TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Forget history, Nate Oats was more concerned with correcting the present. Following back-to-back losses to ranked teams, No. 4 Alabama needed a response during Saturday’s matchup against No. 17 Kentucky.

The Crimson Tide snapped its two-game skid with a 96-83 victory over the Wildcats, and Oats broke a program record in the process. Saturday’s victory marks Oats’ 26th win over an Associated Press top-25 opponent. He now stands alone for most such wins in program history.

Alabama’s win on Saturday was its eighth ranked victory of the current campaign, breaking the single-season mark set by Oats’ 2022-23 team.

Oats tied Wimp Sanderson’s previous program record for ranked wins at Alabama with a victory over then-No. 14 Mississippi State last month. Currently in his sixth season with the Tide, Oats has reached 25 ranked wins in half the time it took Sanderson to compile the mark.

Oats hasn’t had an easy path to the milestone either.

Eleven of his ranked wins at Alabama have come against top-10 teams. Six have come against teams ranked in the top five. Two have come against No. 1 ranked teams.

Alabama will have several more opportunities against ranked teams, as its remaining regular-season games include matchups against No. 21 Mississippi State, No. 6 Tennessee, No. 2 Florida and No. 1 Auburn.

Oats is currently 139-59 during his time in charge of Alabama. He led the Tide to its first-ever Final Four appearance last year and has advanced to all four NCAA tournaments that have been held during his tenure. Alabama (22-5, 11-3) will extend that run this year, as it is currently projected as a No. 1 seed.