Kentucky will look to add another upset win to their resume against Alabama

Survive and advance is the name of the game this time of year. That is exactly what Kentucky pulled off against Oklahoma on Thursday night at the SEC Tournament. Despite a catastrophic meltdown in the final minute, a game-winning Otega Oweh bucket gave the Cats an outright win as a 6.5-point favorite.

That gives Mark Pope‘s team an opportunity to be in a spot they have thrived in.

Alabama is currently a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 179.5 in the No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup in the SEC Tournament. That’s a projected final score of 93.5-86. This will the 11th time that Kentucky has been a betting underdog this season.

The Cats have typically played their best in this against-the-spread (ATS) spot.

Game	Result	ATS Record (Outright Record)
No. 19 Kentucky (+5.5) vs. No. 6 Duke	Won 77-72	1-0 (1-0)
No. 4 Kentucky (+6) vs. No. 7 Gonzaga	Won 90-89 (OT)	2-0 (2-0)
No. 6 Kentucky (+5.5) at No. 14 Mississippi State	Won 95-90	3-0 (3-0)
No. 12 Kentucky (+10.5) at No. 8 Tennessee	Won 78-73	4-0 (4-0)
No. 14 Kentucky (+5.5) at No. 25 Ole Miss	Lost 98-84	4-1 (4-1)
No. 5 Tennessee at No. 15 Kentucky (+3.5)	Won 75-64	5-1 (5-1)
No. 15 Kentucky (+4.5) at Texas	Lost 82-78	6-1 (5-2)
No. 17 Kentucky (+12.5) at No. 4 Alabama	Lost 96-83	6-2 (5-3)
No. 1 Auburn at No. 17 Kentucky (+4.5)	Lost 94-78	6-3 (5-4)
No. 19 Kentucky (+6) at No. 15 Missouri	Won 91-83	7-3 (6-4)
No. 15 Kentucky (+7.5) vs. No. 5 Alabama	TBD	TBD

Kentucky is 7-3 ATS with six outright wins as an underdog this season. Five of those wins have occurred as a dog of five-plus points. UK is 4-2 ATS with four outright upsets against top-10 teams. Can the Cats pull off another big upset on Friday night at Bridgestone Arena?

Alabama is 6-3 ATS under Nate Oats against Kentucky with two outright upsets wins. The Tide covered as a double-digit favorite against UK earlier this season despite falling into a 30-18 hole with 9:37 left in the first half. Bama is 3-1 ATS against the Cats as a favorite under Oats.

The SEC quarterfinals matchup is a spot where Kentucky has performed well all season, but Alabama has been good as a favorite against UK.