Postgame notes from Kentucky’s historic loss at Alabama

Kentucky Wildcats fans are in misery after a blowout loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. The Cats suffered a 26-point loss and failed to lead for the entire game.

Things didn’t look quite so dire in the first half, as the Cats only trailed by two points with three minutes to go.

That’s when things took a turn for the worst, as Alabama went on a 9-0 run and never looked back, leading by as many as 31 points in the second half.

If you want a clear picture of how historically bad this loss was, check out these notes from UK statistician Corey Price (via Tres Terrell of Cats Coverage).

Ouch.

The Cats’ road struggles have been a theme all season, as they haven’t led for one total combined minutes in three road games.

The Cats will look to get back on track this Tuesday against South Carolina at home this Tuesday, then hit the road again against No. 8 Tennessee next Saturday.

Here are the postgame notes from this one via UK Athletics.

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is now 10-5 on the season, 1-2 in the Southeastern Conference.
• Alabama is 13-2 overall, with a four-game win streak, and is 3-0 in league play.
• Kentucky holds a 116-41 advantage in the all-time series, including 32-26 in Tuscaloosa.
• Next for UK: the Wildcats host South Carolina on Tuesday at 7 p.m., televised by ESPN2.

Team Notes

• Kentucky opened with a starting lineup of Sahvir Wheeler, Cason Wallace, Chris Livingston, Jacob Toppin and Oscar Tshiebwe for the third time this year. UK is 2-1 with this lineup.
• Kentucky won the rebounding battle, 45-41, leading to a 15-10 advantage in second-chance points.

Player Notes

• Antonio Reeves had 20 points, his third game of at least 20 points this season.
• He made 4 of 7 on 3-pointers, most since making four vs. North Florida on Nov. 23.
• Sahvir Wheeler had 15 points, one shy of his season high.
• He also tied for the team lead in assists with three. This marked the 11^th time this season and 82nd time in his career he led the team in assists.

Coach John Calipari

• Calipari is 19-7 vs. Alabama, including 18-6 while at Kentucky.
• Calipari has an 820-246 all-time on-court record and is 375-106 in 14 seasons at UK.
• UK is 67-47 (58.8%) against ranked competition under Calipari.

In the First Half

• The Crimson Tide came out red-hot, scoring the game’s first eight points, before Livingston – for the third game in a row – scored first for the Wildcats at the 16:46 mark.
• Daimion Collins and Ugonna Onyenso were the first subs for UK with 16:01 remaining.
• Alabama stretched the early lead to nine points at 11-2 and 13-4.
• Kentucky rallied within one point at 16-15 and 20-19 and totaled four possessions with the opportunity to take the lead but was unable to convert.
• Alabama closed the half with a 15-5 run and took a 35-24 lead into the locker room.
• Wheeler and Antonio Reeves led UK in the first half with 10 points each.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky opened the second stanza with the starting lineup.
• An 11-0 Alabama run pushed the lead to 48-29.
• The Tide eventually led by as many as 31 points at 72-41.

After the game, head coach John Calipari and point guard Sahvir Wheeler spoke with media after the embarrassing loss, which you can see below.