Alabama Holds Off Kentucky for Big Upset

by David Cassilo / @dcassilo

What turned out to be an upset was almost instead a collapse as Alabama nearly blew a 20-point lead to Kentucky before holding on for a 68-66 victory.

The Crimson Tide held that 20-point lead early in the second half, but a furious Kentucky rally that included 34 points in just over 15 minutes fell short for the Wildcats after Terrence Jones missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.

By holding on, Alabama got its biggest win of the season and improved to 3-1 in the SEC. Junior forward JaMychal Green was in the center of it all, dominating the post with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

In what has been an unpredictable year for the SEC, surprising Alabama has the early lead in the conference.

From TideSports.com:

“All year long, we have hung our hat on the defensive end of the floor, so it was nice to have some defensive stops at the end,” Anthony Grant said. “To say this was a huge win for us would probably be an understatement.”

As for Kentucky, the loss is a definite setback for a team that appeared like it was hitting its stride. While last year’s group also was full of young talent this year’s seems not quite as polished or ready to compete. The Wildcats will need to come mentally prepared every night if they are to avoid upsets like this in the SEC.