By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
NASHVILLE — It took a miracle for Kentucky to beat LSU earlier this season. This time, the finish wasn’t as dramatic as Malachi Moreno’s buzzer-beater that lifted the Wildcats to a 75-74 triumph in Baton Rouge. An 87-82 win on Wednesday at Bridgeport Arena propelled the Wildcats into the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Kentucky (20-12) led by double digits in the second half and escaped an LSU team fighting to extend its season. The Tigers lost nine of their last 10 games and ended with a 15-17 record.
Despite the struggles, advancing in the tournament wasn’t easy for Kentucky, which carried a two-game losing streak into the postseason.
“Fun game,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. “This LSU team’s really athletic. They’ve been in every game they’ve played in. I thought they played great tonight. I thought they came in with a great game plan. I’m proud of our guys for being ready to go and competing. I thought the guys started well.”
Kentucky, a rare No. 9 seed in the five-day event, won its opening game in the tournament for the second year in a row under Pope and takes on eighth-seeded Missouri at 12:30 p.m. EST Thursday. The Tigers defeated the Wildcats 73-68 in one of the team’s most disappointing home losses of the year on Jan. 7.
“They made shots against us when we played them at home,” Pope said. “They made some plays late that really hurt us. They’re a good team. Really well-coached. Coach does a great job. It will be a great challenge, just like every game in this tournament is going to be a challenge.”
Kentucky leading scorer Otega Oweh did his usual with 23 points in the tournament opener, but got some help from the reserves, including Brandon Garrison, who scored 17 of the team’s 29 points off the bench. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Garrison during a 12-1 run in the second half provided adequate spacing for the Wildcats, and it was the last of four ties and 15 lead changes in the contest.
Pope wasn’t surprised by Garrison’s two treys that provided a spark for his squad even though he only made two others all season.
“He’s always had the green light,” Pope said. “When he took the first one, you could hear all BBN saying like, ‘Shoot it, shoot it’. We all know. It’s awesome.”
Garrison played a big role in the first half after Moreno collected two fouls early and played just five minutes in the opening half. Pope said Garrison’s six points in the first half were beneficial and provided a lift with Moreno looking on from the bench.
“I thought BG was tremendous,” Pope said. “He gave us a real boost after Malachi’s two fouls in the first half.”
Denzel Aberdeen, who finished with 16 points, said Garrison “came in and stepped up big-time.”
“He always comes to the game ready 110 percent,” Aberdeen said. “He’s not backing down to any challenge. I’m just proud of him today for him coming up and stepping up.”
Playing in his first game since returning from a broken foot, Kam Williams finished with three points in 17 minutes. Pope said he hopes Williams can continue to contribute regularly in the postseason.
‘We just felt like he was at a place where we could throw him out there,” Pope said. “He hasn’t made it through a live practice yet, a whole practice.”
Aberdeen enjoyed his return to Nashville. Aberdeen helped lead Florida to the tournament title last season and is looking forward to another great experience.
“Just being at an SEC tournament is amazing, something I experienced,” he said. “It’s a dream every kid wants to dream of.”
Gametracker: Kentucky vs. Missouri, 12:30 p.m., Thursday. TV/Radio: SEC Network, UK Radio Network.