Nate Oats and Mark Pope are two of the best offensive minds in college basketball. Their brilliance was put on full display Saturday in Rupp Arena as Alabama and Kentucky combined to score 199 points in a 102-97 win for the Crimson Tide.

Nate Oats has to compete against Kentucky and Mark Pope regularly, but he had high praise for the Wildcats’ coach. Alabama edged Kentucky 102-97 in Lexington, but Oats knew Pope would be a great fit with the program.

In particular, Alabama attacked a trio of Kentucky guards — Koby Brea, Jaxson Robinson and Travis Perry — and had a great deal of success doing so. Wildcats head coach Mark Pope noticed it, but there wasn't much he or his team could do about it.

The No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide went on the road and defeated the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats, 102-97, Saturday at Rupp Arena. The Crimson Tide's performance was a lot better than it was during their 74-64

Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats didn't spare the top of his roster ... And in response, the top of the roster spared Kentucky no mercy. Seniors Mark Sears and Grant Nelson led the Crimson ...

Derrion Reid is questionable for the game against the Wildcats, Alabama coach Nate Oats said Friday. The Crimson Tide is set to face Kentucky on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, ESPN) in Lexington, Kentucky.

Mark Sears was benched over the weekend against LSU, but he bounced back nicely against Mississippi State.

Alabama (15-3, 4-1 SEC) trailed for the next eight minutes before starting forward Grant Nelson reclaimed a lead that had been denied by Kentucky's non-starters. TIME TO PANIC?Why Nate Oats and ...

In benching Sears, Oats made sure that his point guard would be ready for the fight. And if Sears needs a rest, well, Alabama’s cutthroat, win-first coach planned ahead by taking Auburn’s old point guard and making him better.

Vanderbilt's roster construction and Morez Johnson's rapidlly-improving defense among trends Isaac Trotter is tracking.

After Alabama basketball's defense fell apart in the second half against Vanderbilt, the Crimson Tide isn't overlooking sharp-shooting Cam Carter.

And speaking of college basketball, the No. 4-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide has already succumbed to this practically inevitable concept when it fell to Ole Miss at home on Jan. 14 in what head coach Nate Oats described as a "disgusting" loss.