In a year in which the Southeastern Conference will not be very forgiving of missed opportunities, Kentucky has begun league play digging out of a hole.

Alabama snapped its 10-game losing streak to the Wildcats on Saturday with a 77-75 win at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa.

Kentucky made a furious comeback from an 11-point deficit in the final 3:11, but Tyler Herro's 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer bounced long off the rim as the Crimson Tide held on for the victory.

Tevin Mack scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half to lead Alabama (10-3, 1-0 SEC). The junior forward made all six of his 3-point attempts to keep the Tide within 40-38 at the half.

"He had beer muscles. It was Seton Hall all over again," said UK coach John Calipari, referring to the 28-point, six-trey game by Myles Powell in an 84-83 win over the Cats earlier this season.

Calipari noted that the young Cats completely ignored the scouting report on Mack in the first half, going under screens instead of staying on top.

After a hot start, No. 13 Kentucky (10-3, 0-1 SEC) saw its shooting go cold in the second half. The Cats missed 21 of 30 shots from the field at one point before the frenzied comeback which saw UK turn a series of Alabama turnovers into easy buckets.

Five players scored in double figures for UK, but none had a dominating performance. Sophomore forward PJ Washington led the way with 15 points but was only 4-for-10 from the field. Keldon Johnson followed with 13, while Reid Travis, Ashton Hagans and Tyler Herro each had 12.

Kentucky had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Cats had come into the game with impressive wins over Utah, North Carolina and Louisville the last three Saturdays.

*****

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

THE GOOD:

Kentucky did not fold when Alabama took a double-digit lead with under four minutes to go. The effort to give themselves a shot to win was impressive, but the Cats will be disappointed in allowing the game to reach that point.

THE BAD:

The Cats were destroyed on the glass in the last 25 minutes of action. UK once held a 16-6 advantage in the rebound column but finished the game with a 40-32 deficit. Second-chance points are a big part of the Cats' scoring this season. They had only 10 in this game.

THE UGLY:

Kentucky's offense in the second half was a train wreck, magnified by the lack of second-chance opportunities via the glass. After hitting seven of nine shots to start the game, the Cats finished only 43 percent from the field and shot just 37 percent in the second half. That figure looks better than it actually was as UK made four of its last five shots in the comeback attempt.

GAME BALL:

Tevin Mack, Alabama -- The latest in an exclusive club of nondescript players to have a career day against Kentucky. He entered the game averaging 8.9 points per game and shooting 29.6 percent from the arc. By the late stages of the first half, he had 20 points and had drained all six of his 3-pointers. He had just two points in the second half, but by then the damage was largely done.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1st - Loss in an SEC opener in the last eight years for UK.

1 - Lone blocked shot for the Cats.

2 - Points in the final 29:38 for UK's Travis after scoring 10 of Cats' first 27.

5 - Offensive fouls for the Cats in the second half accounting for five of their six turnovers after the break.

6 - Offensive rebounds for the Cats, a season low.

+15 - Alabama scoring edge from the 3-point arc. The Tide hit 10 of 23 attempts.

QUOTABLE:

"The start of the second half... We just didn't have the same fight and fire. I had to sub guys two minutes in." -- UK coach John Calipari

UP NEXT:

The Cats return to action on Tuesday at Rupp Arena against Texas A&M. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. The Aggies (6-5) open league play against Arkansas tonight. It will mark UK's first game in Rupp Arena in 24 days.