No. 17 Kentucky used an offensive outburst to knock off SEC-leading No. 13 Alabama 117-95 at Rupp Arena on Saturday. In the 158th all-time meeting between the SEC programs, Kentucky set a record for the most points scored in a single outing against the Crimson Tide. Kentucky also set a school record for most points against a ranked opponent.
The Wildcats (19-8, 9-5 SEC) recorded their first Quad 1 win at home this season after dropping the previous three chances against Florida, Tennessee and Gonzaga. Kentucky scored 58 points in the first 20 minutes of action, which marked its most points scored in a first half against a ranked opponent since a game against Arkansas in 1998.
Kentucky freshman guard Justin Edwards finished with a career-high 28 points on a perfect 10-of-10 shooting from the floor. Edward's big day was the most made field goals without a miss under coach John Calipari at Kentucky.
Alabama (19-8, 11-3) had won seven of its last eight games dating back to a road loss to Tennessee.
The Crimson Tide played without guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (injury) and forward Mohamed Wague (suspension). Wague was issued a one-game suspension by the SEC after he elbowed Florida's Alex Condon in the head during a 98-93 win over Florida.
Kentucky's ceiling remains sky-high
You can (realistically) count on two hands how many teams have a national championship ceiling. After watching what Kentucky did against the SEC leader this weekend, you can put them in the conversation as one of the top contenders to cut down the nets this spring. It doesn't hurt UK has the No. 3 offense in the country and enough talent to compete with anyone.
Kentucky still hasn't fixed the defensive woes that will prevent them from winning the SEC regular season title. You also can't overlook the recent performances against Gonzaga, Tennessee, Florida and LSU that make them a boom-or-bust option come tournament time.
When Kentucky's offense is cooking like it was this weekend, they're hard to stop. It's tenfold when other players not named Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and Antonio Reeves are scoring.
A former five-star recruit and McDonald's All-American, Edwards has been up and down through his freshman campaign. He appears to be turning a corner in the last few weeks. That would raise Kentucky's ceiling even more. Add in the fact that veteran forward Tre Mitchell didn't play and there's strong reason to believe performances like this could become the norm for the home stretch.
Alabama vs. Tennessee could be a de facto SEC title game
Alabama's path to win the outright SEC title just got more complicated. Three of the Crimson Tide's final four games are against Quad 1 opponents and next weekend's showdown with No. 5 Tennessee in Tuscaloosa looms large.
Tennessee is in action late on Saturday against Texas A&M at home. If the Vols win that game, they would move into a first-place tie with Alabama at the top of the SEC standings. Tennessee won the first matchup on Jan. 20 against Alabama, meaning a win over the Crimson Tide would give them the season series and the head-to-head tiebreaker.
South Carolina and Auburn aren't far behind Alabama and Tennessee in the conference standings. The Gamecocks remain one game back, while Auburn is 1.5 games behind heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Saturday was an opportunity for Alabama to build some cushion at the top before a tough stretch against Ole Miss, Tennessee, Florida and Arkansas. The Crimson Tide control their destiny to wrap up a third SEC title in the last four seasons, but it's certainly not going to be easy.
