As No. 6 Kentucky’s second round SEC Tournament matchup with the No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners inched closer on Thursday night, Nashville, as it is every year, became swamped with Kentucky fans.
From Broadway to Bridgestone Arena, it was a sea of blue, but what differentiated this year from the rest was the patent feeling of excitement beaming within every UK fan.
It felt as if the fanbase was looking forward to the conference tournament again, something that had faded away over the years with the recent lack of success under former Head Coach John Calipari, who led the Cats to just one SEC Tournament win in the past three years (2022).
Now, with first-year head coach Mark Pope making a strong effort to restore the faith in Kentucky basketball, Thursday night was the — current — grand chapter of what has been a thrilling season thus far, backed by the mob of those rocking Kentucky blue.
“Nashville is always seen as a spot where Kentucky fans go and take over,” Kentucky guard Travis Perry said. “I think it was very evident today, and I think that it played a big part in our success.”
The “success” that Perry speaks of stems from an 85-84 opening win over the Sooners, a game that saw the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
Right off the tip, Kentucky jumped out to a rapid 8-0 lead as Koby Brea kicked things off with a made layup, which was followed by two consecutive made 3-pointers by Otega Oweh and Andrew Carr, forcing Oklahoma Head Coach Porter Moser to call a timeout before the first media break even presented itself.
From there, Oklahoma leveled it out and made it a more competitive game as freshman guard Jeremiah Fears began to kickstart his rhythm. He finished the game with 28 points, four rebounds and five assists.
In the second half, the Cats began to pull away, leading 77-65 with under four minutes to play, until a series of turnovers and poor late-game management propelled the Sooners to take an 84-83 lead with just five seconds remaining.
On Kentucky’s own end, freshman Trent Noah inbounded the ball to Otega Oweh — a former Oklahoma Sooner — who dashed coast-to-coast, laying the ball in with 0.5 seconds remaining.
As one could imagine, Oklahoma’s full-court heave with 0.5 remaining was unsuccessful and Bridgestone Arena exploded with joy and relief from BBN. Oweh celebrated in front of his former team’s bench, swarmed by his teammates, sending the Sooners home.
“Really just that we’re going to win the game,” Perry said when reflecting on what Pope told the team during the final timeout. “That was the message. We’re going to go out there and we’re going to have faith in this last play. I think we all had faith in O (Oweh) to go out there and make a play for us.”
Surely, Oweh’s heroics were the deciding factor in what could’ve been an extremely disappointing ending for the Cats, but UK wouldn’t have been in that spot if it wasn’t for Brea, who contributed a quiet 22 points on 8-12 shooting from the field and 4-7 shooting from deep.
If Kentucky wants to not only advance in the SEC Tournament, but in the NCAA Tournament as well, Brea is going to need to keep letting the 3-ball fly, as it is the most effective part of his game and his identity.
On the flip side, point guard Lamont Butler, who has been battling a major shoulder injury for a good-chunk of the season, re-injured it in the win, causing the fifth-year senior to be sidelined the entire second half. Butler will be out for Kentucky’s next game.
Kentucky will now face the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday night, a team whom it was defeated by twice, once in Lexington and once in Tuscaloosa.
“It’s a revenge tour,” Kentucky’s Brandon Garrison said. “Very talented team, so it’s going to be a tough one, like every game in the SEC. But, out there just doing what we do, I have faith in my teammates.”
Kentucky, with the crowd bubbling over with blue, will look to beat Alabama when it matters the most, seeking a spot in the SEC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2022, back when it defeated Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals and advanced to the semis courtesy of a double-bye in the first two rounds.
Tipoff for Kentucky’s revenge tour is set for 9:30 p.m. ET and can be viewed on the SEC Network, approximately 25 minutes after No. 2 Florida and No. 7 Missouri’s matchup concludes.
