The University of Alabama men’s basketball team will learn about itself quickly when SEC play begins.
The Crimson Tide will open the conference portion of its schedule in Coleman Coliseum against Kentucky on Saturday, Jan. 5, as the Southeastern Conference unveiled the 2019 men’s basketball composite league schedule on Friday. Tipoff times along with TV selections will be released at a later date.
The Kentucky game will mark the Wildcats’ first visit to Tuscaloosa in two years The two teams met in Lexington last season
The Crimson Tide’s home-and-home opponents for the upcoming season include LSU (Jan. 8 in Baton Rouge, La., and March 2 in Tuscaloosa), Texas A&M (Jan. 12 in Tuscaloosa and Feb. 19 in College Station, Texas), Mississippi State (Jan. 29 in Tuscaloosa and Feb. 12 in Starkville, Miss.), Auburn (Feb. 2 in Auburn, Ala., and March 5 in Tuscaloosa) and Vanderbilt (Feb. 9 in Nashville, Tenn., and Feb. 23 in Tuscaloosa).
The Crimson Tide has 18 games on its league slate in addition to its 13-game non-conference schedule, which was announced in late-July. Alabama will begin SEC competition playing three of its first and five games on the road.
Along with its home-and-home contests, the Tide will have a home schedule which, in addition to the league opener against Kentucky, includes Ole Miss (Jan. 22), Georgia (Feb. 6) and Florida (Feb. 16).
Additional road games will consist of Missouri (Jan. 16), Tennessee (Jan. 19), South Carolina (Feb. 26) and Arkansas (March 9).
The SEC Tournament will return to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., after a year hiatus and will be played March 13-17, 2019.
