How Alabama basketball fans greeted Kentucky's Mo Dioubate with boos

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Alabama basketball fans welcomed former Crimson Tide forward Mouhamed Dioubate back to Coleman Coliseum. Not in the way that Dioubate had been accustomed to, though.

Dioubate hit the floor for warmups amid a sea of boos from the crowd, which echoed again when the he was announced in the starting five for Kentucky.

The Crimson Chaos student section chimed in, too, with a derogatory chant multiple times throughout the game as Alabama surged ahead.

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After serving as an energizer coming off the bench for the Crimson Tide on its run to the Elite Eight last season, Dioubate announced his intention to enter the transfer portal. Dioubate hit the portal on April 4 and committed to the Wildcats just three days later.

In his final season at Alabama, Dioubate averaged 16 minutes per game, putting up averages of 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.7 blocks.

At Kentucky, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound junior is second on the roster in scoring and rebounding, averaging 12.3 points and 6.4 boards in over 22 minutes per game.

Before the game, Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats broke down what made Dioubate an ideal player for both Alabama and Kentucky.

"He's tough. Hard-nosed. Gets the offensive boards," Oats told Crimson Tide Sports Network. "He's playing a lot for them because they were lacking a lot of what he brings, that's why they got him."

"It'll be good to see him, won't be good to play against him, but we're ready to go," Oats continued. "The thing is, we've got some guys that guarded him in practice in the past."

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: How Alabama basketball fans greeted Kentucky's Mo Dioubate with boos

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