KSR Gameday: Kentucky looking for revenge in road rematch vs. No. 4 Alabama

Good morning, folks! Kentucky’s third and final repeat matchup of the regular season is almost here. After coming up short in a high-scoring affair in Rupp Arena on Jan. 18, the No. 17 Wildcats will look to respond in round two with a shorthanded group this evening against the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide.

Let’s start with the shorthandedness. Last night’s SEC Availability Report made official what we already mostly assumed: Kentucky will be without Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson for the rematch. Both played in the first matchup against Alabama, combining to score 28 points in what was a 102-97 loss to the Tide. 46 total fouls were called in that game, which lasted over 2.5 hours.

Mark Pope will have to find those extra 28 points elsewhere today. Collin Chandler stepped up earlier this week against Vanderbilt; Pope will need impactful performances from him and the other two freshmen. The ‘Cats will lean heavily on Amari Williams and Otega Oweh to pick up the slack. Big games from Koby Brea and/or Andrew Carr will be necessary. A lot will have to go right for the ‘Cats.

With all that in mind, it’s no wonder Alabama is considered a 10.5-point home favorite by FanDuel as of this morning. KenPom projects a 94-88 win for the Tide. This is not the opponent to be missing a couple of key guards/ball handlers against. Coleman Coliseum will be jam-packed for its White Out. Dickie V will join Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes courtside on the call. This is a scenario we’ve seen before though for Pope and his guys, and Kentucky has found ways to come out on the winning side. Picking up a victory tonight might be the most impressive of the season if UK can pull it off.

But we’ve got a while before tipoff. Dive into some of our pregame content below and also catch up on the rest of this morning’s news and notes.

• KSR Staff Predictions: No. 17 Kentucky at No. 4 Alabama
• Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson make progress toward returns from injury for Kentucky
• Mark Pope is not on the Naismith Coach of the Year Watch List and you should be mad about it
• Kerr Kriisa is in a ‘race to get healthy’ while weighing medical redshirt: “He is (closer).”
• Kentucky holding as a 3-seed in Bracketology, which includes a wild 2nd Round scenario
• Mark Pope on Kentucky floods: “It’s important we remember what’s going on around this state right now”
• When healthy, Kentucky has one of the best starting fives in college basketball
• Grant Nelson’s recent struggles could help Kentucky flip the script in rematch
• Kentucky Needs Rupp Arena Koby Brea on the Road

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Kentucky vs. Alabama: How to Watch, Listen

• Date, Time: Saturday, 6:00 p.m. EST
• Television: ESPN (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes, Dick Vitale)
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 84 (UA Radio) or 191 (UK Radio)
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tip-off, or join the conversation on KSBoard

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A pair of wins for Baseball and Softball

Kentucky baseball and softball picked up victories on Friday with more games on the docket today (and the rest of the weekend).

The No. 23 Bat Cats opened up its road series against Belmont with a 2-1 win on Friday — and yes, it was freezing cold. Offense was hard to come by on both ends as Kentucky struck out 14 Belmont batters while allowing just two hits and no walks. A run in the first and sixth innings was just enough to push the ‘Cats over the edge. The weather has not been kind to UK to start the season, but Nick Mingione has his team off to a 2-1 start.

• Saturday @ Belmont: 2:00 PM EST
• Sunday @ Belmont 2:00 PM EST

(No live stream, follow @DanielHagerKSR for updates)

Meanwhile, Kentucky softball (7-5) went 1-1 on Friday to start the 2025 I-75 Tournament in Atlanta, opening with a 3-1 loss to Coastal Carolina before bouncing back to run-rule Georgia Tech 10-0 in five innings. Rachel Lawson’s squad struggled again at the plate in game one but bounced back with some lineup changes that provided a much-needed offensive spark in game two.

• Saturday vs. Memphis: 12:00 PM EST
• Saturday vs. Georgia Tech: 3:30 PM EST
• Sunday vs. Kennesaw State: 11:00 AM EST

(No live stream, follow @EBeavinKSR for updates)

UK Gymnastics comes up short vs. No. 3 LSU

Although there was no Livvy Dunne in action, a sold-out Memorial Coliseum featuring over 6,000 fans was still rocking as No. 9 Kentucky gymnastics hosted No. 3 LSU in a massive showdown. The ‘Cats (5-4; 2-3 SEC) managed to win titles in all four apparatus but failed to come away with the outright win, falling 197.200-197.075 in a tight contest.

Isabella Magnelli picked up titles on vault and beam, growing her career win total to 22. Meanwhile, Delaynee Rodriguez received her first college win on bars as Creslyn Brose won her first event title of the season on floor.

Saturday’s loaded CBB schedule

TIME (EST)/TV	MATCHUP
12:00 PM (ESPN)	No. 6 Tennessee @ No. 7 Texas A&M
12:00 PM (FOX)	Oregon @ No. 11 Wisconsin
12:00 PM (The CW Network)	Florida State @ No. 25 Louisville
1:00 PM (ESPN+)	West Virginia @ No. 9 Texas Tech
1:00 PM (SEC Network)	No. 21 Mississippi State @ Oklahoma
2:00 PM (ESPN/ESPN+)	No. 8 Iowa State @ No. 5 Houston
3:30 PM (SEC Network)	No. 24 Ole Miss @ Vanderbilt
4:00 PM (ESPN)	Georgia @ No. 1 Auburn
4:00 PM (ACC Network)	No. 18 Clemson @ SMU
4:00 PM (CBS/CBSSN)	Oklahoma State @ No. 23 Kansas
6:00 PM (ESPN)	No. 17 Kentucky @ No. 4 Alabama
6:00 PM (SEC Network)	No. 2 Florida @ LSU
8:00 PM (FOX)	No. 3 Duke @ Illinois
8:00 PM (ESPN)	No. 15 Missouri @ Arkansas
10:00 PM (ESPN)	BYU @ No. 19 Arizona