TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It wasn’t a heavyweight fight, more like a tag-team wrestling match.

Despite its improved frontcourt, No. 7 Alabama basketball knew none of its bigs were going to be able to hold down Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe on their own. Instead, the Crimson Tide swarmed last season’s unanimous player of the year, subduing him for the majority of Saturday’s 78-52 win over the Wildcats.

“Really the game plan for [Tschiebwe] was it’s going to be all five guys,” Alabama center Charles Bediako said “It’s not just me. It’s not just someone else. It’s going to take five guys to stop him, and I think we did a great job of that.”

Tshiebwe entered Saturday’s game averaging 16.8 points and a nation-leading 13.8 rebounds per game while shooting an SEC-best 61.1% from the floor. Against Alabama, he looked pedestrian, putting up 4 points on 1 of 7 shooting while pulling in six rebounds and committing four turnovers.

Alabama challenged Tshiebwe early, exposing him on ball screens for easy baskets down low. Normally a defensive juggernaut, the 6-foot-9, 260-pound forward gave up several early dunks prompting Kentucky head coach John Calipari to pull him from the game.

“He got rattled,” Calipari said of the forward’s early struggles.

Tshiebwe didn’t get on the board until 11:16 left in the game. At that point, Kentucky had already dug itself into a 21-point deficit. Tshiebwe entered the break with only a pair of rebounds to his name. One of those was quickly stripped from his hands by Alabama guard Mark Sears, leading to a 3-point play on the other end. It was that type of afternoon for the Kentucky senior who put together one of his worst performances in blue and white.

Tschiebwe dominated Alabama last year, recording a pair of double-doubles while piling up a combined 31 points and 29 rebounds in a two-game sweep of the Crimson Tide. Saturday, Alabama turned the tables with a team effort.

The biggest headline entering Saturday’s showdown featured a matchup between Tschiebwe and Bediako. Friday, Alabama head coach Nate Oats called out his sophomore 7-footer, stating he needed to do what he does best by protecting the rim and anchoring the Crimson Tide’s defense. Bediako did just that, forcing Tschiebwe into tough shots while not allowing the muscularr Kentucky big to bully him in the paint. Bediako finished the afternoon with six rebounds and a pair of blocks while also chipping in 9 points on 4 of 6 shooting.

“[Tschiebwe] was fading away on some of the stuff, and that gave Bediako a chance to block shots instead of going through him,” Calipari said. “And this kid’s bothered him in the past. He’s 7-foot, he’s long.”

Alabama’s newfound length also played a role in limiting Tschiebwe. Freshmen starters Brandon Miller (6-9, 200 pounds) and Noah Clowney (6-10, 210 pounds) also came up with a few big boards while providing defense down low. Miller led the Crimson Tide with 19 points and seven rebounds while Clowney chipped in 8 points and six boards.

“Oscar, there were rebounds where he got last year,” Calipari said. “Many of them he was rebounding with one hand. These guys are too big and too active.”

It wasn’t just Alabama’s bigs either. The Crimson Tide also benefited from scrappy showing from shooting guard Mark Sears. The Ohio transfer earned the team’s Hard Hat Award, outhustling Kentucky’s forwards for six rebounds while picking their pockets for a career-high six steals. He also finished with 16 points and four assists on the offensive end.

“He was very key,” Bediako said of Sears. “It was one of the best defensive performances I’ve ever seen from him. He did a really good job today. We’re happy for him.”

Added Oats: “I thought he just came ready to play. He’s a gamer. He’s shown up in big games. He showed up on the defense and offensive end this game… I think Clowney told Mark, ‘Now that we’ve seen it, we’re not going to let you give anything less on the defensive end for the rest of the year.”

Alabama (12-3, 3-0) has now opened conference play with three straight wins for only the second time since 1986-87. The other time Crimson Tide accomplished the feat came during the 2020-21 campaign when it went on to win both the SEC regular-season title as well as the conference tournament.

“We got a chance,” Oats said. “This game showed we can be good defensively.”