Cats glad Dioubate is in blue

Published 8:15 am Friday, June 27, 2025

Mo Dioubate was a big part of three Alabama wins over coach Mark Pope’s first Kentucky team, one reason Pope recruited the 6-foot-7 forward once he entered the transfer portal.

Dioubate has 13 points and eight rebounds in Alabama’s SEC Tournament romp over UK. He also was the main reason Alabama stopped Otega Oweh’s 26-game double figure scoring streak in Alabama’s second win over UK. Oweh went 1-for-9 from the field in the second game against the Tide and 1-for-6 in the SEC Tournament loss when he again failed to reach double figures.

Oweh said last week it would be “lovely” to have Dioubate on his team this season.

“I know what he brings, and I didn’t like playing against him, if I’m being honest. I know he’s gonna have that same effect on other people on other teams. It’s gonna be great. And he’s a great guy too,” Oweh said.

“He plays defense like me, but he’s a four/five and he’s big and he can move his feet. It don’t matter who he’s guarding. He could guard a 5-8 guard, a 6-10 big, it doesn’t matter. He’s gonna go out there and just be a dog.”

Dioubate averaged 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 16 minutes per game last season. He shot 61.7 percent from the field.

Kentucky center Brandon Garrison certainly remembers going against him last season, too.

“Physicality, great defender, fast, mobile, but I say really, just his physicality is gonna help this team out. Everybody seen that, that’s a part of this game,” Garrison said. “But we talked about a couple games because they beat us and stuff. So we talk about that, just playing around.

“I feel like me and him are gonna connect real well. We’ve already been chopping up a lot, we’ve been on the game a lot, talking outside of the facility.”