A top-15 matchup in the SEC Quarterfinals -- a striking testament to the overall strength of the conference -- will headline the late-night slate in college hoops between the No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats and the fifth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
Seeping into the early morning hours, Kentucky (22-10), delivered late-game heroics again. Otega Oweh, a former Oklahoma Sooner, gilded coast-to-coast with a game-winning layup in the final second to propel the Wildcats over the Sooners.
OTEGA OWEH HAS DONE IT TO OKLAHOMA AGAIN
— OutKick (@Outkick) March 14, 2025
MADNESS IN NASHVILLE pic.twitter.com/Mmur73CsXR
According to a tweet from Opta Stats, Oweh “is the only Division I player this century to score 25+ points and make the game-winning basket in two separate one-point wins against the same opponent in the same season.”
Meanwhile, Alabama (24-7) is still vying for the last No. 1 seed. 10 Q1 wins, zero losses outside the first quadrant and a top-ranked NET SOS in the country make a compelling case for Nate Oats’ group to land that last one seed. But they must take care of business tonight.
Take a look at the preview below, including a final score prediction, for tonight’s action.
How to watch North Carolina vs. Duke
Date: Friday, March 14
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Bridgestone Arena
How to Watch (TV): ESPN
Streaming: fubo TV
Kentucky record: 22-10 (10-8)
Alabama record: 24-7 (13-5)
Kentucky vs. Alabama odds, spread and total
Odds provided by
Moneyline
Kentucky +240
Alabama -300
Spread
Kentucky +7.5
Alabama -7.5
Total
179.5 (over -110/under -110)
Kentucky injury report
Lamont Butler, G: Questionable
Jaxon Robinson, G/F: Questionable
Kerr Kriisa, G, Questionable
Alabama injury report
Latrell Wrightsell Jr., G, OUT
Houston Mallette, G, OUT
Derrion Reid, F, Questionable
Kentucky and Alabama series history
Kentucky's all-time record vs. Alabama: 117-43
Kentucky vs Alabama prediction
Stylistically, these two teams couldn’t be more similar. Both Kentucky and Alabama boast KenPom top ten offenses in the country. And the past two matchups proved that with Alabama beating Kentucky 102-97 in January and 96-83 in late February.
While it's hard to beat a team three times, the biggest question for the Kentucky Wildcats is injury concerns for one of the top on-ball defenders in college basketball: Lamont Butler Jr.
Butler played just eight first-half minutes after appearing to re-injure his shoulder versus Oklahoma. While no official injury report has been posted at the time of publication, it appears unlikely that Butler will be playing tonight versus Alabama.
While Kentucky is no stranger to finding ways to preserve through its injury-ravaged season, losing one of the top defenders against a team with as much offensive firepower and depth as Alabama has can be a disaster waiting to happen.
Aside from the high-octane offense, what makes Alabama uniquely dangerous is its depth -- and its vastly improved defense.
Sherrell, Stevenson, Holloway and Dioubate are all equally capable of cracking the starting lineup on any given night. The Tide have held opponents to just 30.4% shooting from the perimeter, which can spell trouble for a Kentucky team that shoots almost 26 three-point shots per game.
Despite Kentucky’s elite collection of high-end wins, it's hard to envision the Wildcats’ knocking off the Crimson Tide tonight. The Crimson Tide will take the victory and march to Saturday’s SEC Tournament Semifinals.
Prediction: Alabama 91, Kentucky 81