Who's Playing
Alabama Crimson Tide @ Kentucky Wildcats
Current Records: Alabama 14-3, Kentucky 14-3
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 12 p.m. ET
- Where: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center -- Lexington, Kentucky
- TV: ESPN
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $120.00
What to Know
We've got another exciting SEC matchup on schedule as the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Kentucky Wildcats are set to tip at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Coming off a loss in a game the Crimson Tide were expected to win, they now face the more daunting task of proving themselves against unfavorable odds.
Alabama is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Ole Miss just ended the team's eight-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell 74-64 to the Rebels. The match marked the Crimson Tide's lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Despite the loss, Alabama had strong showings from Aden Holloway, who went 5 for 6 en route to 15 points plus six rebounds, and Mark Sears, who scored 11 points plus five assists. The dominant performance also gave Holloway a new career-high in field goal percentage (83.3%).
Alabama struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Kentucky earned an 81-69 win over Texas A&M on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Wildcats.
Kentucky can attribute much of their success to Jaxson Robinson, who earned 22 points along with eight rebounds. Otega Oweh was another key player, scoring 11 points along with three steals.
Alabama's defeat ended an eight-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 14-3. As for Kentucky, their victory was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-3.
Saturday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Alabama has been crazy accurate this season, having drained 47.1% of their field goals per game. However, it's not like Kentucky struggles in that department as they've made 48.4% of their field goals this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
While only Alabama took care of their fans the last time they played, neither team managed to cover. Going forward, Kentucky is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 1.5 points. For those looking to play the spread, take note: Alabama is a solid 3-0 against the spread when playing as the underdog.
Odds
Kentucky is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Alabama, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 179 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Kentucky has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Alabama.
- Feb 24, 2024 - Kentucky 117 vs. Alabama 95
- Jan 07, 2023 - Alabama 78 vs. Kentucky 52
- Feb 19, 2022 - Kentucky 90 vs. Alabama 81
- Feb 05, 2022 - Kentucky 66 vs. Alabama 55
- Jan 26, 2021 - Alabama 70 vs. Kentucky 59
- Jan 12, 2021 - Alabama 85 vs. Kentucky 65
- Jan 11, 2020 - Kentucky 76 vs. Alabama 67
- Mar 15, 2019 - Kentucky 73 vs. Alabama 55
- Jan 05, 2019 - Alabama 77 vs. Kentucky 75
- Mar 10, 2018 - Kentucky 86 vs. Alabama 63
