Mar 14, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope screams to his team against the Alabama Crimson Tideduring the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Kentucky basketball did not look like themselves on Friday night against Alabama. Shorthanded their starting point guard Lamont Butler, as well as Jaxson Robinson and Kerr Kriisa, both of which out for the rest of the season, the Wildcats played sloppy and just had no answers for an Alabama offense that got whatever it wanted on that end of the floor.

The Wildcats were beat in nearly every major stat category, most notably with turnovers and points off of them. Alabama forced 16 Kentucky turnovers and had 29 points off them, which included 19 points in transition, while Kentucky forced 10 turnovers and had only six points generated from them. Kentucky went into halftime down by seven, when turnovers were the main story of the game. That was until Alabama, who shot just 2-13 from three in the first half, got scorching hot from deep in the second half, which allowed them to pull away for the blowout win.

What do you do after a 29-point loss in the SEC Tournament, one that marked Kentucky’s worst loss (by scoring margin) in the SEC Tournament, and the second-worst postseason loss? Mark Pope was asked about burning the tape, where he said he doesn’t believe in doing that. “I actually don’t believe in that. We need to grow. We don’t need to waste an opportunity to get better.” Pope also noted in his press conference after the game that the competitiveness from his team was much different from the first to second halves. “I thought we had a good competitive spirit in the first half, and I thought that was really challenging for us in the second half.”

As Kentucky looks to grow and learn from the loss, they’ll need all hands on deck next week when the NCAA Tournament starts, because the season is on the line each time out now.