LIVE BLOG: [6] Kentucky vs. [14] Oklahoma, SEC Tournament 2nd Round
The first postseason of the Mark Pope era is finally upon us. KSR’s LIVE BLOG will bring you all the sights and sounds from Bridgestone Arena as the No. 6 seed Kentucky Wildcats host the No. 11 seed Oklahoma Sooners (9:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Kentucky won the first meeting in Norman two weeks ago 83-82 thanks to a career performance by former Sooner Otega Oweh. Oweh scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half and Kentucky’s final 18 points of the game. Jeremiah Fears and Jalon Moore combined for 38 points in that matchup and have revenge on their minds. Fears scored 29 points in Oklahoma’s win over Georgia in the first round last night.
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Will Kentucky win its first SEC Tournament game in Nashville since 2019 or will the Sooners send the Cats home? Refresh the feed below for updates and our takes on the game from Bridgestone Arena. You can also join the conversation on the KSBoard Game Thread or by texting your observations to 859-587-3828 (standard messaging rates apply).
First, a message from today’s live blog sponsor, My Old Kentucky Home Repair:
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FINAL: Kentucky 85, Oklahoma 84
03/14/2025 12:10:41 AMThat. Just. Happened. I’m gonna need a minute.
OTEGA OWEH WINS THE GAME
03/14/2025 12:08:14 AMOH MY GOD. CATS WIN!!!!!! BUILD THE OTEGA OWEH STATUE
Oklahoma leads with 5.6 seconds to go
03/14/2025 12:05:47 AMWell that was a nightmare. Oklahoma now leads 84-83 with 5.6 seconds to go after back-to-back turnovers by Kentucky, which led to buckets for the Sooners. The Cats were up 10 with two minutes to go.
Score Update: 33.8 – Kentucky 83, Oklahoma 80
03/14/2025 12:02:53 AMThis one is not over, folks. Jeremiah Fears just drained a three to cut Kentucky’s lead to three, 83-80, with 33.8 seconds to go. Timeout Sooners.
Bridgestone Arena with a LOUD “Ref You Suck!” chant
03/14/2025 12:01:08 AMThe officiating is out of control. Confirming the common foul on Wague was bad enough, but the foul on Otega Oweh drew a LOUD “Ref you suck!” chant from the crowd at Bridgestone. Fears made both free throws. Thankfully, Koby Brea did too after he as fouled to keep Kentucky’s lead at six with 41 seconds to go.
Mohamed Wague just threw Andrew Carr to the ground
03/13/2025 11:58:55 PMOfficials went to the monitor to review a foul on Mohamed Wague, who absolutely threw Andrew Carr to the ground under the basket. Somehow, it remains a common foul, which is absurd to me. Thankfully, Carr seems to be okay. He only made one of two free throws. Cats by six with just under a minute to go…
58.1 – Kentucky 81, Oklahoma 75
Score Update: 1:26 2H – Kentucky 80, Oklahoma 70
03/13/2025 11:53:41 PMA three by Jalon Moore cut Kentucky’s lead to single digits but two free throws by Otega Oweh have it back at ten.
The crowd is very over the officiating
03/13/2025 11:51:53 PMKentucky leads by 11 with two minutes to go, but you wouldn’t know it based on the crowd. Fans are making it very clear how upset they are with the officiating. Mark Pope did too.
Score Update: 2:55 2H – Kentucky 77, Oklahoma 67
03/13/2025 11:48:33 PMKentucky leads by ten with just under three minutes to go. Amari Williams missed one free throw after a foul on Northweather, but officials are now reviewing it? It’s late. Please let us go home.
BRANDON GARRISON DUNK
03/13/2025 11:39:13 PMBrandon Garrison and Otega Oweh REALLY don’t like Oklahoma. Oweh’s and-one pushed Kentucky’s lead to ten. Garrison followed it up with a monster dunk, which capped off an 11-0 run and just about brought the roof off Bridgestone Arena. Oklahoma timeout.
4:30 2H – Kentucky 77, Oklahoma 65
Back-to-back threes!
03/13/2025 11:36:37 PMKentucky needs buckets and Otega Oweh and Koby Brea are delivering. Both hit threes to push Kentucky’s lead to seven with 5:38 to go.
5:38 2H – Kentucky 72, Oklahoma 65
Score Update: 6:39 2H – Kentucky 66, Oklahoma 65
03/13/2025 11:31:29 PMThe atmosphere in Bridgestone Arena is tense, folks. Luke Northweather just hit a three to pull the Sooners within one, prompting Mark Pope to call a timeout. The crowd is doing its best to push the Cats to a win, coming to their feet after buckets by Andrew Carr and Otega Oweh, but Oklahoma keeps responding…
Tom Leach confirms Butler will not return
03/13/2025 11:26:03 PMIt Butler wearing a warm-up shirt, not a jersey wasn’t indication enough, Tom Leach said on the broadcast that Butler will not return tonight. Hopefully the cameras didn’t catch Butler telling Kerr Kriisa his status for the rest of the season.
Score Update: 11:21 2H – Kentucky 58, Oklahoma 52
03/13/2025 11:19:49 PMOklahoma cut Kentucky’s lead to two, but Otega Oweh and Brandon Garrison pushed it back to six at the Under-12 timeout, with Garrison about to head to the free throw line.
Lamont Butler returns to Kentucky’s bench
03/13/2025 11:18:29 PMLamont Butler is back on Kentucky’s bench, but he’s wearing a warm-up shirt, not a jersey. It looks like his night might be over.
9-2 run by Kentucky
03/13/2025 11:14:31 PMThe Cats are finding their footing. Kentucky is on a 9-2 run thanks to Otega Oweh, Koby Break, and Ansley Almonor. Brea gave the Cats a lead with a three, but Jalon Moore tied it up. Kentucky scored six straight points, four by Ansley Almonor, two by Otega Oweh, to bring the lead to six.
13:03 2H – Kentucky 54, Oklahoma 48
Score Update: 15:38 2H – Oklahoma 46, Kentucky 45
03/13/2025 11:06:23 PMOklahoma has the lead at the first media timeout of the second half after two buckets by Jeremiah Fears and one by Mohamed Wague. The Cats have scored five points since halftime off a three by Collin Chandler and a jumper by Koby Brea. Kentucky has only made six of its last 22 shots.
Lamont Butler is questionable to return
03/13/2025 11:00:50 PMAccording to a UK spokesperson, Lamont Butler is questionable to return with a left shoulder injury. He is not on Kentucky’s bench and was not spotted during halftime. Collin Chandler started the second half.
This appears to be the play he was hurt on.
Pope says Lamont Butler is “getting imaging” done
03/13/2025 10:45:38 PMMark Pope talked to Molly McGrath heading into the tunnel and said that Lamont Butler is “getting imaging done” on his shoulder. As someone who saw him getting that shoulder worked on before going back to the locker room, I can confirm it is his injured shoulder. He was able to lift his arm all the way above his head but seemed to be in pain as the trainer massaged it.
HALF: Kentucky 40, Oklahoma 38
03/13/2025 10:43:10 PMNow that’s how you end a half! Amari Williams’ dunk gives the Cats a two-point lead at intermission. Koby Brea leads the Cats with 12 points, followed by Otega Oweh with 11 points, but I think all anyone cares about is the status of Lamont Butler, who missed the final 12 minutes of the half.
Koby Brea three!
03/13/2025 10:41:15 PMJeremiah Fears is heating up, hitting a stepback jumper to give Oklahoma the lead, but Koby Brea just took it back with a three-pointer on the other end, which brought fans to their feet. Koby Elvis just hit two free throws to tie the game at 38 with 42.2 seconds remaining.
Score Update: 1:55 1H – Kentucky 33, Oklahoma 31
03/13/2025 10:37:47 PMOtega Oweh has been living at the free-throw line for the last few minutes, giving the Cats the lead and pushing it to five before a Jeremiah Fears three brought it back to two. Trent Noah also had a nice putback on an Oweh miss.
Still no sign of Lamont Butler, which is leading to a nervous buzz in the arena as fans worry about the status of their starting point guard.
Otega Oweh ties it up
03/13/2025 10:33:24 PMSomething about Otega Oweh and Oklahoma. Oweh just got an and-one to tie it up at 28. I don’t need to remind you that Oweh had a career-high 28 points in the first matchup in Norman.
Oklahoma takes the lead
03/13/2025 10:26:37 PMWe’re witnessing what happens when you don’t have Lamont Butler. Oklahoma just took the lead off a layup by Jeremiah Fears, which capped off a 10-0 Sooner run over the last 3:06 and prompted Mark Pope to call a timeout. Kentucky has missed its last five field goals, a scoring drought that’s lasted 3:28.
4:41 1H – Oklahoma 28, Kentucky 25
Still no sign of Butler
03/13/2025 10:23:58 PMButler has not returned to Kentucky’s sideline. Kentucky’s trainer did some back and shared something with the assistant coaches. Kentucky’s lead is now down to two.
5:43 1H – Kentucky 25, Oklahoma 23
Score Update: 7:51 1H – Kentucky 25, Oklahoma 18
03/13/2025 10:19:09 PMAt the Under-8 timeout, the Cats are up seven thanks to a dunk by Koby Brea, who has nine points so far. Travis Perry just picked up his first foul. Butler looks to have gone back to the locker room with the trainer…
Lamont Butler talking to the trainer
03/13/2025 10:16:09 PMSomething to keep an eye on: Lamont Butler just asked to come out of the game and is currently talking to the trainer on Kentucky’s sideline. The trainer is massaging Butelr’s shoulder and he’s also trying to stretch it out.
8:31 1H – Kentucky 23, Oklahoma 18
Collin Chandler is bleeding
03/13/2025 10:09:21 PMIt looks like you all got a better view of this on TV than we did courtside, but Collin Chandler is bleeding. There was no foul called and he played for three possessions with blood pouring down his face before a deadball that led to the timeout, which is probably why Mark Pope was so mad at the refs a minute ago.
Score Update: 11:18 1H – Kentucky 19, Oklahoma 14
03/13/2025 10:06:45 PMOklahoma’s still within five at the Under-12 timeout, but that may not be the case for long. Amari Williams is headed to the free throw line after a foul on Luke Norweather. Kentucky’s reserves are in and Trent Noah already has a bucket, much to the crowd’s delight. The Cats have cooled off a bit, now just 8-14 from the field.
This crowd is almost as entertaining as the game
03/13/2025 10:04:35 PMThe WiFi is in and out here on press row, but not being able to refresh is giving me a chance to enjoy the atmosphere. Kentucky fans make up at least 80% of the crowd so far, and you can tell they’ve had a long and fun Thursday on Broadway. The folks behind me are VERY EXCITED that Trent Noah and Travis Perry are in and are giving the refs plenty of grief already. Fun times.
Score Update: 15:18 1H – Kentucky 12, Oklahoma 7
03/13/2025 09:55:07 PMOklahoma is now on the board, but the Cats are still up at the first media timeout, leading the Sooners by five. Kentucky’s 5-7 from the floor so far to Oklahoma’s 3-6. Andrew Carr had a crazy block that just about brought the house down.
WHAT A START!!!!!
03/13/2025 09:48:48 PMThere are starts and then there’s what just happened here in Nashville. Kentucky is off to an 8-0 start thanks to threes by Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr, and a layup by Koby Brea. The crowd is losing its mind. If I wasn’t so mad at the media WiFi, I would be too.
Same starting lineup
03/13/2025 09:39:28 PMAs expected, the Cats are rolling with the same starting five in the SEC Tournament:
01 Lamont Butler
00 Otega Oweh
04 Koby Brea
07 Andrew Carr
22 Amari Williams
Tonight’s officials are…
03/13/2025 09:29:46 PM…Terry Oglesby, Owen Shortt, and Courtney Green. Kentucky is 2-2 in games officiated by Oglesby this season (Lipscomb, at Mississippi State, Arkansas, at Alabama), 3-1 in games with Shortt (Brown, at Tennessee, at Alabama, LSU), and 3-0 with Green (Duke, at Tennessee, at Oklahoma).
The Cats are ready
03/13/2025 09:23:22 PMKentucky just took the floor to a loud ovation from the crowd. The Cats looked loose in the tunnel getting ready to take the floor.
Missouri beats Mississippi State 85-73; Kentucky vs. Oklahoma will tip off at 10:43 PM ET
03/13/2025 09:20:46 PMWe’re almost there, folks. Missouri just beat Mississippi State 85-73 to advance to the quarterfinals. There, they’ll face the winner of our game, Kentucky vs. Oklahoma, which should tip off around 9:43 p.m. CT/10:43 p.m. ET.
The announcer here at Bridgestone needs to check the bracket, because he said, “Stick around for the final game of the night, the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Georgia Bulldogs.” He got soundly booed.
Mark Pope isn’t worried about the late tip time
03/13/2025 08:54:45 PMWe’re all grumbling about the late tip time, which was further delayed by Texas vs. Texas A&M, but Mark Pope said it will have no impact on his squad.
“No. It’s the same prep. We do everything the same way. It just makes it more exciting. It’s the conference tournament. It’s the greatest the SEC has ever been, maybe the greatest conference that’s ever been so we take all the drama, all the smoke, and let’s go.”
This will be the first SEC Tournament for everyone but the walk-ons. Pope said he and his guys can’t wait to put on a show for BBN.
“I think they’re not taking a single second for granted. And I think they want so badly to perform for Kentucky and for our university, community, and BBN. I think it’ll be energizing for them and fantastic and what you dream about as a young kid growing up.”
Who’s in the house tonight?
03/13/2025 08:52:13 PM…UK. The Cats are in the building.
The Text Machine is ready for our game to start (same)
03/13/2025 08:49:37 PMText your observations to 859-587-3828 (standard messaging rates apply).
Louisville wins on a buzzer-beater
03/13/2025 08:37:24 PMIf you missed the end of the Stanford vs. Louisville game, well, you may not want to watch the replay. Louisville was up eight with 1:57 to go and Stanford stormed back to tie with 32 seconds left. Stanford rebounded a missed Louisville three but turned it over with a second left, leading to a Chucky Hepburn game-winner. The Cardinals advance to the ACC Semifinals to play the winner of Clemson vs. SMU.
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