The Kentucky Wildcats fell at home to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 102-97.

This game lived up to the hype from the opening tip. These teams traded blow after blow in a fun and exciting atmosphere in Rupp Arena. The game quickly turned into a game of runs as the Crimson Tide held an edge of 47-45 at halftime.

After the break, the scoring slowed down, but the intensity didn’t. It was run after run, back and forth, and both teams refused to give in. This game was the definition of a track meet.

However, at the end, Kentucky just didn’t have enough in the tank.

Mark Pope’s squad now sits at 14-4 on the season, including 3-2 in SEC play.

Next up, the Cats will travel to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores, but we’ll have to wait until next weekend as there’s no weekday game this upcoming week.

Here are three things to know from this one.

Grant Nelson Dominates

Grant Nelson absolutely dominated the Cats in this one. Kentucky had no answer, no matter how many things they tried to throw at him.

The fifth-year senior has had a solid but unspectacular last two seasons in Tuscaloosa. He averaged just under 12 points per game last season and is sitting right at 12 this season. He’s a pretty good shot blocker and a mismatch at the 4 spot, but Kentucky’s inability to slow him down at all was troublesome.

Andrew Carr was the main player assigned to Nelson, and as you saw, it didn’t go well. Of course, it helps when you don’t have to worry about fouling on the defensive end.

It was like this all game. Nelson got every call on both ends of the court. He finished with 25 points, including 19 in the first half alone, and 11 rebounds.

Otega Oweh explodes

Otega Oweh was pretty disappointing last time out, but he showed exactly why he’s Kentucky’s best player in this game. Consistency has been Oweh’s calling card all season as he’s scored in double figures in every single game—the longest such streak by a Wildcat since Malik Monk—but he was especially impressive against the Crimson Tide.

The Oklahoma transfer scored from all three levels, bullying his way to the rim and knocking down midrange to outside shots. He played incredibly hard on the defensive end as well, where his presence was also felt. At times, he was assigned to Nelson as the Cats tried everything to slow him down. Oweh held his own, especially compared to his counterparts.

All in all, it was a great performance by the junior guard. He finished with 21 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a blocked shot for good measure.

Ansley Almonor and Brandon Garrison step up

Let’s start with Carr. He was nonexistent in this game. He’s dealing with a back injury that’s been bothering him for a couple of weeks, but if it hurts as bad as he looked, then he should probably just take a seat.

I appreciate the effort and fight, but he provided nothing offensively, and he was eaten alive by Nelson on the defensive end. He had three first-half fouls and picked up his fourth early in the second half, which limited him as well.

With the struggles from Carr, and frankly, an up-and-down performance from Amari Williams, Mark Pope needed a lot of help from his bench. He got just that.

On one hand, Ansley Almonor came up big for the Cats. The Fairleigh Dickinson transfer seems to be an oft-forgotten player this season, but he’s had some huge moments. He’s always knocking down a 3 at the perfect time, and that includes the 3 he hit in the final seven minutes of Kentucky’s win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Almonor was brought in for one reason, and that’s his shooting, but this kid wanted to be here badly. Even though his stat line doesn’t jump off the page, he’s a great veteran role player and Kentucky was lucky to have him again in this one.

As for Brandon Garrison, he also gave the Cats some huge minutes. The former McDonald’s All-American played a big role off the bench. He scored the ball well, which included a deep ball, rebounded well, and passed the ball even better.

Garrison gave Kentucky everything that was expected of Williams at a faster clip and more efficiently. He’s hit-or-miss sometimes, but he reminds us all every once in a while just how high his ceiling really is.

Let’s hope the Cats bounce back after a week off.