Kentucky is back in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament after taking down a second set of Tigers in the first two rounds at Bridgestone Arena.
Earning their way to Friday the hard way, the Wildcats (21-12) notched their second straight victory in the league tournament with a 78-72 win over Missouri on Thursday, less than 24 hours after ousting LSU in the opening round of the five-day event.
For the second time in a week, Kentucky will take on No. 5 Florida on Friday at 12 p.m. (ESPN). The Gators, the top seed, swept the Wildcats during the regular season, including an 84-77 triumph last Saturday in Lexington.
Missouri (20-12) overcame an eight-point deficit and dealt the Wildcats a 73-68 setback on Jan. 7. This time, Kentucky built a 16-point lead in the second half and similar to the regular-season meeting between the two teams, the Tigers made a comeback and led 70-69 with 2:34 left. But Kentucky’s defense limited Missouri to just two free throws and one field goal in the final two minutes to secure the narrow victory.
“We've been really blessed to be all over the map in games,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. “Up big, down big, sways big. Our guys and staff are good at staying focused in the moment, understanding what's happening.”
Although in a comfort zone with a double-digit lead, Missouri made the Wildcats earn the victory down the stretch.
“We were in a place where we felt comfortable,” Pope said. “They just said we're going to bully you inside. They bullied us inside. The guys, our guys, are pretty well-trained. They've adopted a strategy of trying to stay as steady as they can, focusing on finding answers and solutions rather than getting sidetracked by scenarios. They did a good job with that today.”
Denzel Aberdeen sank a jumper as the shock clock expired, which capped a 6-0 run. Aberdeen and Otega Oweh sank three of four free throws in the final 12 seconds to seal the deal.
“We didn't allow them to frustrate us,” Aberdeen said. “We kind of got frustrated a little bit because, for the last game, they were, they were like, we'll play great deep into (the shot clock), and there were two seconds left, so that would kind of get us frustrated.”
This time, the Wildcats knew how to respond.
“When we got that lead, we didn't let up, and we kind of just knew that they were going to crawl their way back, but we knew we knew what to do and we knew how to handle ourselves,” Kentucky forward Malachi Moreno said.
Oweh, Aberdeen and Collin Chandler combined for 52 points, with Oweh leading the way with 21. Aberdeen had 16, and Chandler connected on two of the team’s six 3-pointers and finished with 15 points.
Much like the opening-round win over the Tigers, Kentucky got much-needed help from the bench. Sparked by Mouhamed Dioubate’s nine points and seven rebounds, Kentucky’s backups finished with 13 points. Kentucky also forced 15 turnovers and scored 17 points off those miscues.
“I thought we did great today from the tip,” Chandler said. “In our first four minutes, we did a great job at setting the tone. Our guys came out and were physical. Missouri is a great team. We knew it was going to be a battle. Everyone is battling for their season here in Nashville. I think we did a good job at responding to their physicality.”
Since arriving in Music City, Pope said the Wildcats have been “dialed in” and enjoying the trip to Nashville.
“It’s nice these days are so fun because you're just on a schedule and it never changes,” Pope said. “We hope it keeps going for a few more days.”
Gametracker: Kentucky vs. Florida, 12 p.m., Friday. TV/Radio: ESPN, UK Radio Network.
Kentucky's Denzel Aberdeen rises for a jumper in a win over Missouri on Thursday in the second round of the SEC tournament in Nashville. The Cats play Florida on Friday in the quarterfinals. (UK Athletics photo)
