Kentucky starters shut down by No. 7 Alabama
Kentucky Wildcats guard Sahvir Wheeler (2) passes the ball during the Kentucky vs. No. 7 Alabama mens basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Alabama won 78-52. Photo by Jack Weaver | Staff
January 7, 2023
Kentucky basketball suffered a grueling 78-52 loss to the Crimson Tide who were able to silence multiple Wildcats at Coleman Coliseum.
Kentucky’s starting lineup consisting of Oscar Tshiebwe, Jacob Toppin, Sahvir Wheeler, Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston had their worst combined offensive game of the season.
Coming off of an offensively successful game against LSU, Alabama’s blow to Kentucky’s shooting seemed to only rattle the Cats more as the game went on.
Tshiebwe notched a single basket and two free throws for the entirety of the game. The reigning consensus National Player of the Year has been averaging almost 17 points and 13.8 rebounds per game, making his performance today all the more unfamiliar.
His total of four points equaled the amount of personal fouls the 6’9” forward picked up.
Wallace was also rocked by the Crimson Tide, with zero points in the first half and two points in the second half, despite playing for 23 minutes.
Livingston and Toppin faced a similar feat as well with Livingston totaling four points and Toppin coming in with a single 3-pointer.
“We missed every shot,” head coach John Calipari said. “You can’t have your starters that you’re banking on to make baskets go 3-27 and expect to win.”
To go into further detail on the numbers, Toppin went 1-10, Wallace 1-13 and Tshiebwe 1-7, with all of those players’ first baskets coming late in the second half.
Wheeler managed to be the only starter who contributed an adequate amount of baskets against Alabama, racking up a total of 15 points and three assists. That said, Wheeler still was not the Wildcat to lead the scoring for Kentucky in Tuscaloosa.
Coming off the bench, Antonio Reeves put up 20 points for the Cats with 12 of those points from beyond the arc.
All in all, Kentucky’s offense suffered immensely at the hands of the Crimson Tide with Wheeler and Reeves the only two Wildcats to make more than two field goals.
It was a disappointing result for the fans and the team alike.
“You know, we had some guys that are really good players look like they could not play. What is that?” Calipari said. “And it’s coming off a couple of games where we really look good together. And I think when it got away was when we were playing without the guys that we were counting on and got harder. Now all of a sudden, we’re not Kentucky. Those guys got to perform.”
Kentucky will quickly regroup and prepare for its matchup against South Carolina on Tuesday, Jan. 10, inside Rupp Arena at 7 p.m. EST. The game can be watched on ESPN2.
