The Alabama women’s basketball team has been highly successful on the road as of late, and its game against Kentucky on Thursday presents the opportunity to win a fifth straight road matchup.  

The Crimson Tide (17-6, 6-4 SEC) is slated to do battle with the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington. In 2023, Alabama has beaten Auburn, Ole Miss, Arkansas and the Missouri away from home. In its last outing against Missouri, the Crimson Tide was led to victory by Brittany Davis’s 33 points, a career high.  

Kentucky (10-12, 2-8 SEC) is coming off a tough test of its own against the South Carolina. Two of the Wildcats’ most recent three defeats came by just one possession, meaning that Kentucky is a tough out despite its record. The Wildcats won in Coleman Coliseum in February of 2022 and used that momentum to catapult to victory in the SEC tournament.  

“We hope that we can stay consistent this week going against a really good Kentucky team,” Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said. “Perception isn’t always reality. … Kentucky could be sitting here in a totally different situation.” 

In its last game, also on the road against Missouri, Alabama won the rebounding battle and more than doubled its opponent’s points off turnovers. The Crimson Tide was perfect from the charity stripe. If Alabama carries this into the Kentucky game, and improves its long-range shooting, Thursday can be another productive outing. 

Alabama has won two of its last three games, with the lone loss in that stretch being to South Carolina. The Crimson Tide’s recent propensity for picking up league wins on the road goes a long way at this point in the college basketball season.  

To that end, the consistency mentioned by Curry is important. Keeping up the ongoing road trend is equally important, and Alabama will require consistency to do that. Production from Davis is key, but in one of the road wins on the current streak, the Crimson Tide played without her. Alabama has shown that it can achieve wins with well-rounded performances from all five players on the floor.  

“We have a lot of players that have competed at a [high] level,” Curry said. “You have to be playing your best basketball — it comes down to balance this time of year. It’s by committee.” 

Although Alabama’s schedule is tough from here on out, with half of its remaining games on the road, winning such games is a major strength for an NCAA Tournament resume. Thursday night’s game in Lexington is a big opportunity for the Crimson Tide to make a positive step in its goal of playing in the Big Dance. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. 

Questions or comments? Email Blake Byler (Sports Editor) at [email protected]