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A berth in the SEC Championship Game is on the line when Kentucky and Alabama square off.
The Crimson Tide made it to Saturday after edging South Carolina in Friday’s quarterfinals. They’re looking to make a miracle run through the tournament and secure the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. That’s the only hope Alabama has of making it to the Big Dance, but Kentucky now stands in their way of making it a reality.
The Wildcats are back in the semifinal round for the fourth straight year and 43rd time in their history, which tops all conference schools. They made it here thanks to a 70-61 win over Georgia in Friday’s quarterfinal round.
The win pushed Kentucky to 27‐5 record this season and increased their win streak to a season-high nine games. Isaiah Briscoe posted his most points in the last 12 games with 20 on 8-of-15 shooting vs the Dawgs.
De’Aaron Fox notched his eighth 20‐point outing and first in his last 12 games with 20 on 7-of-12 shooting. Bam Adebayo registered his sixth double‐double with 13 points and 10 boards.
The first time these teams met was on Feb. 11, when Kentucky grinded out a 67-58 victory over the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. That game saw Alabama shoot just 32-percent and commit eight turnovers vs just three assists in the first half.
That allowed Kentucky to cling to a double-digit lead for much of the second half, but they did need Briscoe to deliver several late buckets to secure the victory. Briscoe had 11 points, 11 boards and four assists, and that included seven points in the final four minutes after Alabama got within seven.
Here is everything you’ll need to watch and follow Round 2 of Cats vs Tide.
Alabama Crimson Tide (19-13, 10-8 in SEC) vs Kentucky Wildcats (27-5, 16-2 in SEC)
Game Time: 1 p.m. EST on March 11th
Location: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee
TV: ESPN
Live Online Stream: Watch ESPN
Radio: UK Radio Network with Tom Leach and Mike Pratt
Odds: Kentucky opened as a 10.5-point favorite over Alabama. KenPom projected the Cats to be a 10.5-point favorite. .
Score Prediction: KenPom projects a 75-65 win by Kentucky and gives the Cats an 83-percent chance of winning.