Even with a full, healthy roster, Kentucky may have had its hands full with No. 5 Alabama in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

The Crimson Tide accomplished what only two other teams have done in history, completing a three-game season sweep of the Wildcats with a 99-70 romp on Friday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Third-seeded Alabama (25-7) advances to the semifinals on Saturday, where it will face 2 seed Florida. The other semifinal match features No. 1 seed Auburn against 4 seed Tennessee as all four of the top seeds advanced in a tourney that featured few upsets.

Freshman guard Labaron Philon led the Tide to the next round with a game-high 21 points. Four other Alabama players reached double figures, including Jarin Stevenson (16), Mark Sears (13), Aden Holloway (13), and Mouhamed Dioubate (13).

The Tide shot 51% from the field, made 11 3-pointers, won the battle on the glass 41-34, and turned 16 Kentucky turnovers into 29 points, many of them coming uncontested in transition.

No. 15 Kentucky (22-11) trailed by only seven at halftime, but things unraveled quickly in the second half, where the Cats allowed Alabama to shoot 59% while shooting 36% on their end. They also went 2-for-10 from the arc and missed nine free throws in the second half.

"We got beat pretty bad," Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said. "I thought our guys competed in the first half, but we were poor in the second half and did not play well. It was not a good night for us.

"We have to own it. It's super-painful. We're disappointed in ourselves, what we did. But we have to own it and move forward, learn from it."

The Cats, who played without three of their top eight players when the season started -- guards Lamont Butler (shoulder), Jaxson Robinson (wrist), and Kerr Kriisa (foot) -- were counting on freshmen to take up the slack. Travis Perry scored 11 points in a starting role in place of Butler, who reaggravated his left shoulder during Thursday's win over Oklahoma, but Collin Chandler and Trent Noah combined for just eight points.

"We need to be good with the players we have," Pope said flatly, dismissing a question about Butler giving a boost if he returns for the NCAA Tournament. "That's our priority. Whoever we have out there has to be better."

Andrew Carr led UK with 18 points, while Amari Williams added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Cats.

The game was a struggle for the Cats' other guards, Otega Oweh and Koby Brea, who combined to shoot 4-for-16 from the field and scored 16 points.

*****

In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK loss...

KEY MOMENT:

Kentucky was hanging in against the Tide early in the second half before Alabama exploded for 25 points in a seven-minute span to stretch its lead to 20. Four different players hit a 3-pointer for the winners during the decisive run. The Cats let go of the proverbial rope at that point, trailing by as many as 30 points in an effort that UK head coach Mark Pope deemed "poor."

GAME BALL:

Labaron Philon, Alabama -- The bouncy freshman guard did a little bit of everything for the Tide, scoring a game-high 21 points, grabbing three rebounds, dishing out four assists, while recording three steals and a blocked shot.

BY THE NUMBERS:

0:00 - Time Kentucky spent with a lead.

2nd - Worst loss suffered by UK in the postseason. The Cats lost to CCNY by 39 points in the 1950 NIT.

3rd - Team to ever beat Kentucky three times in a single season, Alabama, joining Florida in 2014 and Tennessee in 1978.

11 - Steals by the Crimson Tide. Labaron Philon and Jarin Stevenson each had three swipes for the winners.

12 - Missed free throws by the Cats, who went 23-of-35 at the line.

29 - Alabama points off 16 Kentucky turnovers.

QUOTABLE:

"They were really good in transition. They were really relentless, played with a tremendous pace, and they played a great second half." -- UK head coach Mark Pope on Alabama.

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to Lexington to await its placement in the NCAA Tournament field on Sunday night. Most analysts have the Cats projected as a 3 seed in the tourney.