kentucky and Alabama are two of the nation’s top scoring teams in the country. Alabama ranks No. 1 averaging 91.0 points per game, while Kentucky ranks No. 3 with 87.6. If the two teams hit their respective averages of a combined 178.6 points — the over will hit.