Alabama Basketball has one of the most elite one-two punches in all of college basketball in Kira Lewis Jr. and John Petty. Here is a deeper look at the most underrated NCAA pairing in 2019-20.
https://twitter.com/jpetty2324/status/1217930727553224707
That was Alabama Basketball’s junior wing, John Petty, on Twitter following the Crimson Tide’s dominant 83-64 upset win over the (then) undefeated Auburn Tigers.
Petty was evidently not lying; the Tide has continued to “crank it up.” In their two games since Auburn, Alabama has won both with an average point differential of 14.5 (include the win against Auburn, and that adds up to a 3 game win streak and a 16 average point differential).
Also since Petty’s promising tweet, he personally has stepped up his game. After his 7 point dud (20 percent from 3) against Auburn, Petty has dropped 20 and 23 respectively (45 percent, total, from 3) in the Crimson Tide’s last two wins.
He has been one of the main drivers for Alabama’s success this season, but he has not been doing it alone. Let’s say Petty is the one steering the wheel; if that’s the case, then his fellow point guard Kira Lewis Jr. is the one on the gas pedal.
Lewis is a young, fast point guard who, if you talk to the right person, has first-round NBA draft buzz surrounding his name. Petty is accustomed to teaming up with such a player; he partnered with Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton his freshman season.
His pairing with Sexton generated much more hype than his current one has with Lewis, and that’s very unfortunate. Alabama fans have just as much to be excited about with their backcourt now as they did when Sexton was in town.
But it just doesn’t feel like the excitement is there, especially on the national scene. It is for that reason why this guard tandem is the most underrated of such in college basketball. Here is a closer look at what exactly makes them both so great.