Kentucky Stops LSU 87-82 in SEC Tournament

Kentucky players celebrate after defeating LSU 87-82 Wednesday in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Nashville. (Photo by Jamie H. Vaught)

By Jamie H. Vaught

KySportsStyle.com Magazine

NASHVILLE -- Kentucky's SEC Tournament matchup with LSU on Wednesday afternoon turned out to be much better than the last trip the Wildcats made to the Music City when they dropped in a 94-59 blowout to Gonzaga at Bridgestone Arena.

No. 16 seed LSU was a team that No. 9 seed Kentucky had trouble back in mid-January in Baton Rouge. It was freshman standout Malachi Moreno who saved the Cats with a 75-74 victory on a game-winning buzzer beater in an 18-point comeback.

But Kentucky came out on top in a more comfortable situation this time in Nashville as the Wildcats had the lead for most of the game, beating LSU 87-82 Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the conference tournament.

The victory improved Kentucky's overall record to 20-12, while LSU dropped to 15-17.

UK now will play No. 8 seed Missouri Thursday in the second round. The 12:30 p.m. ET will be shown on the SEC Network.

Commented Kentucky coach Mark Pope, "Proud of our guys for being ready to go and competing. I thought the guys started well. LSU was tough for us to guard. The guys did a nice job. Staff did a nice job making just enough corrections and guys stepped up and made big plays for each other.

"This LSU team is really athletic. They've been in every game they've played in. I thought they played great tonight. I thought they came in with a great game plan."

Two-time All-SEC performer Otega Oweh led the Wildcats with team-highs 23 points and eight rebounds. The senior also hit 7 of 10 free throws.

Pope praised Oweh's performance.

"I thought O was great," he said. "He started out the game, grabbed a couple huge defensive rebounds to set the tone for us. Unbelievable decision-maker. Just the force he is offensively and defensively."

Six-foot-10 junior Brandon Garrison and senior Denzel Aberdeen added 17 points and 16 points, respectively, for the Wildcats.

It was Garrison who sparked the Cats in the second half with two consecutive three-pointers.

"I thought BG was tremendous. He gave us a real boost after Malachi (Moreno's) fouls in the first half," said Pope.

On Garrison's three-pointers, Aberdeen said, "He came and he stepped up big time. He always comes to the game ready 110 percent. He's not backing down to any challenge. I'm just proud of him today for him coming up and stepping up."

Pope was asked if Garrison has the green light to shoot the downtown jumpers.

"He's always had the green light," said the coach. "When he took the first one, you could hear of all BBN saying like, Shoot it, shoot it. We all know. It's awesome."

UK's next opponent, Missouri, has posted a 10-8 mark in the SEC, including a 73-68 road victory at Rupp Arena in early January. Overall, the Tigers are 20-11.

"They're really good. They've been playing great basketball," said Pope. "They have tremendous size on their frontline. They're so physical and so big and so skilled actually, can hurt you in a lot of different ways. They made shots against us when we played them at home. Made some plays late that really hurt us. They're a good team. Really well-coached. Coach (Dennis Gates) does a great job. It will be a great challenge, just like every game in this tournament is going to be a challenge."

If Kentucky defeats Missouri, the Cats will face No. 1 seed Florida on Friday (1:00 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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Former UK and current NBA star Bam Adebayo, who played for Coach John Calipari, had a historic 83-point performance Monday night.

Pope was asked if he saw Bam's stunning performance on TV.

"I haven't seen any of it. In the last 24 hours, we outscored Bam by four. We're proud of that," smiled Pope. "I can only imagine the headlines if we scored 83. What an incredible performance! I don't know Bam personally, other than maybe a passing hello. But you talk about the guys that represent the world of sports in a brilliant way, incredible human being. I'm happy for him. What a performance."

Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime sports columnist in Kentucky, is the author of seven books about UK basketball, including newly published “Unforgettable Journey with the Cats: Inside Kentucky Hoops Madness.” Now a retired college professor who taught at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro, he is the editor and founder of KySportsStyle.com Magazine. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @KySportsStyle or reach him via email at KySportsStyle44@gmail.com.

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