Alabama already has a clear blueprint for success as it opens Southeastern Conference play against Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa.
Last season, the Crimson Tide overwhelmed the Wildcats three times, averaging 99 points per game in the process. That offensive benchmark looms large again as No. 14 Alabama (10-3) prepares to face Kentucky (9-4) in a matchup that promises pace, pressure, and points.
Few teams in the country score as efficiently as Alabama. The Crimson Tide average 94.5 points per game — eighth nationally — and have crossed the 100-point mark five times this season. Kentucky’s offense checks in at 84.9 points per game, ranking 62nd.
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope understands the challenge of slowing down Alabama’s attack, particularly in an environment where tempo rarely slows.
“Our communication is just massively key on the defensive end,” Pope said. “It’s going to be all conference long — maybe in no case more important than at Alabama.”
That emphasis didn’t pay off a year ago. Alabama scored 102, 96, and 99 points in three wins over Kentucky, capped by a 29-point blowout in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. The stretch marked Alabama’s first three-game winning streak over Kentucky in a rivalry historically dominated by the Wildcats.
Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats isn’t concerned about potential defensive wrinkles this time around.
“However you want to guard us,” Oats said, “I think we’ve got good answers.”
Alabama is expected to get a major boost with the return of star guard Labaron Philon Jr., who missed one game due to a lower-leg contusion. Philon leads the SEC in scoring at 21.9 points per game and also tops Alabama in assists (5.6) and steals (17). He’s shooting an impressive 55.1 percent from the field.
“He’s really hard to contain,” Pope said. “He’s so great off the bounce. He’s an elite-level playmaker — a passer who can really thread the needle.”
Kentucky will feature a familiar face in forward Mouhamed Dioubate, who spent the previous two seasons at Alabama before transferring. Dioubate ranks second on the Wildcats in scoring at 12.3 points per game, trailing Otega Oweh (14.2), and is second in rebounding at 6.4 per contest.
“You didn’t really have to coach him to be tough,” Oats said. “That’s who he is.”
Alabama enters the matchup on a three-game winning streak, with its only losses this season coming against ranked opponents — Purdue, Gonzaga, and Arizona.
“Non-conference is over with,” Oats said. “10-3 with the schedule we had is not bad. We’d like to have gotten a few more wins, but I think we got better.”
When Philon was sidelined against Yale, Aden Holloway delivered a breakout performance, scoring a career-high 26 points while knocking down five three-pointers. Holloway is second on the team in scoring at 17.6 points per game and leads Alabama with 33 made threes.
Kentucky hasn’t played since a 99-85 win over Bellarmine on Dec. 23, extending its winning streak to four games. Kam Williams scored a career-high 26 points in that contest, drilling eight three-pointers, while Dioubate added 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
All four of Kentucky’s losses this season have come against ranked opponents — Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, and Gonzaga — making the SEC opener another major test.
For Alabama, the goal is simple: keep the tempo high and the scoreboard moving. For Kentucky, the challenge is equally clear — find a way to slow down one of college basketball’s most explosive offenses.
