{"id":133811,"date":"2025-03-14T21:49:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T21:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/alabama\/how-to-watch-alabama-vs-kentucky-in-sec-tournament-preview-tv-info-odds\/"},"modified":"2025-03-14T21:49:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T21:49:27","slug":"how-to-watch-alabama-vs-kentucky-in-sec-tournament-preview-tv-info-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=133811","title":{"rendered":"How to watch Alabama vs Kentucky in SEC tournament: Preview, TV info, odds"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

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What a week can do for perceptions and confidence, huh? Just a week ago, Nate Oats was hoping his team would show up in Auburn and play for pride. <\/p>\n

This week, he\u2019s even back to yapping again!<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Kentucky was surging a week ago, finally getting healthy, winning close games by playing a modicum of defense…and then disaster struck last night, as starting PG Lamont Butler went down again<\/em>; the third time he\u2019s injured the same shoulder since January. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s just say that Mark Pope, despite listing Butler as a game-time decision, does not seem to be sandbagging here<\/a>. Butler\u2019s almost certainly going to be absent tonight in a game where both teams every guard they can find. <\/p>\n

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\u201cI mean, you go through so many emotions. It\u2019s hard to explain. I was really proud of our guys and our team because your heart is just breaking for Lamont. We already have Jaxson [Robinson] sitting over there. Now Lamont misses the opportunity to be a part of this. It is devastating. It\u2019s devastating, guys, for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a gut punch. You\u2019re dealing with that emotion but trying to put it away so you can stay focused on the game. Our guys did an unbelievable job of doing that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll put it together piece by piece. I\u2019m praying like crazy, I will be, that he can find his way back on the floor at some point this year. It just doesn\u2019t seem fair. This is not a fair game. I\u2019m not saying that, but man, I would like so badly for him to be able to step on a court again. We\u2019ll see how it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to put him in harm\u2019s way, for sure,\u201d Pope said of whether or not Butler would play Friday night.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That seems a lot worse than just missing the rest of the SEC Tournament too, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

For what it\u2019s worth, don\u2019t believe Nate Oats when he says that Derrion Reid is \u201cgametime\u201d either. He\u2019s still not practicing 5-on-5, and if he sees any action it will be just as a smoke screen (as we saw in the Auburn meeting), and to get him on the court. Reid will return during the NCAA tournament, if at all. We\u2019ve maintained that for a month, we\u2019re standing by it. And honestly, this isn\u2019t the game where Reid\u2019s defensive talents will be necessary in any event. \u2018Bama and UK play a tempo three-and-rim game: It\u2019s not a contest that will be won on the wings, rather the post and backcourt. <\/p>\n

And so we find ourselves again here: the (real) SEC\u2019s winningest programs square off in the SEC tournament, in what has seemingly become an annual ritual. Unfortunately, it has been as lopsided for the \u2018Cats as the regular season meetings have been, with UK sporting a 17-2 record vs. the Tide, and a 6-1 record in quarters. Alabama is second in the league, with 8 SEC Tourney titles. Wanna\u2019 guess who\u2019s first? Yup…these guys, with 31 of them, <\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s a rivalry of sorts, at least on \u2018Bama\u2019s end, as the Tide is trying frantically to keep up with the Joneses. And, of late, the Tide have punched at least equally with their long-time tormentors, including winning both games this season. <\/p>\n

Can \u2018Bama get a third win here, as the two most injured teams in the SEC (and among the most injured in the nation), try to go into the NCAA Tournament with some momentum?<\/p>\n

That is going to depend on a few things. Let\u2019s see what they are. <\/p>\n

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\nTale of the Tape: <\/strong>
No. 5 Alabama (24-7, 12-5 3rd) @ No. 15 Kentucky (27-3, 14-3 1st)<\/strong>
\n<\/h3>\n

Spread: Alabama -4.5<\/strong><\/p>\n

Opponent KenPom:<\/strong> 15 (7 offense, 56 defense, 27 tempo)
Opponent Evan Miya: <\/strong> 26 (15 offense, 35 defense, 109 tempo)
Opponent Bart Torvik: <\/strong> 3rd (1 offense, 12 defense, 124 tempo)
Opponent NET: <\/strong>13 (11-9 Q1, 12-10 Q1\/Q2); Q1 opponent for the Tide
Opponent RPI:<\/strong> 9
Opponent Best Win:<\/strong> 1 @ Duke
Opponent Worst Loss:<\/strong> 47 @ Vandy <\/p>\n

UA Ken Pom<\/strong>: 6th (3 Off, 35 Defense, 1 Tempo)
UA Evan Miya<\/strong>: 5th (3 Off, 29 Defense, 1 Tempo)
UA Bart Torvik:<\/strong> 5th (3 Off, 33 Defense, 1 Tempo)
UA NET Ranking:<\/strong> 6 (11-7 Q1, 19-7 Q1\/2)
UA RPI<\/strong>: 2
UA Best Win: <\/strong>No. 2 v Houston (LOL. Knocked Auburn to 3rd)
UA Worst Loss: <\/strong>No. 28 (N) Oregon<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re Nate Oats and Mark Pope, you just take your Prilosec and buckle up: It\u2019s going to be a fast 40 minutes, with a lot of open floor, a lot of fast breaks, and a profligate number of turnovers and perimeter shots in equal measure. <\/p>\n

Fun to watch, but it has to be dyspeptic as hell to coach against. For \u2018Bama though, you want to keep doing what you\u2019ve done against these guys in both prior meetings, particularly in Tuscaloosa<\/p>\n