Following Kentucky’s 78-52 destruction of No. 7 Alabama Basketball on Saturday, Wildcats head coach John Calipari first revealed his post-game sentiments to UK Radio Network’s Tom Leach.
“Wow,” Calipari said. “You may want to burn the tape.”
Minutes later, inside a crowded press room deep inside the Coleman Coliseum, his message was still the same.
“That’s one I don’t know if I want to see on tape,” Calipari said. “[…] I don’t even know if I want to watch the tape.”
There’s no mistaking it: The Crimson Tide not only beat the Wildcats, they completely destroyed them. For 40 minutes, Kentucky didn’t lead for a second. From the 12:36 mark in the second half, Alabama didn’t even let Kentucky get within 21 points for the rest of the game.
For Alabama, the shots were falling. The defense refused to back down. The Crimson Tide were blocking shots and fighting for rebounds on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. Alabama center Charles Bediako made Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe, last year’s Naismith Player of the Year winner, essentially ineffective. No matter what the Wildcats threw out, everything seemed to be going well for the Crimson Tide.
Near the end of the game, the Alabama student section, commonly known as the Crimson Chaos, began chanting “NIT, NIT, NIT”, mocking the downtrodden Wildcats. It was a moment that, not so many years ago, seemed like an unattainable future goal.
Kentucky is a blue blood college basketball. Losses like Saturday’s aren’t supposed to happen, especially on shows like Alabama. Let’s be real here: When comparing the Crimson Tide to the Wildcats, the Big Blue Nation has a much more impressive footprint in the world of college basketball.
However, according to Calipari, the chants from the students unnerved not only him, but also his players, particularly Tshiebwe.
“We got nervous,” Calipari said.[Tshiebwe] jerked off. We had a bunch of guys who were bewildered in the game. Even in the second half, when we got wide and started dribbling, driving, straight, we couldn’t move and get where we needed to go.”
Alabama head coach Nate Oats has the complete opposite reaction when asked about the students’ ‘NIT’ chants, answering the question with a smile:
“Kentucky is not going to the NIT,” Oats said. “They are going to be an NCAA Tournament team. They are college students being college students. They have a lot of talent there. Cal has done a good job gathering some talent. […] I hope they’re in contention for a championship at the end and we’ll have the tiebreaker, but they’ll figure things out. This isn’t the first time they’ve lost a game and found out and come back.
“Students are going to be students. I love them, they’re great. That’s why college settings are better than NBA settings because you have a section of students going after it, but still college students being college students.”
Alabama now has a 13-2 record to start the season and has built one of the most impressive resumes in college basketball this season. In KenPom, Crimson Tide ranks seventh. On NET, Alabama ranks sixth. On both the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll, the Crimson Tide is ranked #7 on both, for now.
There’s still a long way to go this season, and this upcoming week alone proves it. On Wednesday, Alabama will pack up and head off to face No. 13 Arkansas on the road. On Saturday, the Crimson Tide will play LSU in Tuscaloosa. There are plenty more grueling games in his SEC gauntlet — a road game at Tennessee, more games against Arkansas and LSU, as well as a home-and-home game with Auburn, to say the least — but that’s just what’s coming. with a schedule at the Conference.
That being said, Oats is very pleased with where his team is right now, particularly their chemistry.
“This game showed that we can be good defensively,” Oats said.[…] I like the chemistry with this group. We had very good chemistry with [the 2020-21 SEC title-winning] group. you had guys like [Alex] Reese volunteers to come off the bench. You have a guy like Noah Gurley, who, when he’s not playing as much, is a guy in the meeting, talking. We have good chemistry, good leadership. I like where we are now.”
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Oats, however, offered a word of warning along with his pleased expression.
“It’s easy to have good chemistry when you’re winning games,” Oats said. “We’ll see what happens when we face a little bit of adversity.”
Chemistry. It is a word that is often heard in the field of sports. It is possessed by teams that succeed at the highest level; his absence is mourned by teams near the bottom. Alabama’s 2020-21 team did a lot of special things — SEC regular season and tournament titles along with a trip to the Sweet 16 — and among the accolades, the team’s chemistry was instrumental.
And now, Oats believes his team owns him again.
Chemistry isn’t the only ingredient this Crimson Tide team possesses. Mentality is another intangible that has led him to wins over two No. 1 teams and his 13-2 record to start the season. This team has both ingredients and when combined, the two make for a very difficult combination to beat.
Alabama’s rookie guard Brandon Miller showed the team’s mentality better after the win over Kentucky.
“I feel like it’s a team effort,” Miller said. “Kentucky will always be a great program. I think it’s nice to get a win like that here at home.”
“It’s not just about beating Kentucky. It’s about who we play next.”
After every big win this season, the quotes remain the same for Crimson Tide players. Not only them, but also Oats. With each victory, the story remains the same: enjoy and appreciate the victory, then move on to the next one. It’s a formula that has worked so far for Alabama, and it will likely be a key factor if the team continues its success.
It’s a mindset that has been part of the success with Alabama football during head coach Nick Saban’s tenure. And now, Oats has fully instilled that in the Crimson Tide’s blue-collar basketball program.
“We have to enjoy today,” Oats said. “Tomorrow, we have to focus on Arkansas. It’s great that we played well in front of all these people. It was great to see Coach Saban there on the front row. […] ‘Make them surrender’ I think is their saying, if I remember correctly. We were trying to make them quit tonight, trying to make him proud in the stands.
“I don’t think Kentucky necessarily quits, but I think our players tried to make them. That’s what we were trying to do.”
Alabama’s remaining games will only get more and more difficult as the season progresses. More losses are sure to come, but if the team possesses the mindset to shake up the opponents and maintain their chemistry and mentality, then there is no telling what accolades this team is capable of bringing home.
See also:
Full Court Press: Takeaways from Alabama Basketball vs Kentucky
No. 7 Alabama makes emphatic statement to SEC, College Basketball
Charles Bediako responds to challenge, dominates matchup with Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe
BamaCentral Court: No. 7 Alabama Basketball 78, Kentucky 52