Bama Central

Live Updates From Alabama Basketball's SEC Opener Against Kentucky

Score updates and analysis as the Crimson Tide takes on the Wildcats in Coleman Coliseum.
Hunter De Siver|
Alabama Basketball vs. Kentucky at Coleman Coliseum
Alabama Basketball vs. Kentucky at Coleman Coliseum | BamaCentral

In this story:

Alabama Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 14 Alabama will play its 14th game of the regular season, and the first of SEC play, on Saturday at home against Kentucky.

The Crimson Tide finished 10-3 in nonconference play, with its losses coming against current No. 1 Arizona, No. 5 Purdue and No. 7 Gonzaga. UA is one of six teams ranked in the latest AP Top 25, joining No. 11 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Arkansas, No. 19 Tennessee, No. 22 Florida and No. 23 Georgia (Kentucky, Auburn and LSU received the 26th, 28th and 31st-most votes respectively).

The SEC opener against Kentucky will be a reunion for one Wildcat. Former Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate transferred to Kentucky on April 7, 2025. He scored a combined 25 points with 21 rebounds in Alabama's three games (all wins) against the Wildcats last season.

Follow along for live updates and analysis from Coleman Coliseum. Be sure to refresh your browser as the most recent events will be placed at the top of this page.

FINAL: Alabama 89, Kentucky 74

Second Half:

  • Aden Holloway looks like Steph Curry today. He's up to 25 (2 away from a new season-high)
  • TIMEOUT (3:37 2H): Alabama 81, Kentucky 70: The Wildcats keep fighting, but Labaron "The Closer" Philon is starting to emerge. He has 13 points in the second half.
  • Alabama is having trouble closing this one out.
  • TIMEOUT (7:10 2H): Alabama 76, Kentucky 63: Noah Williamson receives a standing ovation after being subbed out. In 13 minutes, he has 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a block. It's the game that everyone's been waiting for from him and he's arrived.
  • TIMEOUT (9:59 2H): Alabama 74, Kentucky 57: Season-high 8 points for Alabama center Noah Williamson in 11 minutes. Nate Oats and Preston Murphy are HYPED for him.
  • TIMEOUT (11:58 2H): Alabama 66, Kentucky 52: Bit of a better response from Alabama over the last few minutes. Aden Holloway is up to 22 points, including a 5 of 6 clip from deep. He also leads the Crimson Tide with four assists. He's 5 points away from a season-high.
  • Noah Williamson made one of the best plays of his season!
  • TIMEOUT (15:37 1H): Alabama 55, Kentucky 45: Not a great start to the second half for Alabama, as Kentucky leads the first four minutes 11-5. Alabama hasn't scored in over 2 minutes, as Otega Oweh is up to 18 points on the afternoon.

HALFTIME: Alabama 50, Kentucky 34

5 Standout Halftime Stats:

  • Aden Holloway & Houston Mallette combined for 30 points
  • Alabama is 10/22 from deep
  • Alabama leads 21-17 in rebounds (5 from Amari Allen)
  • Transfer Mo Dioubate has 4 points
  • Noah Williamson has 2 OREB in 5 minutes
  • Nate Oats to Crimson Tide Sports Network at halftime: "We got to take care of the ball better and we got to do a better job without fouling."
  • With the second half of Alabama-Kentucky moments away, Aiden Sherrell did not come out of the locker room with the rest of the Crimson Tide. However, Aiden Sherell joined the huddle a second before the second half. He's still in Alabama's uniform, but is off to the side of Alabama's bench.

First Half:

  • Alabama students started chanting “Mo you suck” to Mo Dioubate at the free-throw line.
  • "NOAH" chants for Alabama enter Noah Williamson chants break out in Coleman Coliseum after an offensive board and a bucket.
  • Amari Allen is back from Alabama's locker room with under four minutes remaining in the first half. He just checked into the game.
  • TIMEOUT (3:55 1H): Alabama 40, Kentucky 21: With Aiden Sherrell and Amari Allen in the locker room, Noah Williamson comes in and grabs a huge offensive rebound off a missed FT leading to a 3 by Houston Mallette. Coleman Coliseum went nuts during the sequence. Alabama is on a 7-0 run and Kentucky is 2 of its last 10 from the field.
  • Aiden Sherrell just limped to the bench and is being looked at by Alabama trainers. He's headed to the locker room, joining Amari Allen.
  • Alabama forward Amari Allen went down holding his foot/ankle area with about seven minutes remaining in the first half. Coleman Coliseum went silent as trainer Clarke Holter and head coach Nate Oats went to him before going straight to the locker room. Allen got a standing ovation on the way to the locker room.
  • TIMEOUT (7:48 1H): Alabama 27, Kentucky 16: Welcome to the party, Houston Mallette! He now leads Alabama in points with 8, including 2 threes. Kentucky hasn't scored in nearly three minutes and Alabama leads 14-9 on the glass.
  • TIMEOUT (11:44 1H): Alabama 19, Kentucky 12: Aden Holloway is up to 7 points. Amari Allen continues to fill the stat sheet as he's got 5 points, 5 rebounds (2 offensive) and 2 assists in 7 minutes on the floor, helping Alabama to 12-3 lead in the glass.
  • Alabama freshman forward London Jemison checks in for the first time since his knee injury against USF on Dec. 17. Coleman Coliseum cheered as he trotted onto the court.
  • TIMEOUT (15:32 1H): Alabama 9, Kentucky 5: It's the Amari Allen Show through the first four minutes, as he's up to 5 points and 3 rebounds. Great start for him on both ends. Alabama is on a 9-0 run with Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway also getting in the scoring column.
  • Looks like Mo Dioubate will be booed by Alabama fans every time he touches the ball today…

Pregame:

  • Former Alabama and current Kentucky forward Mo Dioubate booed during starting lineup intros.
  • Alabama game-time decisions London Jemison and Taylor Bol Bowen are in uniform with tipoff coming in a few minutes.

Starting Lineups:

Alabama
G Labaron Philon Jr.
G Aden Holloway
G Latrell Wrightsell Jr.
F Amari Allen
F Aiden Sherrell

Kentucky
G Otega Oweh
G Denzel Aberdeen
G Colin Chandler
F Mouhamed Dioubate
C Malachi Moreno

  • Stillman College’s band is filling in for the Million Dollar Band today and it’s incredible…
  • Former Alabama and current Kentucky forward Mo Dioubate arrives to Coleman Coliseum with boos from the crowd.
  • Jemsion and Bol Bowen are fully warming up with the team.

How to Watch: Alabama vs. Kentucky

Who: No. 14 Alabama (10-3, 0-0 SEC) vs. Kentucky (9-4, 0-0 SEC)

What: Alabama's first game of SEC Play

When: Saturday, Jan. 3, 11 a.m. CT

Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

TV: ESPN

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Color: Bryan Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

SiriusXM: Channel 84 (Alabama), Channel 387 (Kentucky)

Series: Kentucky leads 114-43 with the first matchup occurring on Feb. 13, 1923.

Last Meeting: The Crimson Tide rolled over Kentucky 99-70 in the 2025 SEC Tournament quarterfinal. Alabama never trailed and five players finished in double figures, including a season-high 21 points from Labaron Philon. Philon and guard Aden Holloway are the only two of the five double-digit scorers still at Alabama. Former Alabama and current Kentucky forward Mouhamed Dioubate also shined that day, as he logged 13 points, and team-highs in rebounds (8) and blocks (2).

Last time out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide dismantled Yale 102-78 at home on Dec. 29, 2025. Alabama set new season highs in made three-pointers (22) and offensive rebounds (21). Aden Holloway led all scorers with 26 points and dished seven assists. Amari Allen and Taylor Bol Bowen tied for the Alabama lead with nine rebounds. The Crimson Tide finished the contest with five players in double figures (Allen, Holloway, Houston Mallette, Jalil Bethea and Latrell Wrightsell Jr.).

Last time out, Kentucky: The Wildcats beat Bellarmine 99-85 on the road on Dec. 23, 2025. Kentucky's Kam Williams exploded off the bench with eight three-pointers on 10 attempts. Dioubate also shined with 20 points (9 of 11 from the field), five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Otega Oweh was two rebounds shy of a triple-double, as he also logged 10 points and 10 assists. As a full team, the Wildcats shot 59 percent from the field and 53 percent from deep.

Alabama Stat Leaders

  • Points: Labaron Philon Jr. (21.9 on 55.1 FG%)
  • Rebounds: Amari Allen (7.2, including 1.6 offensive)
  • Assists: Labaron Philon Jr. (5.6 with 2.8 turnovers)

Kentucky Stat Leaders

  • Points: Otega Oweh (14.2 on 45.9 FG%)
  • Rebounds: Malachi Moreno (6.5, including 2.5 offensive)
  • Assists: Denzel Aberdeen (3.2 with 1.3 turnovers)

Read More:

Subscribe to BamaCentral's Free Newsletter

Published | Modified
Hunter De Siver
HUNTER DE SIVER

Hunter De Siver is the lead basketball writer for BamaCentral and has covered Crimson Tide football since 2024. He previously distributed stories about the NFL and NBA for On SI and was a staff writer for Missouri Tigers On SI and Cowbell Corner. Before that, Hunter generated articles highlighting Crimson Tide products in the NFL and NBA for BamaCentral as an intern in 2022 and 2023. Hunter is a graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a degree in sports media in 2023.

Share on XFollow HunterDeSiver
Home/Basketball