Alabama @ Kentucky preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 5, 2019 ) Kentucky 75, Alabama 77

As usual, Kentucky coach John Calipari has his fourth-ranked, freshman-laden troops playing its best basketball of the season heading into postseason play. The second-seeded Wildcats begin their quest for an unprecedented fifth consecutive SEC Tournament title when it opens against 10th-seeded Alabama - a team that beat Kentucky during the regular season - in the quarterfinals Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

“You know, we all want Alabama,” freshman Ashton Hagans said earlier in the week. “That was a tough one, so we want to come back and be prepared for that one.” The Wildcats finished the season winning 16 of their last 18 games, including a 66-57 victory over Florida on Saturday in the regular-season finale as freshman Tyler Herro had 16 points and six rebounds, sophomore PJ Washington added 15 and nine and freshman Keldon Johnson 14 and seven. Washington (14.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 52.1 percent shooting) was named to the All-SEC First Team, Johnson (13.7 points, 5.8 rebounds) was SEC Freshman of the Year, Herro (14.2 points, team-high 53 3-pointers, 93.3 free-throw percentage) was SEC Newcomer of the Year and Hagans (7.8 points, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals) was SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year. "I think we've been through the ups and downs of college basketball," Johnson said about the season. "We've been in places where they thought we were the worst team and we've been in places where they thought we were one of the best teams in the nation. We just got out there every day and do what we do. We do what we practice every day."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT ALABAMA (18-14): The Crimson Tide rallied from a 16-point deficit early in the second half to upend seventh-seeded Ole Miss 62-57 on Thursday in a must-win to earn a second straight NCAA Tournament bid after a five-year hiatus. Reserve Tevin Mack (9.4 points) had 21 points, four 3-pointers and six rebounds, freshman Kira Lewis Jr. (13.8 points) - the youngest player in the SEC - added 13 points and four steals, while Galin Smith (3.8 points) had 11 points and seven rebounds. In their 77-75 on Jan. 5 against Kentucky, Mack had 22 points and six 3-pointers, while Donta Hall (10.4 points, 8.8 rebounds) had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

ABOUT KENTUCKY (26-5): Forward Reid Travis (11.3 points, 6.9 rebounds), out three weeks with a knee injury, is expected to play Friday in four-to-five minute spurts until "he's got his feet underneath him," Calipari said. Washington has scored in double figures in 15 of his last 16 games with 20-point games in eight outings, posted three consecutive double-doubles in one stretch and has seven for the season. Calipari has his youngsters playing defense, as the Wildcats are first in the SEC in scoring defense (62.6 points), field-goal percentage defense (39.4) and defensive rebounds (484) in conference games.

TIP-INS

1. Kentucky leads the league with 31 SEC Tournament titles and has won seven times during Calipari's 10-year run.

2. The Wildcats have beaten Alabama in the SEC Tournament each of the last three years and is 16-2 overall against the Tide in the tournament.

3. With a 93.9-percent rate and a minimum of 50 attempts, Herro would not only rank first in school history for free-throw percentage for a season but also for the entire league (with players between 50 and 100 attempts). Kyle Macy holds the school record at 91.2 percent in 1979-80 and Paul Smith of Mississippi State owns the SEC mark at 92.7 percent in 1965.

PREDICTION: Kentucky 92, Alabama 71