Primetime Performance Propels Alabama Over Kentucky

Tuscaloosa, Ala. - The Crimson Tide returned home for a Saturday afternoon matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats, with Alabama trying to right the ship following back-to-back losses to a pair of Tigers, Auburn and Missouri.

Slow starts have plagued the Crimson Tide recently in SEC play, and Alabama head coach Nate Oats took note by altering the Tide's practice format down the stretch of the season.

On Saturday against Kentucky, the Crimson Tide started faster than they did against Auburn or Missouri, but still found itself on the trailing end of the contest at the first media timeout, trailing 16-9 despite good shots by Mark Sears and Aden Holloway. Sears started the contest, and Holloway rotated in at the first chance Oats got to substitute.

Alabama then won the next four minutes, going on a 7-0 run to force Kentucky to take a timeout. The Crimson Tide played an incredible offense, led by Mark Sears who, in 30 seconds, made a three, forced a turnover, scored a layup, and then forced an offensive foul to spark the Alabama offense. Labaron Philon and Clifford Omoruyi connected for a big alley-oop that set the tone for the remainder of the game despite Alabama still being down at the under-12-minute media timeout.

The first half was a beautiful display of offense from Kentucky and Mark Sears, with the Wildcats shooting 50 percent from three-point range to start the first quarter of the game before cooling off as we got closer to halftime. Sears was the first Alabama player to enter double-digit points and Holloway was feeling it from three-point range, hitting shots from the state of Alabama at midcourt.

Alabama continued to display offensive firepower with Aden Holloway heating up from three-point range, Mouhamed Dioubate earning the blue-collar points on the offensive side, and Sears fighting through contact to draw a foul and an opportunity to score from the free-throw line. The Crimson Tide was flexing its muscle on offense with a 20-4 run just before the final media timeout of the first half.

Alabama rolled into halftime with a lot of strong momentum, in partial contribution from the Coleman Coliseum crowd, who did not let back-to-back losses stop them from showing up to support the Crimson Tide against the Wildcats on a Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. The All-American star Mark Sears paced for his second straight 30-point performance with 15 points on 50 percent shooting from the field against Kentucky. Aden Holloway was also pacing for a 20-point day for the Tide with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range in the first half.

Kentucky saw highlights from several players as well in the first half, with Andrew Carr shooting 50 percent from three and Koby Brea leading the way with 11 points (nine coming from three-point range).

The second half would be a war for both Alabama and Kentucky.

Kentucky came out like a veteran boxer throwing body blows in the second half. The Wildcats jumped out to a 7-0 run early in the second half while playing physical defense on Alabama's two top scorers (Sears and Holloway) to slow down the offensive onslaught from the Crimson Tide.

Alabama's response to a bigger lineup for Kentucky wasn't to match but to minimize and speed up their play. Philon, Sears, and Holloway were all on the court as Alabama and Kentucky raced up and down the court. It worked in Alabama's favor with earned blue-collar points for Philon as he earned an and-one opportunity at the 10-minute mark in the second half.

The path for Kentucky became apparent with seven minutes left in the game. Clifford Omoruyi and Grant Nelson could only watch from the bench (both had four fouls) as Kentucky tried to be physical in the paint to claw its way back into the game.

Alabama quickly put a safety net of points between themselves and the Wildcats with a 10-2 run over the next three minutes, capped by a Holloway layup with touch to bring Coleman Coliseum closer to the first victory in over a week.

Alabama's defense was a major contributor to the victory, with Kentucky's leading scorer on the game, Otega Oweh, fouling out well before the end of the game with only two points on the day. It was the first time Oweh did not score in double digits in a game this season for Kentucky.

Was it a perfect win? By no means, but Alabama did do what Nate Oats wanted to see from his team - play fast, intense, and with more effort. The Crimson Tide still have areas of improvement, but a 96-83 win over top-20 Kentucky at home, amidst the brutal schedule remaining for the Crimson Tide, is something any Alabama fan will be happy taking to the bank.

Alabama Stat Leaders

Points: Mark Sears - 30 points
Rebounds: Clifford Omoruyi - 15 rebounds
Assists: Mark Sears - 4 assists

Alabama Players in Double Digit Points

Mark Sears - 30 points
Aden Holloway - 19 points
Chris Youngblood - 14 points
Clifford Omoruyi - 11 points

Alabama will now look to begin a new win streak next Tuesday when the Crimson Tide (22-5, 11-3) hosts the Mississippi State Bulldogs (19-8, 7-7). Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. CT.

Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.