Collin Chandler received 3 stitches after taking a bloody blow to the head vs. Oklahoma

Collin Chandler is earning plenty of respect from the Big Blue Nation thanks to his recent play, but the toughness he showed against Oklahoma put him on another level. When fans are going online comparing him to Tyler Ulis, he’s probably doing something right.

Chandler didn’t have a great shooting game in Kentucky’s thrilling 85-84 SEC Tournament win over the Sooners Thursday night, finishing with just three points on 1-7 shooting (1-4 3PT). Receiving an elbow to the face not even five minutes into the game, which resulted in blood running down the side of his face and required three stitches once he ran back to the locker room, probably didn’t help his vision.

“Toughness,” Otega Oweh, who scored the game-winning bucket right before the buzzer, said of Chandler postgame. “I saw him leaking. I ain’t know it was gonna have to require stitches.”

With around 15 minutes left in the first half, the freshman guard drove to the rim and was bumped on his way to the basket, forcing him to lose the ball. But upon further review, it appears Oklahoma’s Luke Northweather’s elbow connected with Chandler right next to his left eye. Chandler rolled on the floor for a second before bouncing back up. He actually stayed in for another 30 seconds of game action before the blood began to pour down his cheek and he had to be removed from the game.

“I got three stitches,” Chandler said postgame. “They did it nice and quick, so it’s all good… I got hit in the face obviously and then I felt the blood dripping down my face. I was just trying to get out quick so I could get back in the game. It’s not too bad.”

Here's the play where Collin Chandler got hit in the face and cut his eye. pic.twitter.com/zT1KL3c87M

— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) March 14, 2025

For whatever reason, the incident was not reviewed by the officials at the monitor — despite Mark Pope‘s best efforts to make them take another look at it. And he was certainly not happy about the no-call. It is a bit surprising the refs didn’t even give it a look considering the line of blood painted on Chandler’s face, but this was far from a perfectly officiated game.

“Trying to decide how honest I should be actually,” Pope said smiling when asked his thoughts on what he saw. “First of all, it was fine. It’s all basketball, right? It’s all basketball. There were two times when I got a little bit distracted. That was one of them. It just is what it is. It just is what it is.”

For more reasons than one, Pope is certainly happy Chandler only required three stitches. Kentucky is going to need him playing at his best when they hit the floor again Friday night against 3-seed Alabama. Lamont Butler‘s status remains uncertain after he reinjured his left shoulder in the first half. It’s always possible he still gives it a go against the Crimson Tide, but we’re not going to expect it at this stage.

Pope is (unfortunately) used to this though. Injuries have decimated his backcourt all season long. If Butler is unable to go against Alabama, Chandler will likely fill that role — one he’s earned. He was effective on both sides of the ball in his 22 minutes against Oklahoma. He also added three rebounds and an assist.

And bloody face aside, he’s playing his best basketball at the best time for UK.

“Really proud of Collin,” Pope said. “He ran back, got stitches, came back in. We made sure he remembered his middle name, then threw him back out there. It’s incredible what he’s doing. I’m really proud of him. Super fun opportunity for him to show his toughness and his dedication to this team. It certainly did.

“It’s fun to watch these guys grow, man. It’s just really rewarding to watch these guys grow. Collin is certainly growing in huge ways and getting a chance to show it.“

If dealing with Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears wasn’t already enough, Chandler will have to do plenty of growing in a short amount of time with Alabama’s star guard Mark Sears serving as his next matchup. Tipoff Friday night in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena is set for 9:30 p.m. EST on the SEC Network.

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