Big Blue Preview: Kentucky vs. Alabama (SEC Tournament)
After beating Oklahoma 85-84 on a thrilling, last-second shot by Otega Oweh on Thursday night in the second round of the 2025 Southeastern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, Kentucky moves into the quarterfinals on Friday.
The Cats’ opponent on Friday night (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) is a team that UK has already seen twice this season – fifth-ranked Alabama.
Kentucky advanced to Friday’s game by beating the Sooners for the second time this season. Oweh had 27 points and Koby Brea added 22 for the Cats.
The Cats and the Tide played at Rupp Arena on January 18, with Alabama claiming a 102-97 win behind 25 points from Grant Nelson. Kentucky had seven players in double figures in that game, led by 21 points from Otega Oweh and 17 from Lamont Butler.
Kentucky made 11 of 27 from behind the arc in that game, but saw Alabama make 13 of 34 three-point shots. The difference in the game was at the free throw line, where the Tide made 29 of 34, while the Cats made 16 of 20.
The rematch came on Feb. 22 at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. Kentucky, without Butler or Jaxson Robinson, put up a fight before falling 96-83. Koby Brea led the Cats with 20 points, while Andrew Carr and Amari Williams each had 17. Alabama was led by Mark Sears, who scored a game-high 30 points.
Kentucky and Alabama rank first and second in the number of SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament titles won, although there is quite a gap between the numbers. UK has won 31 SEC Tournament titles, while Alabama has won eight.
One of these two will take a step towards adding to that total when the teams face off inside Bridgestone Arena on Friday night.
No Way, Oweh! Guard Leads Cats Past Sooners in SEC Tournament
In the regular-season matchup between Kentucky and Oklahoma, Otega Oweh had a huge game, including the game-winning shot, as the Cats beat the Sooners, Oweh’s former team, in Norman. On Thursday night in the second round of the 2025 Southeastern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Oweh did it again.
With less than six seconds remaining and Kentucky trailing 84- 83, Oweh took an inbounds pass in the backcourt, drove to the right baseline and scored with his left hand with 0.5 seconds left, lifting the Cats to an 85-84 win.
Oweh had 27 points in the game, one short of his scoring output in the regular season matchup, to lead Kentucky. The Cats got 22 points from Koby Brea and 11 from Andrew Carr, and UK survived an injury to starting point guard Lamont Butler in the victory.
Some additional notes from the game:
• Tonight’s win gives Kentucky its first three-game win streak of the season vs. SEC opponents.
• Kentucky shot 51.7 percent from the field, 31 of 60. The Wildcats are 15-1 this season when making at least 50 percent of their shots.
• Kentucky won the rebounding, 36-28. The Wildcats are 15-4 this season when outrebounding the opponent.
• With Otega Oweh reaching 1,000 career points tonight, he is the eighth current Wildcat to eclipse the millennium mark in his career – also Ansley Almonor, Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, Kerr Kriisa, Jaxson Robinson and Amari Williams.
• Kentucky is the only team in the country with eight 1,000- point scorers on the roster.
Kentucky in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals
Kentucky has 31 SEC Tournament titles all-time, 23 more than Alabama, who has the second most with eight. The Wildcats last SEC Tournament championship came in 2018 when UK defeated Tennessee in the title game. Kentucky is 136-30 all-time in the SEC Tournament.
UK advanced to the SEC Quarterfinals for the 60th time in program history. The Cats are 46-13 in quarterfinal matchups and are 17-2 against Alabama in the SEC Tournament, including 6-1 in quarterfinals games.
1K Wildcats
With Otega Oweh reaching 1,000 career points during the SEC Tournament vs. Oklahoma, Kentucky now has eight players (Ansley Almonor, Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, Kerr Kriisa, Jaxson Robinson, and Amari Williams) who have all eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau for their collegiate careers. UK is the only team in the country with eight 1,000-point scorers on the roster.
