Live with the Tide: Alabama Basketball at Kentucky

Follow along for live updates before, during, and after today's contest

LEXINGTON, Ky. - After defeating Mississippi State on Wednesday night, the University of Alabama men's basketball team will now face its toughest test of the season at Rupp Arena, when it faces off against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. 

The Crimson Tide comes into this matchup red hot on offense, scoring 90 points or more in five straight contests, which is a program first. On the other hand, Kentucky has only allowed opponents to score 62.2 points per game, which is good for fifth in the SEC. 

Head coach Nate Oats' squad leads the SEC in points per game and threes per game. Nationally, the Crimson Tide rank third and fourth in both of those categories. 

Currently, the Wildcats are a 10-point favorite according to BetOnline.ag. The over/under is set for 153. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m, CT, on ESPN. BamaCentral will have full coverage before, during, and after the game. 

Pregame

• Alabama starters: Kira Lewis, Jr., John Petty, Jr., Herb Jones, Alex Reese, and Galin Smith. 
• Kentucky starters: Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey, Nick Richards, Keion Brooks, and EJ Montgomery. 

First Half

• Kentucky has won the tip and we are underway. 
• Brooks scores the first basket of the day for Kentucky. 
• Alabama's first two possessions have resulted in a 3-point miss and a turnover. 
• Smith gets the Crimson Tide on the board with a tip-in. Wildcats up 4-2. 
• The Wildcats' size advantage is showing up early after Richards blocks Jones' layup. 
• Smith with a jam to cut Kentucky's lead to 6-4. 
• At the first media timeout, Kentucky has a 8-4 lead. Reese will head to the free throw line when action resumes. 
• Reese makes both free throws and the deficit is back to two. 
• Jaden Shackelford, Beetle Bolden, and Javian Davis have entered the game for Alabama. 
• Lewis makes a driving layup to tie the game. 
• Alabama forces a turnover and Jones takes it all the way for a dunk to give the Crimson Tide its first lead of the game at 10-8. Calapari calls a 30-second timeout. 14:11 left in half. 
• Maxey hits a jumper out of the quick timeout. 
• Lewis fouls Hagans and he will go to the line. He makes both to give Kentucky the lead again, 12-10. 
• Jones and Smith have re-entered the game for Davis and Lewis. 
• Nate Sestina nails a 3-pointer and Kentucky has its largest lead of the game, 16-10.  
• Shackelford responds with a jumper from the corner. 
• At the under-12 minute media timeout, Kentucky leads 18-12. Alabama is winning the rebounding battle early, 9-8. The Crimson Tide has also forced five Wildcat turnovers to its two. 
• Jaylen Forbes has checked in for Shackelford. 
• Sestina hits his second trey of the game to give Kentucky a nine-point lead. 
• Alabama responds on a 4-0 run with a layup from Jones and Lewis. Wildcats up 21-16 with 9:41 left. 
• After Quickley's 3-pointer, Forbes hits one of his own from the corner. Kentucky up 24-19. 
• Bolden and Davis are back in, replacing Reese and Forbes. 
• Richards gets a put-back slam, but Lewis responds on offense with a hard layup as he is fouled. He will go to the line after the media timeout. Alabama trails 26-23 with 7:28 remaining in the period. 
• The Crimson Tide has started slow from beyond the arc, only hitting one of its first six attempts. 
• Lewis hits it from the stripe and Alabama only trails now by two. 
• Richards with another put-back slam. Wildcats up 30-26.
• After an Alabama turnover, Quickley hits a huge transition 3-pointer to give Kentucky a nine-point lead. Nate Oats calls a timeout. Wildcats up 37-28 with 3:48 to go. 
• Petty hits his first 3-pointer of the day. He now has 200 for his career, making him the fifth player in Alabama history to do so. 
• Maxey with a quick five points and Kentucky has its largest lead of the game at 44-32. 
• Petty launches a long 3-pointer and makes it to stop some bleeding. 
• Alabama trails Kentucky, 45-35, at halftime. 
• Jones leads the Crimson Tide with nine points and three rebounds. Richards has 11 points for the Wildcats. Jones' 13 field goal attempts in the first half is a career-high for the junior. 

Second Half

• The second period has begun and both teams will roll out the same lineups that started the first half. 
• Kentucky and Alabama have traded layups to start the half. 
• Davis is the first sub of the period for Alabama, replacing Smith. 
• Quickley hits a 3-pointer from the wing and Kentucky is leading by 15, 52-37. 
• Davis responds with a tough layup. 
• Bolden has came in for Jones. 
• At the first media timeout, Kentucky leads 52-39. Alabama will have the ball under its basket when we return. 
• Layups by Bolden and Davis have trimmed the Kentucky lead to nine, 52-43. 
• Bolden gets a steal and then an outlet pass out to Lewis who drives it home for a layup. The Wildcats lead is now only seven, 53-46. 13:00 to go. 
• Reese puts on a nice move in the lane for the bucket, but Maxey responds with a jumper on the other end. 
• Lewis is fouled and we head to the under-12 minute media timeout. Alabama trails 57-48 with 11:16 remaining. 
• Out of the timeout, Lewis misses a mid-range jumper. 
• Petty hits a tough hook shot in the lane to cut the lead to seven. 
• Alabama forces a Kentucky miss and Jones drives to lane and is fouled on the other end. He misses both foul shots. 
• Reese slams home a big dunk. Assist by Jones. Alabama only trails by five with 8:45 to go. 
• Maxey hits a layup to put the Wildcats up seven, but Jones hits a layup as he is fouled with 7:32 remaining. He will go back to the line when play restarts. 
• Jones hits the free throw. Alabama trails 59-55. 
• Hagans goes up, making the layup as he is fouled. He misses the free throw, but Rupp is back on its feet. 
• Petty misses a trey, but gets his own rebound and lays it in. 61-57 Wildcats. 
• Jones' 3-pointer rims in and out that would have cut it to one. Hagans at the line for two for the Wildcats on the other end. He makes both to put the lead up to six.
• Davis has checked in for Smith. 
• Could be costly eight-second call there for the Wildcats. Lewis drives hard to the bucket and is fouled. He makes one of two. Three-point game, 63-60. 
• Quickley hits a 3-pointer from the corner as time on the shot clock expired. 
• Jones hits a runner in the lane. Back down to four, 66-62 Wildcats. 
• Hagans nails a 3-pointer, but Petty responds with one of his own. 
• 2:20 left in the game, and Kentucky leads 69-65. The Wildcats will head to the free throw line after the timeout. 
• Hagans sinks one of two. 
• Richards gets a goaltending call. Basket awarded to Petty. 70-67 Kentucky. 
• Richards make one free throw to make it a four-point game. 
• Davis drives and misses the layup. 1:17 to go. 
• Hagans has his shot blocked and the play is getting looked at to see who touched it last. Kentucky ball. 1:01 remaining. 
• Quickley hits another 3-pointer and this one appears over. 74-67 Kentucky. 
• After Petty misses, Quickley is fouled and he makes both free throws. Alabama trails by nine with 36 seconds to go. 
• Kentucky defeats Alabama, 76-67.