How No. 17 Kentucky matches up against No. 4 Alabama — with a game prediction
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Preview: No. 17 Kentucky at No. 4 Alabama
Click below to read more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s preview coverage ahead of Saturday night’s Kentucky-Alabama game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
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How the No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats (18-8, 7-6 SEC) and the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (21-5, 10-3 SEC) match up at each position for Saturday’s men’s college basketball game at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa — with a game prediction:
Small forward
▪ Kentucky super-senior Koby Brea (10.6 ppg, 3 rpg, 44.9% treys) bounced back from a meager effort (four points, 0-of-6 field-goal shooting) in UK’s 82-78 loss at Texas last Saturday to score 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, 3-of-4 treys, in the Wildcats’ 82-61 pasting of Vanderbilt on Wednesday night in Rupp Arena. The accuracy of Brea’s shooting in games often seems to foretell UK’s fate. The transfer from Dayton is shooting 48% on 3-point tries (24 of 50) in Kentucky’s nine victories over power conference foes plus Gonzaga. Conversely, the 6-foot-7, 215-pound product of Washington Heights, New York, is making 26.8% of his treys (11 of 41) in UK’s eight losses to power conference teams. In Kentucky’s 102-97 loss to Alabama in Lexington on Jan. 18, Brea had 10 points.
▪ Alabama’s Chris Youngblood (9.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 43.9% FGs, 36.5% treys) came off the bench in Bama’s win over Kentucky last month and contributed 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, 2-of-3 treys. A 6-4, 223-pound Tuscaloosa product, Youngblood began his college career at Kennesaw State and played last season for South Florida. Youngblood did not shoot well in Alabama’s 110-98 loss at Missouri on Wednesday night, going 3-of-11 overall, and 1-of-7 on 3-pointers. He is a combined 5-of-19 from behind the arc in Bama’s past four games.
Advantage: Even.
Power forward
▪ After struggling with back problems, Kentucky super-senior Andrew Carr (9.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 47 assists vs. 22 turnovers, 53.2% FGs) returned to the starting lineup against Vanderbilt on Wednesday night for the first time since the Alabama contest Jan. 18. The 6-11, 235-pound transfer from Wake Forest responded with his best game since mid-January, scoring 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. A product of West Chester, Pennsylvania, Carr had four points and one rebound in the loss to Alabama last month, a game in which his play appeared to be hindered by his back troubles.
▪ Alabama’s Grant Nelson (12.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 54.1% FGs) was the best player in the first UK-Bama contest. The 6-11, 230-pound super-senior went for 25 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes in Rupp Arena. A product of Devils Lake, North Dakota, Nelson transferred to Alabama from North Dakota State before last season. Nelson got in foul trouble in Wednesday night’s loss at Mizzou and took only five shots. He finished with eight points and three rebounds.
Advantage: Alabama.
Center
▪ The play of Kentucky’s Amari Williams (10.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 75 assists vs. 61 turnovers, team-high 36 blocked shots) is on an impressively upward arc. Over UK’s previous six games, the 7-foot, 262-pound product of Nottingham, England, is averaging 14.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists while making 66 percent (33 of 50) of his shots. On Feb. 4, the transfer from Drexel had only the fourth triple-double — 12 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists — in UK men’s hoops history in the Wildcats’ 98-84 loss at Mississippi. In the first game with Alabama, Williams had 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.
▪ After scoring 12 points in the win over UK last month, Alabama’s Clifford Omoruyi (7.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 73.2% FGs) has not scored in double figures in the subsequent eight games. A 6-11, 250-pound super-senior from Benin City, Nigeria, Omoruyi played his first four college seasons for Rutgers. Omoruyi played only 15 minutes in the loss at Missouri on Wednesday night, tallying four points (on 4-of-4 foul shots), two rebounds and a block.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Shooting guard
▪ Kentucky leading scorer Otega Oweh (16.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, team-high 38 steals, 49.5% FGs) has scored 20 points or more in three of the past five games. That includes Wednesday night’s victory over Vanderbilt, when the 6-4, 215-pound junior from Newark, New Jersey, had 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block while making 7 of 10 shots. A transfer from Oklahoma, Oweh played well in the first game vs. Alabama. Before fouling out in 33 minutes, Oweh made 8 of 14 shots and finished with 21 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
▪ Alabama’s Labaron Philon (10.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.4 apg, 45% FGs) seemed to have hit “the freshman wall” this month, but he has bounced back nicely in the Crimson Tide’s last three games. A 6-4, 177-pound product of Mobile, Alabama, Philon had only two points each in back-to-back games vs. Georgia (Feb. 1) and Arkansas (Feb. 8). However, in the three games since, Philon has averaged 13 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists. In the first game with UK, Philon had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists and made 3 of 5 treys.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Point guard
▪ Due to injuries to all three of Kentucky’s experienced lead guards, freshman Travis Perry (2.3 ppg, 41.2% treys) has started the past two games for UK. With expanded minutes, the 6-1, 188-pound Lyon County High School product is becoming more productive. Over UK’s past three games, Perry — the commonwealth’s 2024 high school Mr. Basketball — has made 6 of 12 3-point shots and averaged 6.7 points. In last month’s loss to Alabama, Perry logged seven minutes and had a rebound and two assists.
▪ Alabama star Mark Sears (17.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 4.8 apg, 34.5% treys) had a monster game in the loss at Missouri. The 6-1, 190-pound super-senior from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, dropped 35 points on the Tigers, making 12 of 20 shots overall, 5 of 11 3-pointers. Even with the high-scoring performance vs. Mizzou, Sears is making only 39.7% of his shots on the season, 34.5 on trey attempts. Those numbers are down substantially from last season, when Sears hit 50.8% from the field overall and 43.6% on 3-point tries. In the victory over UK at Rupp Arena, Sears had 24 points and nine assists with only one turnover.
Advantage: Alabama.
Bench
▪ After starting seven games in place of Andrew Carr, Kentucky senior forward Ansley Almonor (6.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 44.9% treys) returned to a backup role in the win over Vanderbilt. A 6-7, 244-pound transfer from Fairleigh Dickinson. Almonor hit 3 of 5 3-pointers vs. Vandy and had nine points and two assists in 17 minutes. ... Sophomore center Brandon Garrison (5.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 54 assists vs. 31 turnovers) played well in the first game vs. Alabama. The 6-10, 250-pound product of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists in 19 minutes vs. the Tide. ... After going 4-of-6 on 3-point tries in UK’s previous two games, freshman forward Trent Noah (3.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 56% FGs) missed all four of his treys in the win over Vandy. The ex-Harlan County High School star did claim three rebounds in 19 minutes vs. the Commodores. ... Freshman guard Collin Chandler (1.2 ppg, 26.7% FGs) played the best game of his UK career to date in the win over Vanderbilt. The 6-5, 202-pound product of Farmington, Utah, had seven points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in 15 minutes.
▪ A transfer from Auburn, Alabama’s Aden Holloway (11.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 48.1% FGs) had 10 points in last week’s loss to his former team. Since scoring six points in the win over Kentucky at Rupp, the 6-1, 180-pound sophomore has been in double figures in seven of Alabama’s eight subsequent contests. ... A 6-11, 215-pound sophomore, Jarin Stevenson (5.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg) started vs. UK last month in Lexington and had two points and three rebounds in 19 minutes. ... Before fouling out, Mouhamed Dioubate (6.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 60.2% FGs) logged an active 15 minutes vs. UK in Rupp Arena. The 6-7, 215-pound sophomore went for eight points, eight rebounds and three assists vs. the Cats. ... A 6-10, 240-pound freshman, Aiden Sherrell is averaging 2.8 points and 2.7 rebounds. ... Touted freshman Derrion Reid (7.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 43.6% FGs) has battled leg injuries this season. A 6-8, 220-pound product of Grovetown, Georgia, Reid had four points in five minutes in the loss to Auburn last Saturday but did not play in Wednesday night’s defeat at Missouri. Both Reid and Sherrell were 2024 McDonald’s All-Americans.
Advantage: Alabama.
Trends and history
▪ Kentucky leads the all-time series with Alabama 117-42.
▪ Alabama coach Nate Oats is 4-5 vs. UK, 4-4 as Crimson Tide head man and 0-1 at Buffalo.
▪ Kentucky coach Mark Pope is 0-1 against Alabama.
▪ Alabama is 10-2 this season at home. Kentucky is 2-5 in road games.
▪ Kentucky is 5-1 in games vs. teams ranked in this week’s AP top 10 with the only loss to Alabama in Rupp Arena.
▪ Coming off a 94-85 home loss to No. 1 Auburn last Saturday and the 110-98 road defeat to No. 15 Missouri on Wednesday, Alabama will have the motivational impetus derived from seeking to avoid a three-game losing skid.
Advantage: Alabama.
Prediction
Alabama 93, Kentucky 88.
This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 10:25 AM.
