No. 4 Alabama puts Kentucky away in final minutes. Pope suffers first loss in Rupp Arena.

With a little more than five minutes left in the game, a total of 162 points had been scored.

And it was all tied up.

The first SEC battle between Kentucky and Alabama lived up to expectations Saturday afternoon in Rupp Arena, which hosted two of the most explosive offenses — and two of the best college basketball teams, period — for a little more than two hours.

In the end, No. 4 Alabama made the plays down the stretch to beat the eighth-ranked Wildcats 102-97.

The game was in question going down to the final minute, with Brandon Garrison’s slam dunk tying things up at 81 and reigniting a Rupp crowd that was loud all day long.

There was still more than five minutes to be played after that jam, and Bama struck right back, scoring quickly on the other end and going on a 9-0 run — to take a 90-81 lead — before Lamont Butler’s and-one play with 2:29 left cut the Crimson Tide’s lead to six. Alabama star Mark Sears was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer on the next possession, and he made all three foul shots to extend the lead back to nine. UK never threatened again.

It was the Wildcats’ first loss in Rupp Arena in its first season under head coach Mark Pope, who had guided Kentucky to an 11-0 record at home until Saturday. UK was also 5-0 against teams in the AP top 15 before losing to fourth-ranked Bama.

Otega Oweh tied his season high with 21 points and added six rebounds and three assists before fouling out late in the game. He was one of seven Kentucky players scoring in double figures. Butler had 17 points (with eight assists), Amari Williams tallied 13 points (with 11 rebounds), Jaxson Robinson and Garrison scored 11 each, and Ansley Almonor and Koby Brea added 10 apiece.

Grant Nelson led the Crimson Tide with 25 points, the most he’s scored during a game in his time with Alabama after playing his first three years at North Dakota State and transferring to Tuscaloosa before the 2023-24 season. Sears scored 24 for the Tide.

Bama outscored Kentucky 29-16 at the foul line, with the visitors getting 14 more free throws over the course of the game. UK was called for 25 fouls, to 21 for the Tide.

Alabama went on a 10-0 run early in the second half to turn a 58-56 deficit into a 66-58 lead, but that eight-point advantage was the largest for either team until the Tide’s tiebreaking 9-0 run toward the end, and much of the contest was played with just possession separating the two explosive offenses.

UK and Bama came into the game tied in the SEC standings and sporting identical records. Alabama improved to 15-3 on the season and 4-1 in the league. Kentucky is now 14-4 and 3-2 in SEC play.

Kentucky went up 7-2 to get the Rupp crowd rocking early. Alabama then scored on nine consecutive possessions — going 8-for-8 from the field and 4-for-4 from 3-point range during that stretch — to take a 24-17 lead. Toward the end of that run, Kentucky began a stretch of scoring on eight straight possessions — going 6-for-6 from the field, 4-for-4 from deep — and that flurry came to an end with the game tied at 28.

That was the score at the exact midway point of the first half, setting the tone for a matchup that had been billed as an offensive powder keg and delivered on the promise right out of the gate.

Both teams cooled off from there — the halftime score was 47-45, and the Tide missed 12 straight 3-pointers during one stretch — but there were plenty more fireworks in the second half.

Butler (questionable) and Andrew Carr (probable) were both on Kentucky’s mandatory SEC injury report Friday night due to injuries, but both were in the starting lineup as usual for the noon tipoff. Butler was wearing a brace on his left shoulder, however, after suffering an injury during the Wildcats’ win over Texas A&M on Tuesday night. Carr continued to stand during timeouts and while he was on the bench to keep his injured back loose.

Kentucky will now get some time off between games, with no midweek matchup on the schedule for the only time during conference play. The Cats next travel to Vanderbilt on Jan. 25 (2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN). The Commodores are in their first season under new head coach Mark Byington, who has instituted a new playing style that features the third-fastest tempo in the SEC (behind only Alabama and Kentucky).

Vandy entered Saturday with a 14-3 overall record and a 2-2 mark in the SEC. The Dores were listed as the “first team out” of the 2025 NCAA Tournament field in the latest Bracketology update from ESPN.

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