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Kentucky basketball sends Oklahoma home in stunning finish with .5 left

The game started with a 8-0 burst of energy from the Cats but that didn't last long as Oklahoma kept fighting back. Read about all the action inside.
ByDrew Holbrook|
Kentucky Wildcats forward Andrew Carr (7) blocks the shot of Oklahoma Sooners forward Jalon Moore (14) during their second round game of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, March 13, 2025.
Kentucky Wildcats forward Andrew Carr (7) blocks the shot of Oklahoma Sooners forward Jalon Moore (14) during their second round game of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats opened their SEC Tournament campaign with a nail-biting 85-84 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners, thanks to a clutch last-second layup by Otega Oweh. The Wildcats came out firing, building an early 8-point lead behind a Brea floater, an Oweh three-pointer, and an Andrew Carr triple. But Oklahoma settled in, keeping the game close.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle with Kentucky holding a slim 40-38 lead at halftime. Despite shooting 48% from the field and 33% from three, the Wildcats couldn’t pull away from the scrappy Sooners. Kentucky also dominated the boards, outrebounding Oklahoma 18-15 and outscoring them 15-5 on the fast break.

Koby Brea led the way with 12 points in the first half, while Oweh added 11. For Oklahoma, Jeremiah Fears kept them afloat with 28 points, including some big plays down the stretch.

The second half began without Lamont Butler as he was getting imaging done on his injured shoulder. The Sooners quickly tied the game and took a brief lead as the Wildcats went cold, missing 14 of their last 18 shots before Collin Chandler hit a three-pointer to revive the crowd. From there, Kentucky and Oklahoma exchanged buckets as the game turned into a slugfest.

With 4:31 remaining, the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run highlighted by an Oweh corner three, an and-one drive, and a powerful slam from Brandon Garrison. Kentucky’s lead ballooned to 12, but Oklahoma refused to go away, using full-court pressure to force multiple turnovers.

A controversial non-flagrant foul call on Andrew Carr’s yank-down kept things heated, but Carr split the free throws to make it 81-75 with under a minute left. After a pair of made free throws from Fears and a clutch three-pointer, the Sooners cut the deficit to just three with 33.8 seconds remaining.

Kentucky's nerves showed as they turned the ball over twice, allowing Oklahoma to take the lead 84-83 with 5.6 seconds left. However, Oweh redeemed himself with a game-winning layup with 0.5 seconds remaining to secure the victory.

Team Stats

  • Field Goal Percentage: Kentucky 51.7%, Oklahoma 48.4%
  • Three-Point Percentage: Kentucky 33.3%, Oklahoma 36.0%
  • Free Throw Percentage: Kentucky 68.2%, Oklahoma 83.3%
  • Rebounds: Kentucky 36, Oklahoma 28
  • Assists: Kentucky 17, Oklahoma 14
  • Turnovers: Kentucky 12, Oklahoma 8

Key Players

  • Kentucky: Otega Oweh (27 points, 9-10 FT, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals), Koby Brea (22 points, 4-7 3PT, 4 rebounds), Andrew Carr (11 points, 7 rebounds).
  • Oklahoma: Jeremiah Fears (28 points, 10-22 FG, 6-7 FT, 4 rebounds, 5 assists), Glenn Taylor Jr. (9 points, 3 rebounds).

Kentucky moves on to the next round of the SEC Tournament after surviving a relentless effort from Oklahoma. The Wildcats will need to clean up their free-throw shooting and ball security if they hope to advance deeper into the tournament.

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