The SEC Men's Basketball Tournament field is set. Mark Pope told Tom Leach on the radio that his mission was to win it all in Nashville, even after losing to Florida. "I believe we are going to win. We are heading down to Nashville to win… We can’t wait to get to it."
But Kentucky basketball has a long road to an SEC Tournament title, and they largely did it to themselves. They had a 12-point lead against Texas A&M, they had a raucous Senior Day crowd against Florida, and the Cats blew both games. But it is not just those 2 that hurt.
Since knocking off Tennessee for a second time, Kentucky has lost 5 of its last 7. Its two losses to Georgia and Missouri were the deciding factor in Kentucky playing on Wednesday for the first time in program history.
Final SEC Standings
- Florida (16-2)
- Alabama (13-5)
- Arkansas (13-5)
- Vanderbilt (11-7)
- Tennessee (11-7)
- Texas A&M (11-7)
- Georgia (10-8)
- Missouri (10-8)
- Kentucky (10-8)
- Texas (9-9)
- Oklahoma (7-11)
- Auburn (7-11)
- Mississippi State (5-13)
- South Carolina (4-14)
- Ole Miss (4-14)
- LSU (3-15)
The Cats will play LSU who nearly knocked off the Cats if not for a magical play from Collin Chandler and Malachi Moreno.
The prize for the Cats if they win that game is the Missouri team, which earlier this season won their first-ever game in Rupp Arena. And if the Cats win that one?
There sits Florida, who have beaten Kentucky both times this season, with Kentucky not leading for a single second in either game.
But it's not just Florida, it would be a rested Florida against a Kentucky team with 2 games in 2 days and a roster that Mark Pope says becomes "fatigued."
The Cats will play the first game Wednesday at 12:30 in a game they can not lose. But can they get the win?
Full SEC Tournament slate and how to watch Kentucky vs. LSU
Wednesday
Game 1 (9) Kentucky vs (16) LSU- 12:30 PM EST
Game 2 (13) Mississippi State vs (12) Auburn 3:00 PM EST
Game 3 (15) Ole Miss vs (10) Texas 7:00 PM EST
Game 4 (14) South Carolina vs (11) Oklahoma 9:30 PM EST
Thursday
Game 1 winner vs (8) Missouri 12:30 PM EST (Game 5)
Game 2 winner vs (5) Tennessee 3:00 PM EST (Game 6)
Game 3 winner vs (7) Georgia 7:00 PM EST (Game 7)
Game 4 winner vs (6) Texas A&M 9:30 PM EST (Game 8)
All first and secound round games will be shown on the SEC Network.
Friday
Game 5 winner vs (1) Florida 1 PM EST (Game 9) ESPN
Game 6 winner vs (4) Vanderbilt 3:30 PM EST (Game 10) ESPN
Game 7 winner vs (2) Alabama 7 PM EST (Game 11) SEC Network
Game 8 winner vs (3) Arkansas 9:30 PM EST (Game 12) SEC Network
Saturday
Game 10 winner vs Game 9 winner 1 PM EST (Game 13) ESPN
Game 12 winner vs Game 11 winner 3:30 PM EST (Game 14) ESPN
Championship Sunday
Game 14 winner vs Game 13 winner (1 PM EST) ESPN
Semifinals and the final will be shown on ESPN.
Streaming: Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, FuboTV, Sling TV ( Blue & Orange Plan)
All Kentucky games will be available on local radio as well:
- Local FM/AM Stations:
- Lexington: 98.1 FM / 630 WLAP
- Louisville: 840 AM WHAS
- London: 103.9 FM WWEL
- Hazard/Pikeville: 101.1 WSGS
- Madisonville: 93.9 FM WKTG