KSR's top takeaways from Kentucky's impressive 90-81 win vs. Alabama

Kentucky got back in the win column on Saturday, and did so in impressive fashion, taking down the Alabama Crimson Tide by a final score of 90-81. It was a victory that pushed UK’s record to 22-5 on the year and 11-3 in conference play, with the Wildcats holding firm at No. 2 in the SEC.

How did the victory come together? And what does it mean for Kentucky as it looks ahead to their matchup vs. LSU on Wednesday?

Sahvir Wheeler, TyTy Washington sit due to injury

John Calipari wasn’t lying when he said Kentucky could be without some key pieces against the Crimson Tide. TyTy Washington (ankle) and Sahvir Wheeler (wrist) both missed the tail end of the Wildcats’ loss at Tennessee due to injury, with Jacob Toppin also coming up limping at one point. As a result, Calipari said “two or three” players could miss the game.

Toppin came back just fine, participating in pregame shootaround and starting at the four for the Wildcats. Washington and Wheeler, however, were both declared out shortly before tip-off.

With Kentucky’s lead guards both out, the Wildcats were limited to just Davion Mintz, Kellan Grady and Dontaie Allen in the backcourt. Just two primary ball-handlers to run the show.

Alabama gets hot (and cools off) from three

The Tide knocked down just 3-30 attempts from deep in the first head-to-head matchup in Tuscaloosa. With the Wildcats shorthanded on the perimeter on Saturday, they made that many before the first TV timeout at Rupp Arena and finished the first half with triple that number. Hell, senior guard Keion Ellis knocked down five attempts from deep in the first 11 minutes of the game.

As the old saying goes, though, teams that live by the three also die by the three. And die by the three Alabama did.

After shooting 9-22 from deep in the first half (40.9%), the Crimson Tide closed out the game shooting just 5-18 on 3-point attempts (27.8%). Knocking down 14 3-pointers in a game is usually enough to pull out a win, but not when you take 40 attempts.

One heck of a finish in the first half

As Alabama continued to knock down 3-pointer after 3-pointer in the first half, Kentucky found itself down by as many as 13 points with 5:35 to go. With their backs against the wall, the Wildcats finished the half on a 19-5 run — including 13 straight points — to take a 47-46 lead going into the break.

The late run was led by Grady and Oscar Tshiebwe, with the former scoring eight points and the latter adding six during that 19-point stretch across the final five minutes.

More importantly, it was a run that made the Rupp Arena crowd explode with every made shot and defensive stop to close out the half. From there, Kentucky’s home-court advantage was significant the rest of the way, with fans erupting on every positive play for the Wildcats.

Kentucky fed off the energy, and Alabama was killed by it.

A grandad special for Kellan Grady

As hot as Alabama was to start the game, Kellan Grady was even hotter the rest of the way. When Kentucky needed a shot during its first-half comeback, Grady was there. Need to build an early second-half lead? Grady was there with a make. Fighting off a late comeback attempt from Alabama? You guessed it, Grady was there.

Grandad finished with a season-high 25 points on 9-16 shooting and 7-9 from three to go with three rebounds, three assists and a steal in 39 minutes. It was the most points he’s scored in a game since March 5, 2021 (32 vs. George Mason) and the most 3-pointers he’s hit in a game since Kentucky’s win over High Point on Dec. 31 (7-10 3PT).

With 82 makes on the year, Grady is now tied for 9th in single-season 3-pointers made in Kentucky basketball history, joining James Young and Patrick Sparks. Shooting 45.1% from three, he’s also on pace to finish No. 4 in school history in 3-point percentage, behind only Travis Ford (52.9%, 1992-93), Doron Lamb (48.6%, 2010-11), and Lamb again (46.6%, 2011-12).

Forced to play point guard alongside Mintz with Wheeler and Washington out, Grady was a shot-making machine for a team that desperately needed his production.

Oscar Tshiebwe wins round two

Kentucky’s anchor in the middle struggled against Alabama’s length in the first matchup, with Tshiebwe finishing with *just* ten points (4-13 FG) in the road win. Tide center Charles Bediako, meanwhile, finished with a team-high 12 points on 4-4 shooting and 4-4 from the line, thriving in the pick-and-roll and altering shots on the other end of the floor.

This time around, Tshiebwe dominated the head-to-head matchup, finishing with 21 points on 9-13 shooting and 3-5 from the line to go with 14 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. Bediako added just six points and five rebounds in the loss.

With the 21-point, 14 rebound performance, Tshiebwe has managed nine consecutive double-doubles, the most by a Kentucky player in a season since Jim Andrews (10, 1972-73). Sitting at 411 rebounds on the year, he’s also now No. 7 on Kentucky’s all-time single-season rebound list, behind only Bill Spivey (567), Cliff Hagan (528), Bob Burrow (459), Frank Ramsey (434), Julius Randle (417) and Anthony Davis (415). Tshiebwe should easily surpass Randle and Davis against LSU on Wednesday to move into the top five.

From there, the race is on for Tshiebwe to break the all-time record.

Elite production from the four

Early in the year, Kentucky had one clear weakness on the floor. The entire backcourt was strong and Tshiebwe was clearly a star at center, but the power forward position had issues, specifically in terms of consistency. Keion Brooks Jr. and Jacob Toppin both showed individual spurts, but neither could stack strong performances on top of each other.

With Kentucky shorthanded in the backcourt, both players stepped up in a major way against Alabama, combining for 31 points on a combined 12-21 shooting to go with 14 rebounds and five assists.

He got a little trigger happy from the mid-range early, but Brooks settled in to finish with 18 points, scoring at all three levels in the win. The junior forward was also active on defense, adding two steals and two blocks in 37 minutes. Toppin, who added 13 points, was exceptional as an on-ball defender, making up for what Kentucky lost in Wheeler and Washington on the perimeter.

Kentucky is usually set at the one, two, three and five. When UK finds elite production from the four spot, though, this team is tough to beat.

A much-needed response after Tennessee

Kentucky’s loss at Tennessee wasn’t pretty. In a revenge matchup for the Volunteers, they dominated essentially from start to finish, coasting to a 13-point win that didn’t even feel that close. Not only did the Wildcats leave Knoxville with a loss, they also left banged up and bruised, leaving Calipari hinting at the idea of punting on the rest of the regular season to allow his team to return to full strength.

In his mind, Kentucky is a title contender, but it has to be completely healthy to get there. If that means losing a few regular-season games and hurting seeding for postseason play, so be it. Keeping a top seed line doesn’t mean anything if your team isn’t at full strength in March.

As promised, UK was down two key players, putting the team in a wildly difficult spot from the jump. Rather than accept defeat, though, the Wildcats clawed back and pulled off an incredibly impressive win against a ranked opponent. And then to put the icing on the cake, No. 2 Auburn fell at Florida, dropping its record to 24-3 on the year and 12-2 in the SEC.

At the time, it felt like Kentucky’s loss at Tennessee solidified a No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament, at best, with Tennessee and Arkansas making a move right behind the Wildcats in the standings. It didn’t kill UK’s chances for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but it certainly didn’t help.

With today’s win, though, Kentucky remains in the hunt for a co-SEC regular-season title, and possibly even an outright win if Auburn loses two more down the stretch. It also keeps the Wildcats firmly in contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, all while getting Washington and Wheeler healthy. It was a major win-win for the program as it approaches postseason play.