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Alabama vs. Kentucky: Availability report released for top-10 SEC showdown
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Alabama hits the road on Saturday to face Kentucky in a top-10 SEC showcase game.
The fourth-ranked Crimson Tide (14-3, 3-1 SEC) are coming off a bit of a stunning 10-point home loss to Ole Miss on Tuesday. The eighth-ranked Wildcats (14-3, 3-1) are soaring after consecutive wins over top-15 opponents. Ahead of the matchup, the SEC released its availability report on Friday evening.
Derrion Reid is listed as questionable for Alabama, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise after coach Nate Oats told reporters on Friday that the 6-foot-8 forward didn’t practice during 5-on-5 drills. Reid is seeing just under 18 minutes a night in his true freshman season, with per-game averages of 8.1 points and 3.4 rebounds.
For Kentucky, starters Lamont Butler and Andrew Carr both had their names on the injury report.
Carr is listed as probable as he nurses a back injury. He was initially listed as questionable ahead of the Mississippi State game and listed as probable prior to the Texas A&M game. He made appearances in both, seeing 46 combined minutes while scoring 13 points in each game. The 6-foot-11 forward feels like a safe bet to once again take the floor.
Butler’s presence on the injury report is more concerning. He’s listed as questionable. The 6-foot-2 guard is Kentucky’s second-leading scorer at 13.4 points per game. He is also the Wildcats’ leading assist man, dishing 4.7 a night. Butler has been leaned on heavily since SEC play began; he has topped 30 minutes in each of Kentucky’s first 4 league games.
But Tuesday’s win over Texas A&M featured a 6-point, 6-turnover performance from Butler. He shot 0-for-3 and Kentucky won by 12 anyway.
Tipoff between the Tide and the Wildcats is set for noon ET on ESPN on Saturday. Kentucky is a 1.5-point favorite, via FanDuel.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
