No. 17 Kentucky Dismantles No. 13 Alabama Basketball 117-95 in Turnover Plagued Performance

Deep in bluegrass country, Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide get obliterated at Rupp Arena.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Big Blue blowout.

On Saturday, No. 13 Alabama Basketball fell to No. 13 Kentucky , dropping to 19-8 overall and 11-3 in the SEC.

In the first half, both teams got out to a quick start, as Antonio Reeves and the Wildcats maintained a 25-24 lead with 11:34 to go. Reeves, alongside his backcourt counterpart Justin Edwards, traded blows with Alabama’s trio of dynamic scorers in Mark Sears, Aaron Estrada and Rylan Griffen, with seemingly no end in sight.

With roughly eight minutes to go, a Sears turnover lead to a quick argument with Griffen, as Griffen tossed a ball at Sears out of frustration. While both remained in the game, the Kentucky lead grew to six, holding a 35-26 advantage.

That’s when things started to go south for the Crimson Tide.

Minutes later, the Wildcats would go on an 18-2 run, brought forth by a plethora of turnovers from Alabama and continued efficiency from the field, pushing their lead to 46-31 at the 3:30 mark in the first half.

After a couple of buckets from Edwards and Reeves, the Wildcats entered the half with a commanding 16-point lead, holding a 58-42 advantage.

If the first half was a Kentucky onslaught, the second half was a straightforward beatdown.

Led by Edwards, who finished the night with a perfect 10-for-10 performance while scoring 28 points, and Reeves, who tallied 24 points of his own, the Wildcats splashed and dashed their way to a blistering 41-for-65 output from the field, crushing Alabama over the final 20 minutes of action.

Amidst the loss, it was an up-and-down performance from Sears, who tallied 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting while turning the ball over six times, guiding Nate Oats’ team over the course of a grotesque overall effort.

As is common theme with most Alabama losses, turnovers were critical, as the Crimson Tide tossed the ball away 16 times, making careless mistake after careless mistake in both halves.

After the loss, Alabama will turn their attention toward a matchup with Chris Beard and Ole Miss on the road coming Feb. 28 at 9:00 p.m. CT.

[this story will be updated]

How it Happened... 

Final: No. 17 Kentucky 117, Alabama 95. 

Second Half:

• The game comes to a merciful conclusion. Alabama suffers its worst loss of the season. Fifth time the Wildcats have scored over 100 points in 2024. 0:00: Kentucky 117, Alabama 95.
• This game is firmly out of hand. The Wildcats have a chance to make history, as the record for points scored against Alabama is 122. 5:33 2H: Kentucky 110, Alabama 77. 
• The onslaught continues. Rupp Arena continues to rock. Edwards has 24 points on 9-for-9 shooting. Reeves has 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Crimson Tide simply don't have an answer for the Wildcat offense. 13:09 2H: Kentucky 82, Alabama 56. 
• Justin Edwards just trained a three from deep here at Rupp. He's fouled. Quick 6-0 run for the Wildcats, they extend their lead to a whopping 20 points. Crimson Tide have turned the ball over 11 times already. Wildcats are shooting an impressive 27-for-39 from the field, including 8-for-13 from three-point range. 15:15 2H: Kentucky 74, Alabama 54. 
• Similar start to the first half, the Crimson Tide and Wildcats are trading blows. Alabama still can't seem to string together any stops on defense. 16:04 2H: Kentucky 68, Alabama 54. 

Halftime Stats:

Stats courtesy of StatBroadcast.com

First Half: 

• Thiero drills a three right before the conclusion of the half. Rupp Arena explodes. This place is loud, and the Wildcats control the momentum. Sheppard nearly drills a three from the corner on a ball that he was trying to throw away at the buzzer, but it rims out. Alabama has some serious work to do in half No. 2 if they're to pull off an impressive comeback effort. They trail by 16. 0:00 1H: Kentucky 58, Alabama 42. 
• Back-to-back buckets from Griffen and Estrada cut the lead to 14. Crimson Tide trying to claw their way back into a manageable game at the half. 1:16 1H: Kentucky 53, Alabama 39.
• 18-2 run for Kentucky over the last 5:36. Alabama has six turnovers over that span. They haven't scored on their last six shot attempts. Wildcats in danger of running away with this one. 3:39 1H: Kentucky 46, Alabama 31. 
• Turnovers have been critical for Alabama. They're sitting at six. Wildcats have five second chance points. They've also had 11 shots at the line compared to the Crimson Tide's two. 5:39 1H: Kentucky 43, Alabama 31. 
• Justin Edwards checking in for Kentucky. He replaces Thiero. Wildcats continue to be efficient. They're shooting 13-for-20 from the field and 5-for-10 from deep. Reeves leads the way with 9 points. Some frustration setting in for Alabama, as Griffen and Sears get into a little bit of an argument over Sears' latest turnover. 7:56 1H: Kentucky 35, Alabama 29. 
• Sam Walters and Mohamed Dioubate checking in for Alabama. The frenetic pace continues. Nick Pringle is finding opportunity down low, he's up to 6 points on 3-for-4 shooting. 11:20 1H: Kentucky 25, Alabama 24. 
• As expected, this game is rolling at an incredibly fast pace. Wildcats and Crimson Tide trading blows. Reeves has 6 early points for Kentucky. Rylan Griffen leading the way with 5 for Alabama after hitting that last three. 15:43 1H: Alabama 12, Kentucky 12. 
• First foul of the game for the Crimson Tide is on Grant Nelson. Reeves converts one of two at the line. 18:40 1H: Alabama 3, Kentucky 3. 
• We're underway at Rupp Arena. Kentucky scored on the first possession. Alabama answers with a bucket from Estrada.

Pregame:

• Starting Five for Alabama: Mark Sears, Aaron Estrada, Rylan Griffen, Jarin Stevenson, Grant Nelson. 
• Alabama guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. is OUT with a head injury, per BamaCentral's Blake Byler.
• Kentucky forward Tre Mitchell is OUT with an injury. A starter for the Wildcats becomes unavailable.
• The Crimson Tide is out on the floor for lineups. No sign of Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who is dealing with a head injury. 
• Most of Kentucky's roster is out on the floor for warmups. 
• BamaCentral's Mathey Gibson and Blake Byler will have coverage from Rupp Arena beginning at 1:30 p.m. CT. 

Ah, Rupp Arena.

No. 13 #Alabama vs. No. 17 #Kentucky. Can the Crimson Tide maintain their solo lead of the conference on the road?

[LIVE UPDATES]: https://t.co/aa66iZAfgM pic.twitter.com/VJAgK5T3XR

— Mathey Gibson (@Mathey_Gibson1) February 24, 2024

How to Watch: No. 13 Alabama at No. 24 Kentucky

Who: No. 13 Alabama (19-7, 11-2 SEC) at No. 17 Kentucky (18-8, 8-5 SEC)

When: Saturday, Feb. 24, 3 p.m. CT

Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.

TV: CBS

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Analyst: Bryan Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

Series: Kentucky leads, 113-40

Last Meeting: On January 7, 2023, Alabama routed Kentucky 78-52 in Coleman Coliseum for the two teams' only meeting for the season. Brandon Miller led Alabama with 19, while Mark Sears added 16.

Last Time Out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide erased a 10-point second half deficit and beat Florida in overtime, 98-93. Grant Nelson led the way with 22 points and added six blocks in one of his best games of the season, while Aaron Estrada scored 20 of his own.

Last Time Out, Kentucky: The Wildcats suffered a heartbreaker on Wednesday night, losing to LSU in Baton Rouge on a buzzer-beating layup. Senior guard Antonio Reeves led Kentucky with 25 points in the loss.

Alabama Leaders:

• Scoring: Mark Sears (20.4 PPG)
• Rebounding: Grant Nelson (5.6 RPG)
• Assists: Aaron Estrada (4.3 APG)

Kentucky Leaders:

• Scoring: G Antonio Reeves (19.7 PPG)
• Rebounding: F Tre Mitchell (7.5 RPG)
• Assists: G Reed Shepherd (4.0 APG)

See also:

Dynamic Backcourts Headline Matchup Between Alabama and Kentucky