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Alabama previously had a much cleaner path to the SEC title. And while losing to Mizzou made the path much murkier, the Crimson Tide kept their hopes alive with a bounce-back win over Kentucky.
The Wildcats rolled into this one off a midweek win over Vanderbilt but still battling some injuries to the backcourt. Those injuries loomed large as Alabama erased an early deficit before pushing to a 96-83 win Saturday evening.
Here are the key takeaways from that game:
Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson missed
Of course, the story of the game was Mark Sears taking things over for Alabama. The star point guard erupted for 30 points vs. the Wildcats after dropping 35 against Mizzou earlier in the week, but the absences of Kentucky’s Butler and Robinson cannot be missed.
That backcourt duo is crucial not just for scoring for Mark Pope’s squad but also for handling the ball and defense. Their absence was especially big in Tuscaloosa, and Sears capitalized.
Not only was Sears 8-for-17 shooting the ball from the floor, but he was able to get to the free-throw line time and time again against the Wildcats. It resulted in 11 free-throw attempts with the point guard draining all of them for an extra boost in the win.
Otega Oweh quiet
Oweh had a unique distinction to begin his career at Kentucky, scoring 21 points in his Wildcat debut and reaching at least 10 points in every game. Until Saturday, that is.
The Crimson Tide defense was able to limit Oweh all game long, and foul trouble also kept him off the court for stretches. He eventually fouled out after just 22 minutes in the game, and it was by far his worst outing as a Wildcat.
Oweh finished the game with just 2 points on 1-for-9 shooting from the floor. Without Oweh’s normal production and the absences of Butler and Robinson, there was no hope for Kentucky to keep pace with Alabama.
Alabama’s quest for the SEC title
Prior to losing to Mizzou, Alabama’s path to at least share a portion of the SEC title was much clearer. However, a path still exists coming out of the bounce-back win over Kentucky.
The Tide now trails Auburn by 2 games and are tied with Florida for 2nd place in the league. However, Alabama holds one key aspect of getting another head-to-head game vs. Auburn to finish the regular season.
Before the season finale, Nate Oats’s group must go through a gauntlet of Mississippi State, Tennessee and Florida. But if the Tide can survive, there’s a chance Auburn slips at least once and opens the door for a partial split of the league title in the final game of the season.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
