Tonight at 7:00, the Kentucky Wildcats will face the Alabama Crimson Tide in a 3rd round matchup in the SEC Tournament. The Cats and Tide have faced off twice already this year with Kentucky coming away with a 77-61 win at Bama, and a 78-53 blow out at Rupp. Kentucky goes into the game as 12 point favorites according to Vegas, but this is March Madness and crazy things seem to happen this time of year. The Cats are led by a great backcourt duo in Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray, while Bama relies mostly on guard Retin Obasohan.

The Cats have really seemed to pick up steam to end the regular season and outside of the Vanderbilt game and Texas A&M games (both on the road), the Cats have looked like a top 10 team. If not for a very questionable technical call against Humphries at the end of the Texas A&M game, Kentucky would be the #1 seed in the SEC and possibly the top 12 ranked team nationally. Alabama on the other hand has really struggled to put the ball in the basket outside of Retin Obasohan who averages over 17 points per game

Below I have compiled a list of stats from each team to compare for you all to get a better feel and understanding of the matchup, as well as the keys to the game for the Cats, and predictions from some of the CMR staff. Everyone enjoy, and let us hear your thoughts and predictions in the comments section.

Team Stats

             Kentucky Wildcats (23-8)                                                                   Alabama Crimson Tide (18-13)

79.0 points (43rd nationally)                                                              67.1 points (303rd nationally)

39.4 rebounds (41st nationally)                                                         34.9 rebounds (246th nationally)

14.5 assists (102nd nationally)                                                           10.8 assists (330th nationally)

67.9 points allowed (80th nationally)                                             67.7 points allowed (68th nationally)

Team Leaders

Kentucky Wildcats                                                        Alabama Crimson Tide

Jamal Murray: 20.0 points                                           Retin Obasohan: 17.7 points

Tyler Ulis: 7.4 assists                                                     Justin Coleman 3.5 assists

Marcus Lee: 6.5 rebounds                                              Dazon Ingram: 5.9 rebounds

Cordell’s Keys To The Game

• Cats must find a way to contain Retin Obasohan who went wild on the Cats last meeting
• Kentucky must find a way to limit Alabama on the offensive glass
• Cats need to get Alex Poythress going early and often as he has destroyed the Tide this year