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Alabama’s men’s basketball team was without Donta Hall on Saturday in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament, and it lost to No. 4-seed Kentucky by a score of 86-63 in St. Louis.

But it doesn’t sound like the Crimson Tide (19-15, 8-10 SEC) will be without the junior forward the next time it hits the court, as Avery Johnson said he is “very optimistic” Hall (concussion) will be able to suit up for Alabama’s next contest -- whenever that might be.

“He’s in a concussion protocol,” Johnson said of Hall following Saturday’s loss to the Wildcats. “We think that he’s going to be OK, but he’s resting. … Fortunately, he’s going to be fine. He’s responded well, but he’s day-to-day right now.”

The Tide was without Hall against Kentucky, and according to ESPN’s Laura Rutledge, the team would have been without the big man had it defeated the Wildcats and advanced to Sunday’s SEC Championship Game. But the big fella now has more time to recover.

Winning two games in St. Louis, Alabama seemingly played its way into an NCAA Tournament berth. Selection Sunday will reveal the truth, but UA feels it’s currently in good shape.

An SEC All-Defensive Team selection, Hall has been a force down low for Alabama this season. The Luverne, Ala., native leads the team and ranks third in the SEC with 2.3 blocks per game, which also currently ranks fourth for a single season in UA school history. He also averages 4.6 defensive rebounds per game, which is good for 10th-best in the league.

His 68 total blocks on the season ranks 10th in the Alabama record books. While dealing with a wrist injury, Hall leads UA in blocked shots, rebounds (6.9), dunks (65) and field goal percentage (.733), while ranking second on the team in points per game (10.9).

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).