BIRMIGHAM, Ala. — Just three days after getting sweet revenge by way of a 21-point win over the Vanderbilt Commodores, Kentucky men’s basketball will have a chance to get another “get back,” this time on the road.

On Jan. 18, Kentucky, then ranked No. 8 in the nation, welcomed the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide into Rupp Arena for a top-10 SEC contest.

While a great game by all metrics apart from defense, the Tide was victorious, winning in Lexington 102-97. The defeat was Mark Pope’s first in Rupp Arena as the head coach of the Wildcats and just his third ever in the venue.

Looking up over a month later, Kentucky has gone 4-4 whilst struggling with injuries to Andrew Carr, starting point guard Lamont Butler, backup point guard Kerr Kriisa and point guard fill-in Jaxson Robinson.

The Wildcats lost tough road games at Texas, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, dropping a second at home versus John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks, while winning big on the road against Tennessee and besting South Carolina, Vanderbilt and, once again, Tennessee at home.

The results have seen the Cats drop down to the No. 17 spot in the AP Poll.

As for the Crimson Tide, Nate Oats’ squad has been on fire, going 7-2 in that same stretch, albeit with a two-game losing streak going into the Kentucky rematch.

The Tide won games it needed to in the conference, working its way up to a No. 2 ranking ahead of the SEC’s first ever one versus two clash against No. 1 Auburn. Alabama would drop that game, 94-85, at home before being punched in the mouth on the road against Missouri 110-98. It is, once again, No. 4.

Heading into Tuscaloosa, beating Alabama will be a tall task for Pope’s Cats as they are sure to be without Kriisa, Butler and Robinson, once again forcing any combination of Amari Williams or freshmen Travis Perry and Collin Chandler to fill in at point guard.

The name of the game in the first meeting was offense as the Cats and Tide both have two of the most feared offenses in college basketball, even if Kentucky’s has somewhat decreased without a true point guard.

The Cats still rank fifth in offensive efficiency per KenPom, an advanced statistics site that tracks offensive and defensive efficiency, while improving to 69th in the nation on defense – still poor, but a miracle compared to where it was prior.

As for Alabama, it ranks No. 3 in the country in offensive efficiency, ranking first in points per game with 90.6 (Kentucky is third at 85.8). The Tide ranks 48th in defensive efficiency.

What is important to note for UK’s chances, however, is that, for all its loss without Butler and Robinson, it has also gained plenty around the rest of its roster.

In the first matchup with Alabama, Carr was dealing with immense issues with his back. With his assignment being Crimson Tide star Grant Nelson, Carr was held to an inefficient four points, one rebound and one assist in 18 minutes. Nelson finished with a team-leading 25.

Now, however, Carr appears to be 100%, showing flashes of his excellence that he had against Duke and Gonzaga against Vanderbilt on Wednesday, scoring 11 points, including a 3-pointer, in 21 minutes. Not particularly flashy, but reliable and reassuring.

Carr himself commented on his current well-being after the win over the Commodores, saying he felt the best he has since the injury occurred.

“I’m feeling great,” he said. “Pretty much (100%). I’ve been feeling a lot better these last couple weeks, trying to stack some good practices, some good days in a row, trying to get back in the rhythm. Feeling a lot better.”

Pope himself also spoke on Carr’s current state.

“For the last month, we felt like we’ve been without three of our leaders in Lamont, Jaxson and Drew,” he said. “He’s been working so hard to find his way back and I thought he was brilliant. He really did look like his old physical attacking self.”

The weight of the rematch with the Tide and the chance to redeem his poor showing isn’t lost on Carr, either, as the veteran former Demon Deacon also spoke about the upcoming contest following the win over Vandy.

“They’re a super talented team, we know how fast they like to play,” Carr said. “My matchup was Grant Nelson, he had a great game. I’m super excited to step up to that challenge and face him and be able to shut him down. I think we’ll be able to go in there and try to get one back like we did tonight.”

While having Carr back is undoubtedly huge, its far from the only gain the Cats have had in recent contests.

In the absence of veterans like Robinson and Butler, freshmen Perry, Chandler and Trent Noah have been thrust into the spotlight and have risen to the occasion.

Perry has been a reliable player for the Cats, transitioning into a point guard role against Vanderbilt and leading the offense with more efficiency than would have been expected when the season began. As for Noah, he’s been a massive bucket getter, usually good for big 3-pointers and tough confident play.

Finally, the black sheep of the three, Chandler had his best game in Kentucky blue on Wednesday night, showing a confidence and finesse that had been severely lacking from his game prior, giving credence to why Pope has shown so much confidence in his former BYU commit.

As if that’s not enough, Williams played a statistically near perfect game against the Commodores, having truly blossomed into a star, while Otega Oweh has been dropping 20-point performances with far more regularity. None of that is to mention the ever-looming threat of Koby Brea’s hot hand.

With that said, beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa is still a big ask. While listed as probable for the game, Mark Sears has been electric for the Tide, averaging a team-high 18.5 points per game, while Nelson has been good for 12.5 points and 8.1 rebounds a night. On top of that, Labaron Philon has worked himself heavily into NBA draft conversations for his play and upside.

Sure, the Tide will be without Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who averages 11.5 points per game, as well as Derrion Reid (7.1) and Houston Mallette (3.2), but none of those guys played against Kentucky the first time, either.

All in all, Coleman Coliseum is sure to be rocking with the team calling for a “white out” and top 25 SEC basketball is nearly always guaranteed to deliver.

As for the Cats’ odds, they can’t be much worse than they were when UK traveled to Tennessee as 10.5-point underdogs as Kentucky is slated to be an 11.5-point dog in Tuscaloosa.

Tipoff between UK and Bama is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The game will air live on ESPN.