Kentucky had a 16-point lead, and in true Kentucky basketball fashion, they nearly gave it away. With terrible shot selection and a sudden dip in defensive effort, Missouri fought all the way back. In a terrifying flashback to their first meeting in January, the Tigers reeled the Cats all the way in to force a tense final 2 minutes.
Yesterday, Kentucky looked good enough, not great, but good. Today, the Cats started in high gear but stalled out late, proving once again that this team refuses to make anything easy.
The star and the struggle
While Otega Oweh was the engine that kept the Cats moving, finishing with 20 points and some of the biggest defensive plays of the season, other stars struggled. Denzel Aberdeen had perhaps his most difficult game in a Kentucky jersey, going just 4-of-12 from the floor. Nearly every time Kentucky needed a bucket to stem a Mizzou run, Aberdeen’s shots were off-target. And he kept shooting them.
Meanwhile, Collin Chandler was highly efficient, going 5-of-6 from the field. Looking at the two, I would assume Chandler should be shooting more and Aberdeen less. But I don't get paid $5 million a year like Pope does.
Mark Mitchell dominates the paint
Yesterday's Brandon Garrison was not today's Brandon Garrison. The big man was dominated by Mark Mitchell, who exploded for a game-high 32 points. Mitchell was a force of nature, scoring at the rim, hitting fadeaways, and even stepping out to nail two triples.
Garrison, who had 17 points against LSU, was held to 0 points and just 1 rebound in a performance he’ll want to forget. But that is the madness of Brandon Garrison.
Freshman Malachi Moreno struggled with the physicality, managing only 7 points and 4 rebounds as Mitchell seemingly scored at will.
The clutch gene
With two minutes to go, the Cats were clinging to a 71-70 lead. It was then that the defense finally woke up. Otega Oweh forced a wild miss as the shot clock expired, then took it all the way to the rim on the other end for his 20th point.
The biggest surprise came from the two players who had struggled all day.
After a Missouri timeout, Oweh stripped Mitchell as he was backing down Garrison, who finally stood his ground when it mattered most. Then, with the clock winding down, Denzel Aberdeen pump-faked his way to the rim for a hard-fought layup to ice the game.
To see the 2 guys who struggled the most today go out and win it in crunch time is good to see.
There would be no collapse this time
After losing an 8-point lead with just over 4 to go at home, Kentucky would not give it away this time. Despite double technicals between Garrison and Shawn Phillips Jr. in the final 22 seconds, Kentucky held on for the 78-72 win. They survived a great effort from Dennis Gates, who tried to pull a Lane Kiffin, and a legendary performance from Mitchell to advance in the SEC Tournament.
Next Up: Kentucky moves on to the Quarterfinals to face #1 seed Florida tomorrow at 1 PM.