Alabama @ Kentucky preview

Alabama at Kentucky

Last Meeting ( Feb 5, 2022 ) Kentucky 66, Alabama 55

Critical positioning in the tightly packed Southeastern Conference will be on the line when the No. 25 Alabama Crimson Tide travel to Lexington to take on the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.

Kentucky (21-5, 10-3) is tied with Tennessee for second place in the conference and is only one game ahead of Arkansas. Alabama (17-9, 7-6) is in a tie for fifth place with LSU, and only one game ahead of both Florida and South Carolina.

The Wildcats will need to respond quickly after losing by double digits for the first time all season on Tuesday at Tennessee. Kentucky shot a dismal 23 of 67 (34.3 percent) from the floor in the 76-63 loss, and trailed by as many as 20 points in the second half.

"We got manhandled," Kentucky head coach John Calipari said. "It was a revenge game for what we did to them down at our place. They're (Tennessee) playing better; they're moving the ball. They shoot the ball better here; they shoot it really well here."

Alabama has won three games in a row in the SEC, the latest of which was an 80-75 victory at home against Mississippi State on Wednesday. The Crimson Tide got 21 points from Jahvon Quinerly, and Alabama needed every bit of them with some serious shooting struggles. Quinerly went 3 of 8 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range, but Alabama's other four starters went 0 for 15 from deep.

Charles Bediako scored 15 points, and the Crimson Tide's leading scorer, Jaden Shackelford, added another dozen to pace Alabama past the Bulldogs. But the story of the game was actually on the sideline, where Alabama head coach Nate Oats was ejected after picking up two technical fouls in quick succession.

"I thought there was a foul and they didn't call it," Oats said. "I had been on them; there were a few calls I disagreed with. I shouldn't have probably gone after him (the referee) as hard as I did when I already had one T."

That three-game winning streak for Alabama started after a loss to Kentucky in the first meeting between the teams on Feb. 5. Kentucky went on the road and won 66-55 with five players scoring in double figures. Kellan Grady, Oscar Tshiebwe, Keion Brooks Jr. and Daimion Collins all scored 10 points and TyTy Washington Jr. led the Wildcats with 15.

Shooting was the downfall for the Crimson Tide in the first game against the Wildcats; Alabama shot a dismal 3 of 30 from 3-point range and just 18 of 64 (28.1 percent) from the floor. Alabama did jump out to a 9-1 lead, but Kentucky weathered the storm to take the lead before the first half ended and never looked back.

Kentucky is a perfect 15-0 at home this season, and has won 16 in a row at Rupp Arena dating back to last season. Alabama did pull off a win in Lexington last season in emphatic fashion, dominating the game 85-65.

Alabama is 2-5 on the road this season.

--Field Level Media