LSU
UK
Kentucky prioritizing defense in SEC tourney tilt with LSU
NASHVILLE -- Ninth-seeded Kentucky Wildcats is seeking consistency when it faces No. 16 seed LSU Tigers in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Wednesday.
The Wildcats (19-12), on a two-game losing skid, trailed Florida by 17 at the half on Saturday, rallying late to get within single digits before falling 84-77. Kentucky allowed the Gators to shoot 64.3% in the first half but just 30.3% in the second.
"When we guard, we're good. And all facets of that have to be great for us," Kentucky coach Mark Pope said.
Otega Oweh (18.2 points per game) scored in double figures in all but one league game, that being the Wildcats' 72-63 win at South Carolina on Feb. 24. That one aside, he has scored between 23 and 29 points in five of his last six games.
Kentucky's wild card is Collin Chandler (10.0 ppg, 43.1% on 3-pointers). He hit six triples and scored a career-high 23 points in the Wildcats' last win -- a 91-77 defeat of then-No. 25 Vanderbilt on Feb. 28 -- but had five total points in 69 minutes in losses to Florida and Texas A&M since.
In its Jan. 14 meeting with LSU (15-16), Kentucky overcame an 18-point deficit in the second half when Malachi Moreno hit a buzzer-beating jumper for a 75-74 win in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers are coming off a 94-91 triple-overtime home loss to Texas A&M on Saturday that dropped them to 0-5 in league games decided by four or fewer points.
Marquel Sutton (50 minutes, 12 points), Mac Mackinnon (48, 20) and Jalen Reece (51, 17) couldn't help LSU to overcome its 22-turnover performance.
"I was really proud of the fight and the competitive spirit of our players, and I thought they laid it on the line for what ended up being 55 minutes," coach Matt McMahon said.
Mackinnon (15.3 ppg, four games with at least 26 points in SEC play) and Sutton (13.2) will need to carry LSU if it is to make a run in this tournament.
--Chris Lee, Field Level Media
Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Field Level Media. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Field Level Media is strictly prohibited.
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13:20 |  | +2 | Brandon Garrison makes two point layup (Mouhamed Dioubate assists) | 58-59 |
| 13:38 |  | +2 | Marquel Sutton makes two point jump shot | 58-57 |
| 13:43 | | Marquel Sutton offensive rebound | ||
| 13:45 | | Jalen Reece misses two point jump shot | ||
| 14:11 | | +2 | Denzel Aberdeen makes two point layup (Brandon Garrison assists) | 56-57 |
| 14:35 | | +2 | Max Mackinnon makes two point jump shot (Jalen Reece assists) | 56-55 |
| 14:45 | | +2 | Mouhamed Dioubate makes two point tip layup | 54-55 |
| 14:53 | | Mouhamed Dioubate offensive rebound | ||
| 14:55 | | Otega Oweh misses two point layup | ||
| 15:01 | | Otega Oweh offensive rebound | ||
| 15:03 | | Kam Williams misses three point jump shot | ||
| 15:12 | | TV timeout | ||
| 15:12 | | Max Mackinnon personal foul | ||
| 15:30 | | +2 | Rashad King makes two point layup (Mike Nwoko assists) | 54-53 |
| 15:40 | | Mike Nwoko offensive rebound | ||
| 15:42 | | Rashad King misses three point jump shot | ||
| 15:53 | | Marquel Sutton defensive rebound | ||
| 15:55 | | Denzel Aberdeen misses three point jump shot | ||
| 16:06 | | +2 | Jalen Reece makes two point jump shot | 52-53 |
| 16:24 | | +2 | Denzel Aberdeen makes two point jump shot | 50-53 |
| 16:37 | | +1 | Mike Nwoko makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 50-51 |
| 16:37 | | Mike Nwoko misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 16:37 | | Mouhamed Dioubate shooting foul (Mike Nwoko draws the foul) | ||
| 16:49 | | Tigers defensive rebound | ||
| 16:51 | | Otega Oweh misses two point jump shot | ||
| 17:04 | | Collin Chandler defensive rebound | ||
| 17:06 | | Rashad King misses three point jump shot | ||
| 17:17 | | Max Mackinnon offensive rebound | ||
| 17:19 | | Marquel Sutton misses two point jump shot | ||
| 17:29 | | Otega Oweh turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 17:29 | | Otega Oweh offensive foul | ||
| 17:37 | | +2 | Max Mackinnon makes two point turnaround jump shot | 49-51 |
| 17:43 | | Max Mackinnon offensive rebound | ||
| 17:45 | | Max Mackinnon misses three point jump shot | ||
| 18:08 | | +2 | Otega Oweh makes two point jump shot | 47-51 |
| 18:24 | | +1 | Malachi Moreno makes flagrant free throw 2 of 2 | 47-49 |
| 18:24 | | +1 | Malachi Moreno makes flagrant free throw 1 of 2 | 47-48 |
| 18:24 | | Pablo Tamba flagrant 1 (Malachi Moreno draws the foul) | ||
| 18:24 | | TV timeout | ||
| 18:24 | | Official timeout | ||
| 18:26 | | +2 | Pablo Tamba makes two point dunk (Jalen Reece assists) | 47-47 |
| 18:33 | | Otega Oweh personal foul | ||
| 18:46 | | +1 | Otega Oweh makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 45-47 |
| 18:46 | | Otega Oweh misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 18:46 | | Max Mackinnon shooting foul (Otega Oweh draws the foul) | ||
| 18:47 | | Pablo Tamba personal foul | ||
| 18:47 | | Wildcats offensive rebound | ||
| 18:49 | | Otega Oweh misses three point jump shot | ||
| 19:15 | | +2 | Max Mackinnon makes two point jump shot | 45-46 |
| 19:38 | | Mike Nwoko defensive rebound | ||
| 19:40 | | Andrija Jelavić misses three point jump shot |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | | End of period | ||
| 0:01 | | +3 | Max Mackinnon makes three point jump shot (Jalen Reece assists) | 43-46 |
| 0:12 | | +1 | Otega Oweh makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 40-46 |
| 0:12 | | +1 | Otega Oweh makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 40-45 |
| 0:12 | | Pablo Tamba shooting foul (Otega Oweh draws the foul) | ||
| 0:35 | | Brandon Garrison defensive rebound | ||
| 0:37 | | Brandon Garrison blocks Mike Nwoko's two point layup | ||
| 0:51 | | +2 | Brandon Garrison makes two point jump shot (Otega Oweh assists) | 40-44 |
| 1:11 | | +1 | Mike Nwoko makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 40-42 |
| 1:11 | | Mike Nwoko misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 1:11 | | Brandon Garrison shooting foul (Mike Nwoko draws the foul) | ||
| 1:21 | | +1 | Denzel Aberdeen makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 39-42 |
| 1:21 | | Denzel Aberdeen misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 1:21 | | TV timeout | ||
| 1:21 | | Mike Nwoko shooting foul (Denzel Aberdeen draws the foul) | ||
| 1:35 | | Brandon Garrison offensive rebound | ||
| 1:37 | | Denzel Aberdeen misses two point jump shot | ||
| 2:09 | | +2 | Jalen Reece makes two point layup | 39-41 |
| 2:25 | | Pablo Tamba defensive rebound | ||
| 2:27 | | Collin Chandler misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:39 | | Kam Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 2:41 | | PJ Carter misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:01 | | +2 | Denzel Aberdeen makes two point jump shot | 37-41 |
| 3:31 | | +3 | PJ Carter makes three point jump shot (Jalen Reece assists) | 37-39 |
| 3:48 | | Mike Nwoko defensive rebound | ||
| 3:50 | | Otega Oweh misses two point jump shot | ||
| 4:11 | | +2 | Marquel Sutton makes two point jump shot (Mike Nwoko assists) | 34-39 |
| 4:28 | | +2 | Brandon Garrison makes two point jump shot (Collin Chandler assists) | 32-39 |
| 4:48 | | Wildcats 30 second timeout | ||
| 4:49 | | +2 | Max Mackinnon makes two point layup (Jalen Reece assists) | 32-37 |
| 4:51 | | Jalen Reece defensive rebound | ||
| 4:53 | | Denzel Aberdeen misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:57 | | +2 | Mike Nwoko makes two point layup | 30-37 |
| 5:08 | | Mike Nwoko offensive rebound | ||
| 5:10 | | Marquel Sutton misses two point layup | ||
| 5:18 | | +2 | Denzel Aberdeen makes two point dunk | 28-37 |
| 5:26 | | Max Mackinnon turnover (bad pass) (Denzel Aberdeen steals) | ||
| 5:50 | | +3 | Denzel Aberdeen makes three point jump shot | 28-35 |
| 5:50 | | +2 | Marquel Sutton makes two point jump shot (Max Mackinnon assists) | 28-32 |
| 6:17 | | +1 | Otega Oweh makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-32 |
| 6:17 | | +1 | Otega Oweh makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-31 |
| 6:17 | | Rashad King shooting foul (Otega Oweh draws the foul) | ||
| 6:24 | | Brandon Garrison defensive rebound | ||
| 6:26 | | Mike Nwoko misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:37 | | Mike Nwoko defensive rebound | ||
| 6:39 | | Otega Oweh misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:46 | | Denzel Aberdeen defensive rebound | ||
| 6:48 | | PJ Carter misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:06 | | +2 | Collin Chandler makes two point jump shot | 26-30 |
| 7:22 | | +2 | Max Mackinnon makes two point jump shot | 26-28 |
| 7:42 | | +3 | Collin Chandler makes three point jump shot | 24-28 |
| 7:57 | | +2 | Mike Nwoko makes two point jump shot | 24-25 |
| 8:07 | | +1 | Pablo Tamba makes flagrant free throw 2 of 2 | 22-25 |
| 8:07 | | Pablo Tamba misses flagrant free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 8:07 | | TV timeout | ||
| 8:07 | | Mouhamed Dioubate turnover | ||
| 8:07 | | Mouhamed Dioubate flagrant 1 | ||
| 8:07 | | +2 | Pablo Tamba makes two point layup | 21-25 |
| 8:18 | | Mouhamed Dioubate personal foul | ||
| 8:26 | | Marquel Sutton defensive rebound | ||
| 8:28 | | Pablo Tamba blocks Mouhamed Dioubate's two point layup | ||
| 8:37 | | Andrija Jelavić offensive rebound | ||
| 8:39 | | Kam Williams misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:08 | | Mike Nwoko turnover (3-second violation) | ||
| 9:31 | | +2 | Jasper Johnson makes two point jump shot | 19-25 |
| 9:42 | | +1 | Mike Nwoko makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 19-23 |
| 9:42 | | +1 | Mike Nwoko makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-23 |
| 9:42 | | Kam Williams shooting foul (Mike Nwoko draws the foul) | ||
| 10:06 | | +3 | Kam Williams makes three point jump shot (Mouhamed Dioubate assists) | 17-23 |
| 10:14 | | Otega Oweh defensive rebound | ||
| 10:16 | | Jalen Reece misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:30 | | +2 | Otega Oweh makes two point layup (Brandon Garrison assists) | 17-20 |
| 10:37 | | Mouhamed Dioubate defensive rebound | ||
| 10:39 | | Marquel Sutton misses two point layup | ||
| 10:51 | | Mike Nwoko defensive rebound | ||
| 10:53 | | Otega Oweh misses two point jump shot | ||
| 11:06 | | TV timeout | ||
| 11:11 | | Otega Oweh defensive rebound | ||
| 11:13 | | Mike Nwoko misses two point hook shot | ||
| 11:39 | | +2 | Otega Oweh makes two point jump shot | 17-18 |
| 11:53 | | Kam Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 11:55 | | Brandon Garrison blocks Pablo Tamba's two point layup | ||
| 12:05 | | Jalen Reece defensive rebound | ||
| 12:07 | | Denzel Aberdeen misses three point jump shot | ||
| 12:29 | | +3 | Rashad King makes three point jump shot (Jalen Reece assists) | 17-16 |
| 12:40 | | Jalen Reece defensive rebound | ||
| 12:42 | | Mouhamed Dioubate misses two point jump shot | ||
| 12:56 | | Marquel Sutton turnover (lost ball) | ||
| 13:01 | | Jalen Reece defensive rebound | ||
| 13:03 | | Brandon Garrison misses three point jump shot | ||
| 13:19 | | Max Mackinnon turnover (lost ball) (Otega Oweh steals) | ||
| 13:34 | | +2 | Brandon Garrison makes two point jump shot (Otega Oweh assists) | 14-16 |
| 13:45 | | Mouhamed Dioubate defensive rebound | ||
| 13:47 | | Max Mackinnon misses three point jump shot | ||
| 14:10 | | Denzel Aberdeen turnover (bad pass) | ||
| 14:19 | | +2 | Jalen Reece makes two point layup | 14-14 |
| 14:36 | | +1 | Otega Oweh makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 12-14 |
| 14:36 | | Rashad King shooting foul (Otega Oweh draws the foul) | ||
| 14:36 | | +2 | Otega Oweh makes two point layup | 12-13 |
| 14:49 | | +1 | Mike Nwoko makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 12-11 |
| 14:49 | | +1 | Mike Nwoko makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 11-11 |
| 14:49 | | TV timeout | ||
| 14:49 | | Malachi Moreno shooting foul (Mike Nwoko draws the foul) | ||
| 15:00 | | Pablo Tamba offensive rebound | ||
| 15:02 | | Max Mackinnon misses two point jump shot | ||
| 15:22 | | +2 | Collin Chandler makes two point jump shot | 10-11 |
| 15:47 | | +3 | Marquel Sutton makes three point jump shot (Jalen Reece assists) | 10-9 |
| 16:02 | | +3 | Andrija Jelavić makes three point jump shot (Collin Chandler assists) | 7-9 |
| 16:15 | | +3 | Max Mackinnon makes three point jump shot (Pablo Tamba assists) | 7-6 |
| 16:43 | | +2 | Andrija Jelavić makes two point layup | 4-6 |
| 16:49 | | Andrija Jelavić defensive rebound | ||
| 16:51 | | Jalen Reece misses two point jump shot | ||
| 17:07 | | Pablo Tamba offensive rebound | ||
| 17:09 | | Andrija Jelavić blocks Pablo Tamba's two point layup | ||
| 17:33 | | +2 | Andrija Jelavić makes two point jump shot | 4-4 |
| 17:41 | | Otega Oweh defensive rebound | ||
| 17:43 | | Max Mackinnon misses three point jump shot | ||
| 17:57 | | Malachi Moreno personal foul | ||
| 17:57 | | Mike Nwoko defensive rebound | ||
| 17:59 | | Malachi Moreno misses two point layup | ||
| 17:59 | | Malachi Moreno offensive rebound | ||
| 18:00 | | Otega Oweh misses two point layup | ||
| 18:00 | | Otega Oweh defensive rebound | ||
| 18:02 | | Jalen Reece misses three point jump shot | ||
| 18:04 | | +2 | Otega Oweh makes two point layup | 4-2 |
| 18:12 | | Otega Oweh defensive rebound | ||
| 18:14 | | Mike Nwoko misses two point jump shot | ||
| 18:21 | | Jalen Reece defensive rebound | ||
| 18:23 | | Collin Chandler misses three point jump shot | ||
| 18:39 | | +2 | Mike Nwoko makes two point layup | 4-0 |
| 18:59 | | Mike Nwoko offensive rebound | ||
| 19:01 | | Marquel Sutton misses two point layup | ||
| 19:13 | | Marquel Sutton defensive rebound | ||
| 19:15 | | Marquel Sutton blocks Denzel Aberdeen's two point jump shot | ||
| 19:23 | | Malachi Moreno offensive rebound | ||
| 19:25 | | Collin Chandler misses three point jump shot | ||
| 19:48 | | +2 | Mike Nwoko makes two point jump shot | 2-0 |
| 20:00 | | (Tigers gains possession) |
Key Players
| Min. Per Game | ||
| Pts. Per Game | ||
| Ast. Per Game | ||
| Reb. Per Game | ||
| Field Goal % | ||
| Three Point % | ||
| Free Throw % |
| |
+ 2 | Brandon Garrison makes two point layup (Mouhamed Dioubate assists) | 13:20 |
| |
+ 2 | Marquel Sutton makes two point jump shot | 13:38 |
|
Marquel Sutton offensive rebound | 13:43 |
|
Jalen Reece misses two point jump shot | 13:45 |
| |
+ 2 | Denzel Aberdeen makes two point layup (Brandon Garrison assists) | 14:11 |
| |
+ 2 | Max Mackinnon makes two point jump shot (Jalen Reece assists) | 14:35 |
| |
+ 2 | Mouhamed Dioubate makes two point tip layup | 14:45 |
|
Mouhamed Dioubate offensive rebound | 14:53 |
|
Otega Oweh misses two point layup | 14:55 |
|
Otega Oweh offensive rebound | 15:01 |
|
Kam Williams misses three point jump shot | 15:03 |
| Team Stats | |
|
|---|---|---|
| Points | 58 | 59 |
| Field Goals | 23-45 (51.1%) | 23-45 (51.1%) |
| 3-Pointers | 5-14 (35.7%) | 4-16 (25.0%) |
| Free Throws | 7-10 (70.0%) | 9-11 (81.8%) |
| Total Rebounds | 23 | 21 |
| Offensive | 8 | 6 |
| Defensive | 14 | 14 |
| Team | 1 | 1 |
| Assists | 11 | 8 |
| Steals | 0 | 2 |
| Blocks | 2 | 3 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 3 |
| Fouls | 9 | 10 |
| Technicals | 0 | 0 |
Video Carousel
16 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST
| Key Players | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
00
|
. Mackinnon G | 15.2 PPG | 2.6 RPG | 2.5 APG | 40.6 FG% |
|
00
|
. Oweh G | 18.2 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 2.7 APG | 47.2 FG% |
| Top Scorers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Mackinnon G | 16 PTS | 2 REB | 1 AST | ||
| O. Oweh G | 16 PTS | 6 REB | 2 AST | ||
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| M. Mackinnon | 16 | 2 | 1 | 7/11 | 2/5 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| M. Nwoko | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4/8 | 0/0 | 6/8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| M. Sutton | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4/8 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| J. Reece | 6 | 5 | 7 | 3/7 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| P. Tamba | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2/4 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| M. Mackinnon | 16 | 2 | 1 | 7/11 | 2/5 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| M. Nwoko | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4/8 | 0/0 | 6/8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| M. Sutton | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4/8 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| J. Reece | 6 | 5 | 7 | 3/7 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| P. Tamba | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2/4 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| R. King | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| P. Carter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Mosley | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Gilhool | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Bobbett | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R. Zipper | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Vaughns | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 58 | 22 | 11 | 23/45 | 5/14 | 7/10 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 14 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| O. Oweh | 16 | 6 | 2 | 5/12 | 0/2 | 6/7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| D. Aberdeen | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5/10 | 1/4 | 1/2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| C. Chandler | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3/6 | 1/4 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| A. Jelavic | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3/4 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| M. Moreno | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2/2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| O. Oweh | 16 | 6 | 2 | 5/12 | 0/2 | 6/7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| D. Aberdeen | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5/10 | 1/4 | 1/2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| C. Chandler | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3/6 | 1/4 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| A. Jelavic | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3/4 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| M. Moreno | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2/2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| B. Garrison | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| K. Williams | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Johnson | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Dioubate | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| W. Horn | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| T. Noah | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Z. Tow | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 59 | 20 | 8 | 23/45 | 4/16 | 9/11 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 14 |
