Three Things to Watch For in Alabama's Home Matchup Against Kentucky

Storylines and game info for the Crimson Tide's 14th SEC game in 2025 against the Wildcats.

Alabama forward Jarin Stevenson (15) celebrates against Auburn at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, AL on Saturday, Feb 15, 2025. | Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— No. 4 Alabama men's basketball hasn't had the best last few days.

This past Saturday, the Crimson Tide was on the losing end of a historic Iron Bowl of Basketball home game against No. 1 Auburn. On Wednesday night, Alabama lost once again in a road matchup against No. 15 Missouri.

Each of the Tide's final seven matchups of the regular season are against ranked teams and Alabama's already lost the first two. Nevertheless, the Crimson Tide aims to finish the regular season strong, starting with No. 17 Kentucky at home on Saturday evening.

Here are three things to watch for in Coleman Coliseum and on ESPN:

1. The Moments After Tipoff

In last week's loss to Auburn, Alabama fell behind 9-0 to start the game and lost by nine points. Wednesday at Missouri, the Tigers jumped out to a 12-0 lead, and even after clawing back in the second half, the Crimson Tide went on to lose by 12 points.

"We've got to have better starts," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said during Friday's press conference. "And the one common denominator has been those four fifth-year guys in the starting lineup. And they're all great kids that want to perform well, and they're down on themselves. So it's not like they need me to pile on. So it's not like they need me to pile on they need to make sure that they're fresh and ready to go and shot out of the cannon tomorrow, and I'm hoping that's what we see tomorrow."

Oats said Friday's practice was the lightest all year with the goal of recharging his players mentally and physically. Maybe all that's needed to prevent another fast start for the opponent is just a reset.

2. Can Alabama's Defense Step Up?

Alabama's defense was a disaster against Missouri as it allowed the Tigers to score their most points in an SEC game in program history. While the Crimson Tide's defensive efficiency has improved a ton since last season, its points allowed per game haven't as in both years Alabama's been in the bottom-30 of that stat category.

"We've gotta get back to our fundamentals," Oats said on Friday. "Our transition [defense], we've gotta get back and talk. What's our communication been? It hasn't been good enough. We haven't been good. So, we've gotta get back, we've gotta get matched up, we've gotta get our defense set."

The Tide must find a way to perform well on both ends of the floor throughout this gauntlet of a final stretch as some opponents are dominant offensively while others are stout defensively. Kentucky certainly falls into this category, as despite numerous injuries, the Wildcats are still No. 3 in the country in points per game.

3. Keep an Eye on the Glass

The rebounding battle in Alabama's first game against Kentucky played a pivotal role in the outcome. The game was practically even from start to finish and the same could be said about the numbers on the glass. Alabama had 11 offensive rebounds and 25 defensive rebounds while the Wildcats had 11 offensive rebounds and 24 defensive rebounds.

That said, this was a slight outlier of a game for Alabama as it typical averages 13.6 offensive boards. Just a couple more on Saturday evening could make the difference in the second-chance points department, however, Kentucky's 28.9 defensive rebounds per game ranks fifth in the country.