The Cats and the Tide will face off once again.
It was a late night for the BBN as we watched the Kentucky Wildcats knock off the Oklahoma Sooners in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
It was a hard-fought matchup for the Cats in their first game of the weekend, and now they will get an Elite Eight-type game in the quarterfinals, as the Alabama Crimson Tide are coming to the plate.
This season, the Cats and the Tide faced off twice, with Nate Oats’s squad bringing home both victories. However, they were close ones.
In the first matchup, it was a shootout in Lexington, but Grant Nelson’s huge game propelled Alabama to the win. Then in the rematch, Kentucky came out and landed some big punches early but had too many injuries to push them over the hump.
Sadly, it looks like Lamont Butler will be out for this after hurting his previously injured shoulder vs. Oklahoma early on, leading to him missing the remainder of the game. Butler played in the home loss to Bama but was out for the road rematch.
Now, the hope for the fanbase is this: It’s hard to beat a team three times.
An old saying about sports can sometimes ring true, especially in close matchups like this one. Especially if the Cats can get some solid play from Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr, and Koby Brea.
CATS WIN!!!
(A lot is going on in this video) pic.twitter.com/7KkIWJ4Hy2
— Dylan Ballard (@DylanBallard_UK) March 14, 2025
When it comes to whoever is at point guard and Carr, they will be facing off with the Tide’s two best players in Mark Sears and Grant Nelson. Slow them down, and then Kentucky will have a shot to pick up the win.
When it comes to Brea, by this point, it is no secret that when he plays well, the Cats stand a good chance to win. If he can get hot from deep, watch out, folks.
With another late start in the deck, Broadway and Bridgestone Arena are going to be rocking with “Go Big Blue” chants and plenty of fans screaming “Roll Tide.”
Kentucky Basketball vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Date: Friday, March 14th, 2025
Time: Approximately 9:30 PM ET
TV: SEC Network
Online Stream: ESPN+ or ESPN app
Kentucky Radio: UK Sports Network call with Tom Leach and Jack Givens
Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Alabama favored by 5.5 points with an over/under of 179.5. EvanMiya projects Alabama to be a six-point favorite with a 70.8% chance of winning. KenPom gives the Tide a 62% chance of winning, while BartTorvik has it at 63%. DRatings give them a 63.6% chance of winning.
Predictions: EvanMiya picks Alabama to win 93-87. KenPom projects a 92-88 win for the Tide, while DRatings has them winning 86-80. BartTorvik is going with a 94-90 Bama win. With Butler likely out, I’m going with the Tide to win 87-77.
Send us your Kentucky vs. Alabama predictions in the comments section!
And as always, Go Cats!!