NASHVILLE — The second time against Texas A&M was the charm for Kentucky.
The Wildcats claimed their second straight Southeastern Conference championship with an 82-77 win over the Aggies Sunday at Bridgestone Arena, sending Kentucky into the NCAA Tournament on a high note with its fifth straight victory.
The two teams shared the conference crown during the regular-season, but it was a 79-77 overtime victory on Feb. 20 at College Station that gave Texas A&M the top seed in the tournament. It didn’t matter, however, as the finale came down to the top teams in the league and went down to the wire.
It took overtime for Kentucky to avenge the earlier-season loss to the Aggies and a memorable performance by Tyler Ulis to provide the boost needed to sustain consistent blows from a Texas A&M squad capable of making a run in the next phase of the postseason.
BOXSCORE: Kentucky 82, Texas A&M 77
Ulis scored a career-high 30 points and didn’t sit down in what will likely be his last conference encounter. Ulis, SEC Player of the Year and the league’s top defender, earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors following his heroic effort.
“His heart and his energy that he plays with is just ridiculous,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “We feed off of it, to be honest.”
The Wildcats needed every ounce of energy it could get from Ulis and the rest of his supporting cast to defeat a Texas A&M team that never trailed by no more than seven in regulation. In addition to his scoring, Ulis made seven-of-eight free throws, grabbed three defensive rebounds, dished out five assists and collected three steals. He had a hand in nearly every successful play Kentucky achieved.
“Every big play, he made, or he passed it for the (big) play,” Calipari said. “All we were going to do late in the game (was) play through him.”
Calipari went to Ulis for the potential game-winning shot with the game tied at 71-71 in the final 15 seconds of regulation, but his jumper in the lane at the buzzer bounced off the front of the rim.
Even though he missed his previous shot at the end of regulation, Ulis knocked down a 3-pointer on his first attempt in overtime, the first of three treys by the Wildcats in the extra period, proving the necessary spacing UK needed to hold off the Aggies.
Feeding off Ulis’ energy, Willis popped a 3-pointer for a 78-75 lead with a minute remaining and a perfect bow-and-arrow aim and fire by Jamal Murray was the dagger in the closing seconds. Although winded playing their third game in as many days, all three players ignored the fatigue factor.
“Derek made a big shot (and) Jamal made a big shot,” Ulis said. “Everybody fought at the end and it’s a great win for us.”
Although Murray and Willis made the game-clinching shots, the leadership and competitive drive of Ulis was the difference-maker in the thrilling conference ending. Ulis played 45 minutes, marking the seventh time this season sophomore has played 40 minutes or more in a contest.
“There’s been games where he and Jamal have played so many minutes,” Calipari said. “I looked at them a couple of times (during the game and asked), ‘you need a break? Both of them were like, nope, not me.”
Even Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy wasn’t surprised by the performance by Ulis.
“He could probably play another game right now,” Kennedy said. “He’s a tremendous athlete. His conditioning is outstanding. I think that helps a lot. When someone doesn’t get tired, they can play at their best, and his best is really elite. He’s a good player, player of the year in the conference (and) I think rightfully so.”
After watching his star point guard carry the Wildcats to his third tournament title in Music City, Calipari made another push to include Ulis on the national player of the year list.
“I might be biased, I don’t think I am, but he should be one of those guys for player of the year,” he said. “If not the guy (then who?) When you look at his numbers and what he’s doing, that’s the player of the year, those numbers.”
Those numbers continue to speak volumes over and over again.
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports writer who covers University of Kentucky athletics for KyForward.com
