uk basketball game today delivered a tight SEC Tournament finish Thursday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, with Kentucky eliminating Missouri 78-72 in the second round. The game swung late when Missouri briefly grabbed a 70-69 lead before Kentucky closed the final stretch to advance. Missouri now turns immediately to the NCAA Tournament picture, with its fate set for Selection Sunday.
What happened in Nashville, and when
The second-round SEC Tournament matchup between Kentucky and Missouri was played Thursday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Kentucky ultimately prevailed 78-72 after Missouri dug an early hole and later surged back into the game.
Mizzou center Shawn Phillips Jr. got into early foul trouble as the Tigers trailed by as many as 16, putting pressure on Missouri to chase the game. Even with what was described as a standstill first half, Missouri kept the margin manageable and pushed into striking distance late.
The decisive sequence came in the closing minutes: Missouri rallied all the way to a 70-69 lead late, but the Wildcats answered to finish out the win, ending Missouri’s SEC Tournament run in the second round.
How Kentucky and Missouri arrived at this game
Kentucky entered Thursday after a Wednesday win over LSU, 87-82, moving the Wildcats forward to face Missouri in the next round. In that LSU win, Otega Oweh led Kentucky with 23 points, while Brandon Garrison scored 17 and Denzel Aberdeen added 16.
Missouri came in as the tournament’s eighth seed and did not play Wednesday. The Tigers’ season record was listed at 20-11, led by senior forward Mark Mitchell, who averages 17. 9 points per game.
The teams had met once in the regular season, when Missouri beat Kentucky 73-68 at Rupp Arena on January 7. Kentucky led that game 66-58 with 4: 37 remaining before Missouri closed on a 15-2 run. In that January meeting, Mitchell scored 21 for Missouri and Jayden Stone had 20, while Oweh led Kentucky with 20.
Immediate reactions from the Kentucky bench
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope, speaking after Wednesday’s win that set up the matchup, emphasized Missouri’s physical profile and the challenge ahead.
“They’re really good. They’ve been playing great basketball, ” Pope said. “They have tremendous size on their front line. They’re so physical and so big and so skilled actually, can hurt you in a lot of different ways. ”
Pope also pointed back to the January loss and what Missouri did well late in that game.
“They made shots against us when we played them at home, ” Pope said. “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. ”
Quick context
Thursday’s result flips the regular-season outcome between the teams, with Kentucky advancing in the SEC Tournament after losing the lone prior meeting. For Missouri, the SEC Tournament exit sets up a waiting game until Selection Sunday.
What’s next
Kentucky moves on in the SEC Tournament after the 78-72 win, while Missouri heads home after a near-comeback that briefly put the Tigers in front late. For Missouri, the next definitive moment arrives on Selection Sunday, when the NCAA Tournament field is announced and the Tigers learn what comes after uk basketball game today.
