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POINT SPREAD: Opening Line for Kentucky vs. Alabama

Nick Roushby:Nick Roush02/23/24

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© George Walker IV / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kentucky is back at home for a blockbuster matchup with Alabama, the top team in the Southeastern Conference. The Big Blue Nation has left Rupp Arena following similar contests with the agony of defeat. Will it repeat, or can Kentucky secure another significant win in league play?

The Las Vegas oddsmakers have handicapped the SEC duel and unveiled a point spread. Kentucky opens as a 1.5-point favorite (+100) on FanDuel. The total is set for 178.5. KenPom has a score projection of 90-88 in favor of Alabama, while ESPN’s BPI gives the Crimson Tide a 61.8% winning percentage.

The two teams enter the matchup off a pair of close calls. Alabama escaped in overtime with a five-point over Florida. Kentucky was not so fortunate. Rob Dillingham‘s go-ahead bucket was answered with an LSU tip-in as time expired.

Tomorrow’s matchup at Rupp Arena features two of the top three scorers in the SEC. Mark Sears, a transfer from Ohio, leads the league in scoring with 20.4 points per game, while Antonio Reeves is putting up 19.7 a contest on 49.5% shooting from the field.

The Crimson Tide are 16-9-1 Against the Spread (ATS) this season. In their last eight games, they are 6-2 ATS and 6-2 in overs. Kentucky was an over team for most of the year, but under bets have cashed in three consecutive games.

John Calipari won ten straight games in the Alabama series between 2014-18, but Alabama has had the upper hand as of late, winning three of the last five games. Nate Oats has a 3-4 record in his career against Kentucky and a pair of SEC Regular Season Titles in five seasons.

How To Watch, Listen to Kentucky vs. Alabama

No. 17 Kentucky (18-8) vs No. 13 Alabama (19-7)
4:00 p.m. ET | Saturday, Feb. 24 | Rupp Arena

  • TV: CBS (Brad Nessler, Jay Wright, Bill Raftery)
  • Streaming: Paramount+
  • Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
  • Online RadioiHeart
  • Satellite Radio: SiriusXM 84 and the SXM app
  • Live StatsStatBroadcast

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2024-09-22