No. 5 Alabama put on a dominant performance Friday night, never trailing as they crushed No. 15 Kentucky 99-70 in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tournament quarterfinals. The third-seeded Crimson Tide (25-7) advanced to face No. 2 seed Florida in Saturday’s semifinal matchup.
Freshman Labaron Philon led Alabama with 21 points, while Jarin Stevenson added 16. Mark Sears, Mouhamed Dioubate, and Aden Holloway each contributed 13 points in the Tide’s resounding victory. Alabama completed a season sweep over the Wildcats after winning both regular-season meetings.
Kentucky (22-11) struggled to keep pace, managing just one tie at 14 before falling behind for good. The Wildcats trailed 45-38 at halftime and were overwhelmed in the second half as Alabama pulled away with ease. Andrew Carr led Kentucky with 18 points, followed by Amari Williams with 16 and freshman Travis Perry with 11.
The Wildcats were without starting guard Lamont Butler, who missed his ninth game of the season after suffering a right shoulder injury in Thursday night’s win. Head coach Mark Pope revealed on pregame radio that Butler’s test results were positive long-term, giving hope for his return in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky’s SEC Tournament drought continues, as they have not won the conference title since 2018.
The Crimson Tide are now two wins away from their third SEC Tournament title in five seasons under head coach Nate Oats. Alabama improved to 3-17 all-time against Kentucky in SEC Tournament play and 2-6 in the quarterfinals. With the victory, Alabama set a program record with its 11th win over an AP Top 25 opponent this season.
Alabama slammed the door on any potential Kentucky comeback with a 12-6 run to start the second half. Dioubate’s three-pointer with 16:31 left forced a Kentucky timeout, as the Tide extended their lead and never looked back. Alabama eventually led by as many as 30 late in the game.
Alabama took full advantage of Kentucky’s mistakes, outscoring the Wildcats 29-6 in points off turnovers.
The Wildcats will await their NCAA Tournament seeding, giving Lamont Butler additional time to recover. The Crimson Tide will face No. 2 seed Florida in the SEC Tournament semifinals. Alabama looks to avenge a 99-94 loss to the Gators on March 5 in Tuscaloosa.
With their offense firing on all cylinders, Alabama looks poised to contend for their second SEC Tournament title in three seasons.
