#25 Alabama at #4 Kentucky and Protected Seed Reveal Live Thread

The Crimson Tide gets the CBS treatment today, as Alabama tips-off with the Kentucky Wildcats at noon CST. Riding a three-game winning streak - the longest of conference play - the Tide will be looking to essentially lock up its spot in the NCAA Tournament next month with a win at Rupp this afternoon. Are the guys peaking at the right time?

As of this writing, there still isn’t a lot of clarity on who will be available for the ‘Cats today. We know that both Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington have been dealing with lingering injuries, and John Calipari mentioned yesterday that they might be down “two or three” players. If those two can’t go, Alabama’s chances of winning become much more realistic.

With the Wildcats size advantage, expect Alabama’s starting five to mirror the unit that led the game against Mississippi State earlier this week - Jahvon Quinerly, Jaden Shackelford, Keon Ellis, Noah Gurley, and Charles Bediako. But expect the rotation to continue to be heavily utilized, as the Tide’s depth has really shown up during its current winning streak.

Before the game tips off at noon, CBS is revealing the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee’s current top-four - or Protected - seed lines. Coverage of that begins at 11:30 AM CST. I’m not expecting the Tide to be part of that group, but there is a chance. Alabama is most likely looking at a 5-seed coming into today.