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John Calipari is no longer content to passively wait for the Kentucky Wildcats to get it together. Calipari has shortened the bench over the last week after the reserves have struggled to play good basketball, and now he is hoping that Kentucky can finally win its second game outside of Rupp Arena. Kentucky is a perfect 9-0 at home, but the Wildcats are just 1-4 outside of Lexington through the first two months of the season. They have failed to beat a ranked team yet this season, yet they will have another opportunity to beat a Top 25 team when they face the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Alabama Crimson Tide will be a moderate home favorite by the CBB betting odds against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday, January 7, 2023. These teams will square off at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Kentucky Wildcats at Alabama Crimson Tide Betting Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook
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Kentucky Wildcats at Alabama Crimson Tide Preview
It’s not often that a consensus National Player of the Year returns to school for another season, but Oscar Tshiebwe returned to Kentucky rather than go to the NBA. Tshiebwe is the type of player that really benefits from the new NIL rules, as he is a tweener that would be a late first-round pick at best at the next level, but he can thrive at the collegiate level.
Tshiebwe spent two years at West Virginia before his breakout 2021-22 season. He averaged 17.4 PPG and 15.1 RPG as the nation’s best rebounder, and he has been a little more efficient this year. Tshiebwe is averaging 16.8 PPG and 13.8 RPG, and he is making 61.1% of his field goals while averaging an impressive 5.8 ORPG.
Kentucky ranks 14th in offensive efficiency according to Ken Pomeroy, and a big part of their success is their ability to pick up offensive rebounds. Tshiebwe leads the way in this regard, but Jacob Toppin has also helped too. Toppin is the younger brother of former National Player of the Year Obi Toppin. He is averaging 11.5 PPG and 6.1 RPG, and he is one of the players that Calipari is counting on to rally this team.
The other two Wildcats that look set to play big minutes against Alabama are guards Cason Wallace and Sahvir Wheeler. Wallace is a probable lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, as he has been an extremely efficient shooter. He is the second-leading scorer on the Wildcats, averaging 12.9 PPG, and he is knocking down 50.4% of his field goals and 45.6% of his threes. Meanwhile, Wheeler is an excellent distributor (6.8 APG) that is hitting 41.7% of his triples.
Meanwhile, Alabama already has two victories against teams that were ranked No. 1 in the nation. The Crimson Tide beat North Carolina in a four-overtime thriller on Thanksgiving weekend at the Phil Knight Invitational in Oregon, and they went on the road and knocked off the Houston Cougars a month ago. They also knocked off Michigan State and Mississippi State away from home, and their only two losses have been neutral site defeats at the hands of UConn and Gonzaga.
Some consider Brandon Miller to be the potential No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The top two prospects on everyone’s board are France’s Victor Wembanyama and the G League’s Scoot Henderson, so saying Miller is the potential third pick is exceptionally high praise.
Miller is an exceptional shooter that can stretch the floor with his frame. He leads the Crimson Tide with 19.1 PPG, and he is averaging 8.6 RPG too. Miller is currently the eighth-best player in the country according to Ken Pomeroy, and he is knocking down 44.1% of his threes and 82.4% of his free throws.
The other player averaging double digits for Alabama is junior Mark Sears. Sears is averaging 14.6 PPG, and he is making 42.5% of his threes. Miller and Sears are the only two Crimson Tide players hitting more than 35% of their threes on the year.
Kentucky Wildcats at Alabama Crimson Tide Prediction
This is a great opportunity for Kentucky to pick up a strong Quad 1 win. The Wildcats appear to be more focused since tightening up their lineup, and there is no concern about fatigue at this point of the season.
