The Rupp Arena crowd was at its best on Saturday afternoon

After a year without fans, we could have easily forgotten what a special Rupp Arena environment feels like. But on Saturday afternoon, the Big Blue Nation was reminded just how special the place can be when 20,000-plus fans are all simultaneously into the action. Kentucky turned a 13-point first-half hole into a double-digit second-half lead before settling on a 90-81 victory over No. 25 Alabama.

The crowd in Lexington can take plenty of credit for the wild comeback effort, too.

“Let me thank the fans. Wow! Unbelievable environment,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said postgame. “When we were dying, they never start booing. They don’t boo, they were cheering us on. When we made that run at the end of the half — the last four minutes, the way we guarded — they cheered on the guard, the rebound, how we defended. That’s what our fans — they know what to cheer. They know what to push the buttons. Greatest fans. I love these fans.”

There was one moment, in particular, where the roof of the building nearly shot off and floated down Main Street. Down two points with under 60 seconds left in the first-half, Oscar Tshiebwe snared a rebound and pushed the ball ahead to a sprinting Jacob Toppin, who placed a good pass to Kellan Grady in the opposite corner. Grady whipped out his signature pump fake before leaning to his left and drilling home a clutch triple.

Bang. Kentucky leads. Rupp explodes.

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— Viral Hoops (@HoopsClips) February 19, 2022

“Keion (Brooks Jr.) told me that was the loudest he’s ever heard (Rupp Arena),” Grady, who recorded a season-high 25 points against the Crimson Tide on seven made 3-pointers, said after the win. “That was incredible. So, credit to our fans. That really helped spark our run.“

Brooks is someone who would know, too. His sophomore season was robbed of the fan experience, but he was part of a special Kentucky team in 2019-20 that saw plenty of high-profile Kentucky crowds. What happened on Saturday, however, possessed different energy. In fact, the crowd played a significant role in Kentucky’s critical 13-0 run right before the end of the first half, culminating in Grady’s triple that gave UK the lead it would never relinquish.

“It started when we were on defense where we needed some pivotal stops and their energy and their enthusiasm,” Grady added. “I think it was a little extra pep in our step and we were able to convert on offense and it changed the whole dynamic of the game.”

The crowd’s energy carried over into the second half, too. Kentucky continued to unleash Grady on offense while Tshiebwe did his usual grunt work inside. But had it not been for that Rupp Arena spark down the stretch of the first half, who knows how this one plays out.