Recap
Kentucky Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes
Coleman Coliseum | Tuscaloosa, Ala.
February 22, 2025
Attendance: 13,474
FINAL SCORE: No. 17/21 Kentucky 83, No. 4/4 Alabama 96
Team Records and Series Notes
- Kentucky is now 18-9 overall, 7-7 in the Southeastern Conference. Alabama is now 22-5 overall, 11-3 in the league.
- Kentucky leads the series, 117-43, including 32-27 in Tuscaloosa.
- Mark Pope is 205-117 as head coach, including 18-9 at Kentucky.
- Kentucky rounds out a two-game road swing at Oklahoma on Feb. 26 at 9 p.m. ET. The game will air on SEC Network.
Team Notes
- Alabama entered the game as the No. 1 scoring offense in the country at 90.6 points per game, while Kentucky entered at No. 3 at 85.8 points per game
- Alabama shot 52 percent from the field, UK is 1-4 this year when allowing opponents to shoot over 50 percent
- UK is now 7-2 against AP Top-15 opponents this season, both losses coming to Alabama
- Kentucky had 13 steals in the contest, the team’s most in an SEC game this season and tied for the second most by the Wildcats across all games in 2024-25
- With Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson and Kerr Kriisa out tonight, UK has played only seven games this season at full strength.
Player Notes
- Amari Williams had 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes
- It was his ninth double-double of the year, seventh in SEC play
- Williams has now scored at least 17 points in three consecutive games, the first time he has done so in his collegiate career
- Williams is up to 81 assists on the season, a school record for a 7-footer (previous was Sam Bowie with 66 in 1983-84).
- The 17-11-6 game is the first by a 7-footer in the SEC since at least 1996-97 and the second nationally against a top-25 opponent during that time. The other player to record that line against a top-25 opponent was Akolda Manyang at Utah Valley against Duke on Nov. 11, 2017. Mark Pope was the head coach at Utah Valley at the time
- Williams is the first Kentucky player with at least 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists since Jack Givens at Alabama on Jan. 29, 1977
- Koby Breafinished with 20 points, his fourth game with at least 20 points this year and the seventh of his college career
- Brea was 4-10 from 3-point range, it is his sixth game with at least four made 3s this season
- Andrew Carr had 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He was 3-of-5 from deep, his most made threes this season and tied for the most in his college career
- Carr was a team-best +11 in the contest
- Collin Chandler had multiple steals for the second consecutive game and scored five points
- Travis Perry set new career-highs with 12 points and four steals
In the First Half
- Kentucky’s starters were Travis Perry, Koby Brea, Otega Oweh, Andrew Carrand Amari Williams, UK is 1-1 with this starting lineup
- Collin Chandler and Brandon Garrison were UK’s first substitutions at 16:29.
- Kentucky led 16-9 at the first media timeout, thanks in part to eight points by Andrew Carr in the first 4:41 of game time
- UK stretched the lead to 20-9, before a 7-0 run by Alabama made the score 20-18 at the under 12 media timeout
- After Kentucky took its largest lead at 30-18, Alabama went on a 15-2 run to regain the advantage, 33-32 with 5:07 remaining in the opening stanza
- Alabama led 47-40 at the intermission
- Brea led the Wildcats with 11 first-half points
- UK is now 3-8 this season when trailing at halftime
In the Second Half
- Kentucky began the second half with the starters.
- Down by 11 at 53-42, Kentucky reeled off seven straight points to cut the lead to 53-49
- Kentucky was within three at 63-60 with 11:20 remaining
- Leading 70-66 with 8:18 remaining, Alabama went on a 8-0 run to gain a 12-point advantage
- The Wildcats cut the deficit to seven at 86-79 after a Collin Chandler 3-pointer with 2:52 on the clock, but would get no closer
- After six first-half triples, UK made just three 3s after halftime
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