Mark Pope, Kentucky should feel sting of Alabama loss but not any concern
By Lior Lampert
No. 4 Alabama marched into Lexington and beat No. 8 Kentucky in a thrilling 102-97 showdown between SEC powerhouses. The Crimson Tide and Wildcats showed exactly why they've been two of the nation's top offensive teams, exchanging haymakers throughout the contest.
In a high-scoring affair where neither squad led by more than nine points, every possession is magnified. Even one mistake can prove costly. A single slip-up can cause a snowball effect, which Mark Pope's Wildcats learned the hard way in crunch time.
Kentucky's lack of execution in the closing stages against Alabama was ultimately the difference. One turnover by fifth-year senior guard Lamont Butler started a roughly 60-second flurry from Alabama that effectively won the game for the Crimson Tide. While losing in any fashion never feels good, the Wildcats shouldn't be discouraged by the unfortunate result.
Games like this can come down to just al
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) January 18, 2025
The Butler turnover in transition, followed by a Bama 3, followed by a poor lob attempt by Butler to Amari was the three play sequence that ultimately took Kentucky down
Mark Pope, Kentucky should feel sting of Alabama loss but not any concern
As Ky Sports Radio's Matt Jones notes, Butler's giveaway with less than four minutes left on the clock led to a consequential Alabama bucket. Crimson Tide guard Chris Youngblood drained a three, giving them an 87-81 lead. And then, another Kentucky blunder on their ensuing offensive sequence turned out to be the dagger.
Notably, Butler was involved in the second glaring lapse of judgment. He tried to lob a pass to Amari Williams, which yielded an insufficient shot attempt on one end of the floor. Conversely, it caused a Labaron Philon three on the other side of the court, putting Alabama up 90-81. With less than three minutes remaining, the deficit became insurmountable for Kentucky and the rest is history.
Albeit a tough pill to swallow, Kentucky can't get too hung up over a nail-biting loss to one of the best teams in the country. Barring the late-game bungle, they played well. The Wildcats shot 40.7 percent from beyond the arc on 27 attempts and won the points in the paint and turnover battles. More often than not, that will be enough to get the job done — they just ran into a buzzsaw Alabama group but also were just a couple of bounces away from beating them as well.
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