Alabama
Score prediction for Alabama basketball vs Kentucky: Picks, injury updates, how to watch
Times are tough for Alabama basketball, but the Crimson Tide has to be tougher on Saturday.
Looking to pay back Alabama (21-5, 10-3 SEC) for the defeat in Rupp Arena last month, Kentucky comes barreling into Coleman Coliseum fresh off an 82-61 win over Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide didn’t get a win this week a loss at Missouri to follow up a defeat against Auburn.
The negatives surrounding the returning Final Four team this week have outweighed the positives, but the sky isn’t falling … yet. That’ll have to be re-examined after the weekend. Although, Alabama’s bid for the SEC regular season championship hangs in the balance, there are enough reasons to believe the Tide can restore the faith of home fans against UK.
Alabama basketball vs Kentucky picks, predictions
Alabama 98, Kentucky 95: The re-emergence of Mark Sears’ All-American form at Missouri was the glimmer of hope the Crimson Tide needed to find in the darkness of defeat. It took the senior point guard’s third 24-point game of the season against UK to win on Jan. 18. It’s a safe bet that a scoreless night for Sears won’t do the trick against the ‘Cats, who still have five double-digit scorers with five games left on the schedule. That’s compared to an Alabama roster that’s sorely missing the shooting capabilities of Latrell Wrightsell Jr. right about now with the grueling stretch it has to round out.
Once again, Alabama faces its own offense made over in Kentucky. Both are shooting over 48% from the floor, but 3s are falling more effortlessly for the likes of Kentucky’s Koby Brea and Ansley Almonor, each making over 44% of 3-pointers off the bench.
Should the Crimson Tide want to win by more than five points this go-round against UK, perimeter defense will be key. Furthermore, a full 40 minutes of defense that Alabama hasn’t put together yet. Should Alabama want to win at all, the biggest key will be not letting Kentucky go on a run off the bat like it let Missouri and Auburn, or bank on the injury bug that’s bitten the ‘Cats when they have a lethal bench.
Injury updates for Alabama basketball vs Kentucky
Derrion Reid (lower body) played against Auburn after being ruled “game-to-game” by Nate Oats following the Georgia game on Feb. 1, in which the freshman forward experienced “discomfort” while playing through injury. However, he was doubtful for Mizzou and didn’t make an appearance.
Kentucky starting guards Lamont Butler (shoulder) and Jaxson Robinson (wrist) missed their second straight game against Vanderbilt. UK’s bench still holds Kerr Kriisa, who’s been out with a broken foot since December.
How to watch Alabama basketball vs Kentucky: TV channel, streaming options, start time
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo
Starting at 5 p.m. CT, Alabama basketball versus Kentucky will be shown on ESPN and can be streamed via ESPN+ and Fubo.
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Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
Alabama
University of Alabama police officer's family leans on law enforcement community after his death
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) – Pauline Love, the new head coach of the Alabama women’s basketball team, says her late college coach, Joye Lee-McNelis, is the reason she got into coaching.
Love played for Lee-McNelis at Southern Miss, describing her as a second mother. Lee-McNelis passed away last summer after a long battle with breast cancer.
A relationship that changed her path
Love said she once told Lee-McNelis she would never go into coaching, a conversation the two laughed about often.
“I used to tell her all the time, I would never do this. I would never put up with somebody like me or I would never work for somebody like her. I was like coach, you’re crazy. We used to laugh about it all the time and she was like you’ll see one day, you’ll see,” Love said.
Love had planned to work in the tech industry. Instead, she has spent 15 years in coaching.
“She pretty much paved the way for me. There’s no way I’d be sitting here if it wasn’t for her,” Love said.
High expectations at Alabama
Love returns to Tuscaloosa after previously serving as an assistant at Alabama. She was introduced as head coach in April, and was brought to tears when she mentioned Lee-McNelis during that introduction.
Her goals for the program are clear.
“I’m going to have a passion about it. I want to bring a Final Four to the University of Alabama and make Tuscaloosa proud,” Love said.
This year’s roster includes Spring Garden’s Ace Austin, back for her sophomore season.
Love said she wants her players to know that difficult times are part of the process.
“I can say for them, I’ve been there. I’ve done it. Just learn how to figure out and fight through hard things. You gotta do something hard and fight through it and I promise you it’s rewarding at the end of it,” Love said.
Love said she also wants to be a source of support for her players off the court, the same way Lee-McNelis was for her.
“I know we always get caught up in the money part of it, but I got a group of girls that doesn’t care about that. They want to care about making the fans happy and giving them something good to watch,” Love said.
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Alabama football fans are invited to a preseason pep rally Aug. 4 at the Tuscaloosa River Market.
The pep rally is part of the annual fall kickoff event hosted by the Tuscaloosa County chapter of the University of Alabama National Alumni Association.
The family friendly event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the River Market, 1900 Jack Warner Parkway. Tickets, which include a barbecue dinner, cost $30 for adults and $15 for children ages 8 to 12. Children 7 years old and younger will be admitted for free.
The pep rally will feature live entertainment, a silent auction and a range of family-friendly activities. There will also be a cash bar with wine and beer.
Tickets can be purchased on the chapter’s website, tuscaloosacountyuaalumni.com. Membership in the local alumni chapter is not required for attendance.
University of Alabama President Peter Mohler and UA baseball coach Rob Vaughn will be part of the festivities.
Mohler began his duties as UA president on July 21, 2025.
Before being named UA president, Mohler spent nearly 15 years at Ohio State University, where he held senior leadership roles overseeing research, innovation and economic development. He also served as OSU’s acting president, providing leadership during a pivotal period for one of the nation’s largest public universities.
Mohler earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wake Forest University and a PhD in cell and molecular physiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University Medical Center before joining the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Vaughn has been UA’s head baseball coach for three years, leading the Crimson Tide to the College Baseball World Series in 2026.
The Humble, Texas, native served as head baseball coach at Maryland for five seasons before coming to Tuscaloosa.
Vaughn played collegiate baseball at Kansas State, where his position was catcher.
Alabama begins the 2026 football season on Sept. 5 with a home game against the East Carolina Pirates. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Other Alabama home games include Florida State on Sept. 19, South Carolina on Sept. 26, Georgia on Oct. 10, Texas A&M on Oct. 24, Chattanooga on Nov. 21 and Auburn on Nov. 28.
Reach Ken Roberts at ken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com. To support his work, please subscribe to The Tuscaloosa News.
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