The Kentucky Wildcats beat the Oklahoma Sooner in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday night at the buzzer by a final score of 85-84.

The Cats got off to a fast start, but it didn’t last long. The first half was very reminiscent of the game in Norman, as Kentucky just couldn’t slow the Sooners down. While scoring seemed at a premium, Mark Pope’s squad was able to take a 40-38 lead into the break.

After the half, the shooting woes continued. Continuing from the first half, the Cats missed 14 of their last 18 field goals at one point. The energy dropped off entirely, and Oklahoma took advantage. It was eerily similar to the first time these two teams played.

However, once again, the Cats answered the call. When all seemed lost, they clawed their way back and slowly but surely extended the lead out of reach of the Sooners. Or, so it seemed. The Cats seemingly imploded with less than a minute left to blow an impossible lead, but it wasn’t all for naught as Otega Oweh won the game for Kentucky again.

Next up, the Cats will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide late Friday night as they’ll look to avoid the three-game sweep against Nate Oats’ squad.

The injury bug bites again

Ugh…I don’t even know what to say anymore. Is Kentucky basketball cursed?

BBN was down after news broke of Jaxson Robinson’s season-ending injury, but all was not lost after Lamont Butler finally made his triumphant return. Butler didn’t miss a ton of time, but he did play several games less than 100%. When he made his way back to the court, that was more important than the loss of Robinson.

Unfortunately, the fun didn’t last long. Butler aggravated his shoulder injury in the first half and he didn’t return to the game. Pope said he was taken in for imaging at the break. His status is unknown for now.

Carr is all the way back

Andrew Carr is Kentucky’s X-factor. It’s plain and simple.

The Wake Forest transfer was really good to start the season, but injuries derailed him big time. He missed time and his play fell off. Even when he was back, it wasn’t the same for a long time because his back injury clearly affected his play.

However, over the last few games, Carr has made it clear that he’s back. He’s confident. He’s shooting the ball from deep and taking advantage of mismatches down low. You can see his ability to disrupt opposing teams on defense when he’s really healthy, as well.

Carr is Pope’s secret weapon and he’s all the way back.

Brea came to play

Koby Brea has hit another gear since Jaxson Robinson went down with a season-ending injury. The senior has really hit his stride and is playing with all the confidence in the world.

He’s an incredible shooter, obviously, but he doesn’t get enough credit for his passing and athleticism around the rim. Sometimes, he seems a little hesitant to let it fly, but that’s gone away since his role has expanded. Everyone just wants him to shoot any chance he gets, but he’s smart with the basketball.

Over the last few weeks, he’s really stepped up. He’s a microwave scorer that always has the green light and he’s taken full advantage. That’s a good sign in March.

Oweh picks up where he left off

Otega Oweh had one of the more spectacular performances a few games ago against his former team. Sometimes, the grass is greener.

Oweh was a solid player for the Sooners, but he’s transformed into a star for the Wildcats. Last month, he was quiet in the first half, but he scored 23 of Kentucky’s last 25 points, including the game-winner.

That scoring streak happened over the last 12 minutes of the game. It was so much fun to watch. Every time down, you knew Oweh was getting the ball and no one could stop it. That game meant everything to him and it carried over to this one. While it wasn’t the same dominant showing, he forced the issue when the Sooners clearly couldn’t stop him from getting to the rim.

Once again, Oweh wouldn’t lose to his former team. He hit a shot just before the buzzer to pull the Cats out of the grave.

Win and move on! That’s all that matters in March.

Go Cats!!

Kentucky takes on Oklahoma in the second round of the SEC Tournament and the Cats’ first game in the event later tonight.

Here are some numbers relating to the Cats, the Sooners, and the matchup between the two teams earlier this year.

580 … The total number of three-pointers made by Kentucky and Oklahoma so far in the 2024-25 college basketball season. They rank No. 1 and No. 4 in the SEC in threes made, respectively.

79.3% … OU’s free throw percentage for the season. That’s far and away the best in the league with Vandy and Auburn tied for second at 74.7%. OU is 9th in the country in free throw percentage and is 81% over its last three games.

30% … Kentucky was only 7/23 (30%) from three-point range against the Sooners. Had the teams shot their season average from outside it would have been a more comfortable Kentucky win. But that’s just an unpredictable factor going in. Actually, Oklahoma ranks fourth in the SEC in three point defense, allowing … 30% on the season.

29 … Points for Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears in Wednesday night’s 81-75 Sooner win against Georgia. He was 8/16 from the field, 4/7 from long range, and 9/12 from the charity stripe. Fears did turn it over five times but his scoring punch makes OU dangerous. Against UK earlier this year Fears had 18 points on 7/18 shooting in 37 minutes. He did have eight boards and six assists as well.

18 … Consecutive Kentucky points for Otega Oweh in UK’s 83-82 win in Norman. Oweh completely took over the game in the second half, finishing with 28 points, and that was what powered the Wildcats to a win on the road that wouldn’t have happened without him.

This was also the number of second chance points for Georgia against Oklahoma on Wednesday night. Kentucky beat OU 9-5 in second chance points in Norman, so there’s a chance for an advantage there as well.

16 … Points off turnovers for Kentucky against Oklahoma in that first meeting in Norman. The Sooners turned it over 15 times, with Fears’ four the high number.

12 … Oklahoma knocked down a dozen three pointers on 25 attempts to beat Georgia. Nine of those came in the first half. Oklahoma knocked down 10/25 three-pointers in its near takedown of Kentucky last month.

0 … Blocked shots for Oklahoma in that first game against Kentucky. They also didn’t have any blocked shots against Georgia yesterday, so there’s a chance to do some work around the rim if Andrew Carr and Amari Williams can get in good position down low.

-1.9 … OU’s rebounding margin on the season. Meanwhile, Kentucky is +3.7 per game on the boards. UK has a chance to do some damage on the glass tonight as the fourth-best rebounding team in the SEC.

The Kentucky Wildcats will make their 2025 SEC Tournament debut Thursday night vs. the Oklahoma Sooners, who defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 81-75 in Wednesday’s opening round. That included a 16-0 second-half run to put the game effectively on ice.

Game time is set for approximately 9:30 PM ET, though any veteran of watching postseason basketball knows it’s much likelier that tip time is at 10 PM or later.

Kentucky enters the league tournament with a 21-10 record and a 10-8 mark in what was one of the best conferences in recent memory. As many as three SEC teams will get a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, while there could be as many as five teams that earn a top-two seed.

The Wildcats have a chance to be one of the teams that earn a 2-seed, but only if they make a deep run in Nashville. They’re widely projected as a 3-seed right now, but dropping to a 4-seed is very possible if they don’t handle business in their SEC Tournament opener.

Oklahoma, meanwhile, is 20-12 overall and needs to keep winning to lock up a spot in the NCAA Tournament after going 6-12 in SEC play. The Sooners currently sit among the last four teams in the field of 68 in ESPN’s latest Joe Lunardi bracketology.

Beating Georgia ‘should’ have locked up the Sooners’ spot, but you can bet they’re going to keep playing like there’s no tomorrow, especially after losing at home to Kentucky toward the end of regular-season play. It was a highly-contested game that got very heated during the game and in the postgame celebration, even seeing beer cans being thrown at Kentucky players.

Bet on this rematch being another war that goes into the final minutes before deciding a victor.

The winner advances to Friday’s quarterfinal action vs. the 3-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide.

Opposing Players to Watch

G Jeremiah Fears 6-4, 182 lbs

F Jalon Moore 6-7, 215 lbs

• 16.2 PPG (8th in SEC)
• 5.8 RPG
• 36.3% 3P

G Duke Miles 6-2, 188 lbs

Here’s what you need to know for what hopes to be the first of four Kentucky SEC Tournament games in the Music City.

Kentucky Basketball vs. Oklahoma Sooners

Time: Approximately 9:30 PM ET on March 13th, 2025 (plan for 10)

Location: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee

TV Channel: SEC Network

Announcers: Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes, and Molly McGrath.

Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.

Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).

SEC Injury Report

Rosters: UK | OU

Stats to Know: UK | OU

KenPom: UK | OU

Team Sheet: UK | OU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook does not have a spread just yet, so check back later. EvanMiya projects Kentucky to be a six-point favorite.

Predictions: EvanMiya picks Kentucky to win 84-78. I’m going with an 81-79 victory, Kentucky!

Let us know your Kentucky vs. Oklahoma predictions in the comments section!