Kentucky basketball had another top 15 matchup in Rupp Arena, this time against #4 Alabama, and while the Wildcats hung around, the final minutes were the story

Fouls weren’t the only reason No. 8 Kentucky lost to No. 4 Alabama on Saturday, but the free-throw discrepancy was hard to ignore. The Crimson Tide were 29-34 from the charity stripe to Kentucky’s 16-20 mark.

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

By Keith Taylor Kentucky Today Alabama was the first team to 100 points and it was just enough to hold off Kentucky Saturday in a showdown between the two top-scoring teams in the Southeastern Conference.

“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.”