Will Kentucky cover against Alabama? SEC Tournament Picks 3/11/17

Alabama’s chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament are now dashed, as the only way the Tide could have made the “The Big Dance” was through the automatic berth provided by winning the SEC Tournament.

Alabama will face Kentucky in the semifinals inside Bridgestone Arena on Saturday at noon.

Friday’s quarterfinal loss to Alabama – which made it 11 years since the Gamecocks have reached the semifinals of the SEC Tournament – isn’t expected to scuttle USC’s NCAA hopes.

Bola Olaniyan had a productive day off the bench, contributing eight points and four rebounds. It wasn’t that they played poorly- in fact, they had the Wildcat offense stymied for much of the game (except when Fox transcended this plane of existence)- it was that they couldn’t stop fouling.

“We showed him [Norris] a couple things at halftime, and I thought he forced a couple [in the first half]”, Johnson said.

In the second half, Alabama shot over 50-percent, which is what kept them in the game. “. If one game on a neutral site against a very good opponent is going to outdo 12 conference wins and the wins we had in non-league play, then it is what it is”. Kentucky has won seven straight meetings with Alabama, including a 67-58 win at Bama on February 11.

Defence also factored into opportunities resulting in a thorough Southeastern Conference Tournament victory for the Crimson Tide. We were trying to figure it out; trying to put it all together.

“I told them whatever happened in the regular season is behind us right now”, Johnson said.

“Postseason is about being able to make it hard for the other team”, Calipari said.

USC finished the SEC season in a tie for third place in the standings with Arkansas, as the Gamecocks posted a 12-6 record, marking the second-most SEC wins in a season for Carolina in its 26 seasons in the league. Alabama was outstanding on the defensive end throughout the entire game and pulled away from SC after finishing the game on a 12-2 run. But the problem is, if they’re in the tournament, they probably can. Defensively, Kentucky is yielding 72.1 points against the opposing teams.

Sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe and freshman guard De’Aaron Fox led Kentucky’s win over Georgia with 20 points each. Senior forward Derek Willis grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots. The Tide remained in front 9-6 at the under 12 media timeout with 10:54 to go. “If you’re going to beat Alabama, you’ve got to have some dog in you”. Malik Monk has 8 points in his last two games, but Briscoe has been padding the stat sheet in a way we have not seen since Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The key for Alabama is its stout defense, which was in top form in holding the Gamecocks to 36.7 percent overall and 4-of-17 from 3-point range.