Bama Will Beat The Breaks Off Of Inconsistent Kentucky

Kentucky vs. Alabama, 9:30 ET

It is already Friday and we've reached some of the great matchups in the conference tournament. I know the NCAA Tournament gets the most attention, and probably should as it is the playoffs and allows for a champion to be crowned for all of college basketball. However, I really enjoy the conference tournaments even more. Fewer upsets, but I think there are better games played. Tonight we are treated to a matchup between Kentucky and Alabama in what should be a phenomenal game.

Kentucky comes into tonight's contest with a 22-10 record, and they went just 10-8 in the SEC. It was a bit of a surprise to me that John Calipari left before the season began, but the team has responded pretty well to the coaching change. They still have more than enough talent to compete with pretty much any program, but I think they won't make a super deep run into the tournament as playing consistent basketball has been part of their problem this season. It happens to a lot of younger teams and Kentucky is no different in that regard. Want a perfect example? Look at last night's game against Oklahoma. With 90 seconds remaining in the game, Kentucky was up by 10 points. The game should've been over. What happened next was wild. Oklahoma layup, and-1. Oklahoma steal, and layup. Kentucky misses a free throw then fouls Oklahoma. Four-point game with 50 seconds to go. Two free throws for Kentucky. Oklahoma three pointer, cuts the lead to three. Oklahoma steal and dunk. One-point game with 23 seconds left. Kentucky turns it over, Oklahoma layup with six seconds left. They are now up 1. Kentucky makes a layup with 0.5 seconds remaining to win the game. Wild. 

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 12: Otega Oweh #00 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrates after making the winning basket against the Oklahoma Sooners during the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament - First Round at Bridgestone Arena on March 12, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Alabama is one of the best teams in the country and their most recent games was almost as exciting of an ending as the Kentucky one. In their last game, they went into Auburn and took down the then-ranked #1 team in the nation Auburn down by two in overtime. Alabama has been strong all season led by a high-powered offense. Their record for the year is 24-7 and they went 13-5 in a very difficult SEC. Their last seven games against SEC opponents were all against ranked ones. They went just 3-4 in that stretch but were fairly competitive in almost all of them. Now they face a Kentucky team they've already beaten twice with no real issue. With the game in Tennessee, you might be a little more inclined to take Kentucky, as it is a bit closer, but I really don't think this should be much of an issue as Alabama has played well on the road this season. 

I really like this Alabama team. I think they have enormous potential. They played great last season on a deep tournament run and should have another one in them here. I'm going to take the Crimson Tide to cover the spread tonight as I think they've been great against Kentucky already this season. I think they have another chance here to coast to a win with a rest advantage, preparation advantage, and the fact that they are simply more consistent than the Wildcats. Back Alabama -7.5. 

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