March 3, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Owe (00) watches the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Image Ninth-seeded Kentucky will be looking for consistency when it faces No. 16 seed LSU in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Wildcats (19-12), who have lost two in a row, fell 84-77 on Saturday after falling behind Florida by 17 points in the second half to within single digits. Kentucky allowed the Gators to shoot 64.3% in the first half, but only 30.3% in the second.
“When we play defense, we’re good, and every aspect of that should be good for us,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said.
Otega Oweh (18.2 points per game) has scored in double figures in every league game except the Wildcats’ 72-63 win at South Carolina on Feb. 24. Excluding that game, he has scored between 23 and 29 points in five of his last six games.
Kentucky’s wild card is Colin Chandler (10.0 points, 43.1% 3-point shooting percentage). He hit six triples and scored a career-high 23 runs in the Wildcats’ last win. Feb. 28 25 Vanderbilt – But then lost a total of five points in 69 minutes to Florida and Texas A&M.
In a meeting with LSU (15-16) on Jan. 14, Kentucky overcame an 18-point second-half deficit when Malachi Moreno hit a buzzer-beating jumper in Baton Rouge for a 75-74 win.
The Tigers lost 94-91 in triple overtime at home to Texas A&M on Saturday, dropping them to 0-5 in league games decided by four points or fewer.
Marquel Sutton (50 minutes, 12 points), Mac Mackinnon (48, 20) and Jalen Reece (51, 17) were unable to help LSU overcome 22 turnovers.
“I was really proud of our guys’ fight and competitive spirit,” said coach Matt McMahon. “I thought they put their lives on the line for 55 minutes.”
Mackinnon (15.3 ppg, four games with at least 26 points in SEC play) and Sutton (13.2) should carry LSU to this tournament.
–Field level media
