Just like the Lady Cats, Kentucky's men will open the SEC on the road. And like Kenny Brooks and company did Thursday in Baton Rouge, Mark Pope will want to steal one on the road.
How to watch and listen to Kentucky basketball take on Alabama in SEC opener
- Time: 12:00 PM ET on Saturday, Jan. 3rd, 2026
- Location: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Streaming options: Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, FuboTV, Sling TV (Orange and Blue Plan)
If you are not able to follow along live on TV, you can also depend on Tom Leach and Jack "Goose" Givens to be on the call on the radio.
- Online: Stream live at UKAthletics.com or on WSGS.com
- Local FM/AM Stations:
- Lexington: 98.1 FM / 630 WLAP
- Louisville: 840 AM WHAS
- London: 103.9 FM WWEL
- Hazard/Pikeville: 101.1 WSGS
- Madisonville: 93.9 FM WKTG
Alabama offers a unique test for Kentucky's new found confidence
The Cats enter Tuscaloosa on a 4-game winning streak, but on a 3-game losing skid to the Tide who swept the Cats last season. Jayden Quaintance and Jaland Lowe are both expected to play a full complement of minutes, and that really matters.
Alabama is coming off a game where they jacked up 54 3-point shots, yes, 54. That is an insane amount of bombs in a 102-78 win over Yale. Coleman will be loud and ready for the Cats, and the Cats need a better start than they have been getting.
They do not need to find themselves down by more than 5 points as they did against both St. John's and Indiana, even though both of those were wins. That came at home, on the road in the SEC. Those kinds of starts get punished.
Will Kentucky's men answer the bell like the women did? Tune in to ESPN to find out.