For the first time under Mark Pope’s leadership, UK basketball lost at Rupp Arena. The Kentucky coach explains a home defeat to Alabama.

Mark Pope and Nate Oats matched wits on the court, and Kentucky and Alabama put on a show in Rupp Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Kentucky basketball is no stranger to top 15 matchups this season, and on Saturday they will be playing their third-straight top 15 game at home this season, th

Kentucky basketball, for the first time under Mark Pope, lost at Rupp Arena on Saturday. The Kentucky Wildcats weren't able to slow Alabama's offense.

More than that, Mark Pope deserves a lot of credit for what he’s done. He built a team entirely off of the transfer portal, and while they might not be as talented as other teams, they’ve still fared well.

Mark Pope was elated with his Kentucky Wildcats team following their win over the Texas A&M Aggies on Tuesday evening. A couple things caught the coach’s attention when thinking about his team’s performance — the physicality Kentucky played with,

“Alabama right now is, of course, they’ve always been so potent, demanding shooting guards’ space, their pace is elite, ” Pope said. “I don’t know if the metrics change every but they are one of the fastest-playing teams in the country.”

What channel is Kentucky basketball vs Alabama on today? Here's how to watch, time, TV schedule, streaming info and odds for the SEC basketball game.

Lamont Butler, in UK basketball's game vs Alabama at Rupp Arena, played with the toughness Mark Pope is trying to instill in his Kentucky Wildcats.

In past seasons, a lethargic first half may have spelled doom for Kentucky basketball, but it didn't rattle Mark Pope's Wildcats vs Texas A&M.

Kentucky men's basketball coach Mark Pope talks to the media after his Wildcats’ 102-97 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, at Rupp Arena in Lexington. UK fell to 13-4 overall and 3-2 in the SEC.