No. 4 Alabama came into Rupp Arena and knocked off No. 8 Kentucky 102-97 Saturday afternoon.
The Crimson Tide (15-3, 4-1 SEC) hit three late three-pointers to hold on for the win.
Grant Nelson led Alabama with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 8 offensive fouls that weren’t called.
Kentucky (14-4, 3-2) placed seven players in double figures, but still came up short. Otega Oweh led the Cats with 21 points. Lamont Butler finished with 17 points and 8 assists. Amari Williams finished with a double-double of 13 points and 11 boards.
Kentucky had a week off to heal up and get ready road games at Vanderbilt and Tennessee.
KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY
JAN. 18, 2025
ATTENDANCE: 21,108
Final Score: No. 4/5 Alabama 102, No. 8/9 Kentucky 97
Team Records and Series Notes
Kentucky is now 14-4, 3-2 in the Southeastern Conference. Alabama is 15-3 overall, 4-1
in league play.
Kentucky leads the series 117-42.
o UK leads 60-12 in games played in Lexington.
o This marked the seventh time that UK and Alabama have met with both teams
ranked in The Associated Press top 10, the first time since 1983. UK leads 4-3 in
those games.
Mark Pope is 201-112 as head coach, including 14-4 at Kentucky.
Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats have a midweek open date before Saturday’s game at
Vanderbilt. Game time is 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. CT in Nashville) and it will be
televised on ESPN.
Team Notes
Today’s game marked the third straight home contest against a Top-15 team (also
Florida and Texas A&M), the first time in school history that has happened.
o This marked the fifth time in school history that UK played three straight regular-
season games against a Top-15 opponent.
Alabama and Kentucky entered the game ranking first and third in the nation,
respectively, in points per game. Averaging a combined 178.2 points entering today, the
teams totaled 199 in today’s contest.
This was Kentucky’s first home loss of the season after winning the first 11 at home.
Seven Wildcats scored in double figures.
Player Notes
Otega Oweh tied his season high with 21 points, the fourth time he has hit that mark.
He has scored in double figures in every game this season.
o He had two steals, his sixth straight game with multiple thefts and 11th of the
season.
Lamont Butler had 17 points and tied his career high for assists with eight, the third
game this season with eight.
o He has had at least seven assists in four of the five SEC games.
o He also tied a career best for blocked shots with two.
Amari Williams nabbed 13 points and 11 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the
season.
Brandon Garrison collected 11 points, six rebounds and five assists in less than 19
minutes of action. It is his third double-figure scoring game of the season.
Jaxson Robinson had 11 points, his third straight double-figure game and 13th of the
season.
Koby Brea tossed in 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. He has made a 3-pointer
in every game this season and 33-straight contests overall.
o He also had a career best for blocked shots with three.
Ansley Almonor had his fourth double-figure game of the season with 10 points.
In the First Half
Kentucky’s starters were Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, Andrew
Carr and Amari Williams. UK has a 12-4 record with this lineup.
Koby Brea, Brandon Garrison and Travis Perry were the first substitutions at 15:41.
Kentucky jumped out to a 7-2 lead but Alabama took the lead with 11 quick points,
including a trio of 3-pointers.
Both teams stayed hot, and midway through the half, the game was tied at 28.
Trailing 40-37, Alabama closed the half on a 10-5 run and led 47-45 at intermission.
o Alabama’s Grant Nelson led all scorers with 19 points while Oweh and Williams
paced Kentucky with eight each.
o UK is now 2-4 this season when trailing at halftime.
In the Second Half
Kentucky began the second half with the starters.
Trailing 58-56, Alabama took the lead with a 10-0 run.
Kentucky eventually rallied to tie at 81 but Alabama took control with a 9-0 spurt and
hung on to win the game.
