Needless to say, Kentucky basketball feels a little different these days. The Cats are out of his AP voting for the first time since the 2020-21 season after losing to Missouri last week. On Tuesday, Kentucky earned a much-needed victory over his LSU, but these small steps in progress are about to be tested. Tomorrow, the Cats will face the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide at a sold-out Coleman Coliseum. This is the first of his two road trips next week, where he will face a top 10 opponent.
Today, Alabama coach Nate Oates was asked about this Kentucky team and its “restless” Big Blue Nation.
“I mean, I think that’s part of being in Kentucky. I mean, to me, they played a good schedule, they’re good, I think they’ve fixed some of them — I think they’ve made the SEC 3 I think he was upset that he didn’t shoot enough before leading in points percentage.”
When it comes to Kentucky basketball fans, Oates didn’t have to look far for comparison.
“they are spoiled. It’s like being an Alabama football fan, to be honest. For example, we’re not in the college football playoffs, but everyone is upset and acting like it’s been a bad year. We probably — I mean shoot, we don’t know what the final football poll was, but after watching the previous two games we could be in the top 3 or 4 teams in the country It looks like there is, but still people are.. upset about this. Well, Kentucky isn’t in the top three or four, so they’re probably upset. But they are a really good team. ”
Oates thinks Kentucky’s biggest problem lies in defense
Oates spent a lot of time praising the Cats, noting that they lead the SEC in 3-point percentage (39.0%) and rank among the top 20 in KenPom’s offensive efficiency.
“Their offense is actually really good. If you go to KenPom now, their offense is ahead of ours. So I’m not really sure what their fans are restless about, because I think their offense is because they’re making shots, so they have a higher percentage of field goals that are valid, and like I said, they lead the SEC in 3-point percentage. If they miss, they don’t flip the ball over much, and if they miss, they get a lot of rebounds.
In criticizing Kentucky, Oates pointed to the other side of the ball.
“I think their problems this year have been more defensive. You know, people want to make something about their offense. Yes, I think there are players that I have to protect.
“I think they probably have quite a bit of motivation to come here with what we are ranked. So my guess is they’ll have a chip on their shoulder and that certainly helps the defensive side.
Watch the latest John Calipari press conference on the KSR YouTube channel.
“It’s still Kentucky”
A rare day with five SEC teams in the AP Top 25 and not one of them from Kentucky. Alabama is one of three SEC teams in the AP Top 15, along with Tennessee (8th) and Arkansas (13th). When asked if he felt Alabama was approaching Kentucky’s level when it came to the brand and his reputation, Oates shook his head.
“No. It’s still Kentucky. I think we’ve got to keep doing this for years and years. Now, I’ll say this, I think people’s memories get a little short here. Like Kentucky in Kentucky.” They’ve been doing it for years, especially since Cal took over.As you know, we won the SEC two years ago and were in the middle of the pack last year and the year before last in the middle of the pack. To be honest, we have to keep doing this for years before we feel like people are going to see us the way they see us in Kentucky.”
Despite the progress his staff has made, including winning five-star freshmen, Oates Brandon Miller —Cats are still king on the recruit trail.
“When you get into the recruiting war, people don’t see us like we’re in Kentucky. I can assure you, we’ve been able to recruit quite a few. [Assistant coaches] Brian [Hodgson], [Antoine] Petaway has brought some great talent here, but Kentucky still definitely has the persona of being Kentucky, not a little bit.
That said, the Cats are likely to be underdogs tomorrow. Expected roles for Oates.
“They dropped some, maybe they didn’t want to. They’re fighting and they’re trying to get back there. Tomorrow will be a war.”
