As soon as Lamont Butler went down with yet another injury to his troublesome left shoulder late Thursday night, Kentucky’s hopes of leaving Bridgestone Arena with a trophy took a major hit.
The Wildcats faced Alabama in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, needing a win to avoid a dubious place in UK basketball history.
But things took a turn for the worse. Alabama dominated Kentucky 99-70, delivering the Wildcats’ most lopsided SEC Tournament loss ever—by a significant margin—while also becoming just the third team to defeat Kentucky three times in a single season.
The defeat was full of painful milestones:
▪ The 29-point margin was only the eighth time Kentucky had lost an SEC Tournament game by double digits and the first time by more than 20. The Wildcats hadn’t suffered a tournament loss by more than 10 points in 12 years.
▪ This marks the sixth consecutive SEC Tournament without a Kentucky championship, the longest drought in program history.
▪ It was Kentucky’s worst defeat in any game since Duke’s 118-84 rout in the 2018 Champions Classic.
▪ Out of 161 meetings between Kentucky and Alabama, this was the Wildcats’ largest losing margin.
▪ Alabama joined the 1978-79 Tennessee Volunteers and the 2013-14 Florida Gators as the only teams to beat Kentucky three times in a single season.
First-year head coach Mark Pope, who had emphasized the importance of winning the SEC Tournament after his hiring, acknowledged the team’s struggles. Kentucky had managed a thrilling 85-84 win over Oklahoma on Thursday, marking its first SEC Tournament victory in three years, but that momentum didn’t carry over.
Without Butler—who missed his ninth game of the season and seventh in the past two months due to his lingering shoulder issue—Kentucky faltered on both ends of the floor against Alabama, particularly in the second half. The Wildcats committed 16 turnovers, leading to a 29-6 scoring disadvantage in points off turnovers.
With Kerr Kriisa and Jaxson Robinson already sidelined for the season, freshmen Travis Perry and Collin Chandler were forced into key roles, combining for just two assists and five turnovers.
Meanwhile, Otega Oweh, the hero of Thursday night’s win, took a hit to the mouth in the first half, leaving the court bloodied. Upon his return, he was largely ineffective, finishing with eight points, just one field goal, and five turnovers.
“We did a good job on him,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said, crediting his team’s defensive effort. “Some of the younger guys didn’t handle the pressure as well.”
Kentucky struggled to find offensive rhythm, shooting just 5-for-19 from beyond the arc. At one point, they went nearly 20 minutes without a made three-pointer.
Alabama’s defense targeted four UK shooters—Koby Brea, Ansley Almonor, Trent Noah, and Perry—holding them to a combined 3-for-16 from deep.
Now, the Wildcats must wait for Selection Sunday to see where they will land in the NCAA Tournament.
“We didn’t come this far just to come this far,” Adou Thiero said. “We’re going to look in the mirror, keep improving, and focus on the NCAA Tournament.”
Coach Pope made it clear that this loss shouldn’t be easily brushed aside.
“I hope it’s really hard,” he said. “Because this is not OK for us. But we’re here to do hard things. That’s what we’re chasing.”
Despite Alabama’s dominance, Oats didn’t celebrate the rare achievement of beating Kentucky three times in a season, noting the Wildcats’ injury struggles.
“This Kentucky team has a lot of injuries,” Oats said. “They’re not at full strength, and we know that.”
One silver lining for Kentucky was the update on Butler’s injury. After initial concerns Thursday night, further tests showed no serious damage.
“A totally different, unique injury. The imaging was perfect,” Pope said. “So we’re hopeful that he’ll be back in action.”
For Kentucky, that’s a welcome bit of good news after a night to forget on the court.
