Live Updates: Kentucky Wildcats at No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball
Second Half
- Alabama defeated Kentucky, 70-59, after an 18-5 run over the last 4:27 of action.
- Shackelford is fouled driving to the lane and he'll shoot two. He scores two, moving Alabama's lead to six, 60-54.
- Another Kentucky turnover, this time it's a steal by Ellis.
- Sarr is called for a goal tend and the Crimson Tide's lead extends to four, 58-54.
- Shackelford gets a steal and Gary finishes on the offensive end with a layup in transition. 56-54 Alabama with 2:59 left.
- Jones scores both and ties it at 54.
- Allen misses a tripe from the corner, which leads to Jackson fouling Jones on the other end. That's the big man's fourth.
- At the final media timeout, Kentucky will be at the free-throw line when play resumes. 3:57 left to play.
- Mintz puts the Wildcats up by two with a triple from the corner, 54-52.
- Coming out of the timeout, good ball-movement on Alabama's end results in a three-pointer by Shackelford. 52-51 Crimson Tide.
- Brooks gets the offensive board and scores the layup. Kentucky leads 51-49 with 7:03 to go.
- Ellis slams it home to tie it again at 49 after the Mintz tip-in.
- Boston drains a tough jumper over Ellis and its tied again at 47.
- Boston scores both. 47-45 Alabama.
- Ellis fouls Boston on the shot attempt. That's Ellis third foul.
- Shackelford makes a circus shot in the lane and that's Alabama first made basket from the field of the second half.
- Alabama is now in the double bonus with Quinerly headed to the line. He gives the Crimson Tide the lead again by knocking down to foul shots, 45-43.
- Gary misses both shots.
- Gary is now headed to the free-throw line after the foul by Boston. That's his third.
- Kentucky has missed its last four shots from the field.
- Shackelford scores both to tie it at 43.
- Shackelford will be at the free-throw line when play resumes from the under-12 minute media timeout. Kentucky still leads by two, 43-41. Alabama still hasn't made a shot from the field in this half — 0-of-7.
- Kentucky gets its first lead of the of the game on Sarr's mid-range jumper. 43-41 Wildcats.
- Jones gets Jackson to commit his third foul. The SEC-leader in blocks has to be taken out by Calipari.
- Allen ties it up at 41 with a three-pointer from the left corner.
- Jones makes both shots and Alabama's lead is back to three, 41-38. All of its second-half points have come from the free-throw line. 0-of-5 from the field to start.
- Jones drives to the rack on Jackson and is fouled on the dunk attempt. He'll shoot two.
- After the timeout, Petty only makes one of his two foul shots.
- The back-and-forth continues. Jackson nails a jumper and its back tied at 38.
- Askew is the first Wildcat in foul trouble with three and he sends Shackelford to the charity stripe. Shackelford converts both shots to put Alabama up 38-36.
- Sarr ties it up at 36 with a slam dunk.
- Petty just picked up his third foul as he is called for tripping.
- Jones is at the free-throw line and can only convert one.
- The Wildcats capitalize off the possession change and Sarr scores a layup.
- To start the period, Primo gets tied up with a Kentucky defender and a jump ball is called.
First Half
- Primo leads all scorers with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Jones has four points to go along with six rebounds and six assists.
- As time expires on the period, Quinerly drains a three-pointer to give Alabama a 35-32 lead at intermission. Before that trey, Alabama had only made one of its last 12 attempts from beyond-the-arc.
- Petty is called for his second foul, putting Jackson on the line. He sinks both shots. Tied at 32.
- Jones drives hard to the cup and scores two. 32-30 Alabama with 57 seconds left.
- Mintz chunks up a three-pointer with the shot clock expiring and it falls. Tied at 30.
- Allen's three-pointer cuts the Crimson Tide's advantage to one, but Petty responds with a nice layup.
- Sarr is back at the free-throw line and is only able to score one. 28-24 Alabama.
- Shackelford air-balls a three-pointer but Jones is there, under the basket, to score the offensive rebound.
- Sarr completes the three-point play.
- Sarr hits a mid-range jumper as he is fouled by Gary and he will be at the free-throw line when play resumes after the final media timeout of the half. 26-2 Alabama. 3:55 to go.
- Primo responds on the other end with his second three-pointer of the night. 26-20 Alabama.
- A shooting foul by Petty puts Sarr on the line and he makes both shots.
- Alabama is now in the bonus and Shackelford scores two from the charity stripe. 23-18 Crimson Tide.
- Kentucky can't convert either, missing its last four shot attempts.
- Last two trips on offensive have been missed three-pointers by Quinerly.
- Boston hits both foul shots.
- Rojas enters the game and is quickly called for two fouls in the span of this one offensive possession for Kentucky.
- Shackelford gets his own rebound and scores the tough two on the put-back.
- Reese walked off the court gingerly after that latest foul.
- Brooks is called for over-the-back foul on Reese and we have reach under-8 minute media break. 7:41 left in the half with Alabama holding on to an 19-16 advantage.
- Petty ends the drought for the Crimson Tide with a slam dunk. Crimson Tide back up by three, 19-16.
- A layup from Mintz makes it 17-16 Alabama.
- Mintz drains a triple from the wing and Alabama is on a scoring drought of almost four minutes.
- Back on the defensive end, the Crimson Tide aren't making it easy for the Wildcats. Shot-clock violation on Kentucky.
- Primo commits Alabama's sixth turnover so far on a drive to the basket.
- At the under-12 minute media timeout, Alabama still leads by five. 11:38 to play.
- Back-to-back turnovers by Quinerly have allowed Kentucky to cut the deficit to 17-12.
- Boston has checked back in and scores a tough runner in the lane on Jones.
- Gary makes another tough basket at the rim. Another assist by Jones. 17-8 Alabama.
- Ware can only make 1-of-2 at the charity stripe.
- Ellis is called for his second foul and Petty is coming on for him.
- Gary gets the pass down low and puts Sarr on a poster. 15-7 Alabama.
- Juwan Gary has entered the game for the Crimson Tide.
- Another Kentucky turnover. This time, it's a travel committed by Jacob Toppin.
- Ellis turns it over for Alabama, but Jones draws a charge from Jackson and the Crimson Tide have it right back.
- Lance Ware scores two from the free-throw line after the foul by Ellis.
- Keon Ellis, Keon Ambrose-Hylton, and Jahvon Quinerly are Alabama's first subs of the night.
- Jones is called for a travel on the layup attempt after the break.
- Alabama is still holding an 8-point lead at the first media timeout. It will be the Crimson Tide's ball when action resumes.
- Out of the break, Allen and Petty trade three-pointers. 13-5 Alabama.
- Primo stays hot, knocking down a triple from the top of the key. 10-2 Alabama and Calipari calls a timeout.
- Isaiah Jackson enters the game for Boston and he dunks one in for the Wildcats.
- Primo gets another designed play drew up for him and scores underneath the basket, 7-0 Crimson Tide.
- Primo puts Alabama up 5-0 with a layup on the other end.
- Boston rolled his ankle and is down for the Wildcats. He walks off the court with the trainer to a round of applause from the crowd inside Coleman. He is headed to the locker room.
- Reese opens the scoring with a three-pointer from the corner. Alabama is bringing it early defensively, too.
- Kentucky wins the tip and its first possession results in a miss by Sarr.
Pregame
- Ga'Qunicy 'Kool-Aid' McKinstry is back in the building again, dressed out in street clothes and on the bench.
- Tonight's officials are Mike Nance, Byron Jarrett, and Lee Cassell.
- Alabama starters: Jaden Shackelford, John Petty Jr., Josh Primo, Herb Jones, and Alex Reese.
- Kentucky starters: Devin Askew, Brandon Boston Jr., Davion Mintz, Keion Brooks Jr., and Olivier Sarr.
- Rojas just went through warmups and it appears that he will give it a go tonight. Bruner is dressed out and also went through warmups but he has not been medically cleared.
Game Preview
Tuesday night's meeting with Kentucky marks the halfway point of the Southeastern Conference schedule for the University of Alabama men's basketball team.
At 8-0 and holding a three-game lead on first place in the conference, the Crimson Tide is riding high.
After its latest victory over Mississippi State, coach Nate Oats and company will face the Wildcats for a second time this season. Back on Jan. 12, Alabama went into Rupp Area and walked away with a dominant 85-65 win.
This time in Coleman Coliseum, a win for the home team would mark the first single-season sweep of Kentucky since the 1988-1989 season.
Crimson Tide forward Jordan Bruner will miss his fourth straight game with a torn meniscus and forward James Rojas is questionable due to an undisclosed medical condition.
Kentucky is looking to turn their season around after an 82-69 defeat of LSU, breaking a three-game skid. The Wildcats are 5-9 overall and 4-3 in SEC play and a win over the 9th-ranked Crimson Tide could give coach John Calipari's young squad momentum into the second half of the season.
The Wildcats are led by talented freshman guard Brandon Boston Jr. who averages 12.4 points and 5.4 rebounds each time out. Freshman forward Isaiah Jackson leads the SEC in blocks at 3.0 a game.
Kentucky at No. 9/8 Alabama
Where: Coleman Coliseum
When: 6 p.m. CT, Tuesday
TV: ESPN
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network
Online: ESPN.com
Last time out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide squeaked past Mississippi State 81-73 behind Herb Jones' impressive stat line of 17 points, seven assists, five rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. Four others including Josh Primo (16), Jaden Shackelford (12), John Petty Jr. (12), and Alex Reese (11) finished in double-figures for Alabama. Forward James Rojas missed the contest due to a undisclosed medical condition.
Last time out, Kentucky: The Wildcats snapped a three-game skid with an 82-69 win over LSU. Freshman guard Brandon Boston Jr. poured in a team-high 18 points, to go along with six boards, three assists, one block, and a steal. Forwards Keion Brooks Jr. and Olivier Sarr combined for 28 points and 14 rebounds.
The series: This will be the 118th meeting between these two schools. Kentucky leads the series all-time with a record of 86-31. The Wildcats have won three of the last four meetings in Tuscaloosa, but the Crimson Tide came away victorious, 77-75, last time they met inside Coleman Coliseum. Overall, Kentucky has won 12 of the last 14 meetings between both schools dating back to March 4, 2014.
More on the last meeting: Alabama broke a 7-game losing streak at Rupp Arena back on Jan. 12 with a resounding 85-65 win over John Calipari's crew. Crimson Tide guards John Petty Jr. and Jaden Shackelford combined for 41 points and six three-pointers while Josh Primo dropped 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting.
