KSR Today: An Early Morning After a Late Night Kentucky Win in Nashville

by:Nick Roush•03/14/25•

RoushKSR

OK-337198 — Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

Long time, no see. It was mere hours ago when Matt Jones tipped off the KSR Postgame Show at 2:28 a.m. EST. It was worth staying up late to watch Kentucky beat Oklahoma at the buzzer.

It was an unbelievable game in so many ways. Let’s start at the finish because that’s what everyone is talking about today in the Commonwealth, in Nashville, and the state of Oklahoma.

Otega Oweh is the ultimate “one that got away” for Oklahoma fans. The former Sooner ripped their hearts out in Norman, scoring a career-high 28 points, including 21 of UK’s final 23, and sinking a game-winner. He nearly gave Porter Moser’s team a redemption story.

Leading by six with 40 seconds to play, Oklahoma put on the full-court pressure. Kentucky had two timeouts, but instead of calling them when things got tight, they threw it away. There were three late turnovers, two by Oweh, who was tasked to stop Jeremiah Fears when the freshman phenom sunk the go-ahead bucket with less than six seconds remaining.

It felt like Threat Level Midnight around Big Blue Nation, but it was really just Otega Time. He did it again, this time with his left hand while his body was falling behind the backboard.

He is that guy. pic.twitter.com/udh9bOEFTY
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 14, 2025

Oweh’s 27-point performance was surreal. He’s the only Division I player this century to score 25+ points and make the game-winning basket in two separate one-point wins against the same opponent in the same season. It was a wild scene inside Bridgestone Arena, one Kentucky fans should enjoy while the postseason future remains uncertain.

Kentucky Wins Without Lamont Butler

But how long will they be forced to play without their point guard? That remains up in the air.

Like Jaxson Robinson, Lamont Butler aggravated his injury. He only played eight minutes in the first half before he went back to the locker room as trainers tended to his injured left shoulder. Kentucky fans were left in the dark until after halftime, when we learned he was out for the game. Kerr Kriisa’s reaction to Butler’s comments on the sideline did not stir up optimism. Mark Pope was pessimistic in his postgame comments.

“I was really proud of our guys and our team because your heart is just breaking for Lamont. We already have Jaxson [Robinson] sitting over there. Now Lamont misses the opportunity to be a part of this. It is devastating. It’s devastating, guys, for him,” Pope said. “It’s like a gut punch.”

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Up Next: Alabama

The Kentucky win gives the Cats a third shot to take down Alabama. The Wildcats are a 5.5-point underdogs against the Crimson Tide, with a total of 179.5. Nate Oats is vying for his third SEC Tournament title in five years, fresh off an overtime win at top-ranked Auburn to wrap up the regular season. Taking down the Crimson Tide is a tall task at full strength. Likely without Lamont Butler, it could be a rough follow-up to Friday night’s fireworks.

Date, Time: Thursday, 9:30 p.m. EST
Television: SEC Network (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes, Molly McGrath)
Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
Online Radio: iHeart
Satellite Radio: Sirius 106 or 190
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tip-off, or join the conversation on KSBoard.

Friday SEC Tournament Schedule

Everyone is tired today because the SEC put on an absolute show on Thursday. Every single game was outstanding. But, those outstanding games take a little longer to play.

It started with Sean Pedulla‘s late three to lift Ole Miss over Arkansas. The second session started late because it took two overtimes for Texas to take down the timeout-calling Buzz Williams. Missouri and Mississippi State were tied with four minutes to play when the Tigers pulled away with an 85-73 victory.

Game 9: No. 1 Auburn vs. Ole Miss
Time: 1 p.m. ET on ESPN

Game 10: No. 4 Tennessee vs. Texas
Time: 25 minutes after Game 9 on ESPN

Game 11: No. 2 Florida vs. Missouri
Time: 7 p.m. ET on SECN

Game 12: No. 3 Alabama vs. Kentucky
Time: 25 minutes after Game 11 on SECN