Kentucky Basketball survived and advanced on Wednesday afternoon, outlasting LSU 87-82 in the First Round of the SEC Tournament. In a game that featured 15 lead changes, Kentucky used a 15-6 run to mark the difference in the first game of the SEC Tournament.
Now, we’re onto the Second Round, where the Cats will face another Tigers team. This time, it’s Missouri.
Missouri is a good team. They started SEC play 2-0, with wins over Florida and Kentucky. Those two teams were picked to finish first and second
in the SEC. The Tigers beat both of them in the regular season.
Coming into the SEC Tournament, the Tigers have won six of their last 10 games. However, they lost their last two games in the regular season.
Remember, March Madness and conference tournaments are random. You never really know what can happen on any given day and in any given game. Yes, the Cats’ defense wasn’t good against LSU on Wednesday. But their defense could be good on Thursday against Missouri. Plus, they’re looking for revenge against the Tigers.
This is a really good Missouri team. They can shoot, and they can score. But they’re beatable. If Kentucky can make a difference on the glass, they can match Missouri in scoring and eke out another win here in Nashville.
Let’s look at the players to watch on the Tigers and keys to Thursday afternoon’s Second Round matchup in the SEC Tournament.
Players to Watch on Missouri
1. No. 25: Mark Mitchell — 6-9, 230 lbs. Sr. Guard/Forward; KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Duke Transfer)
Stats: 17.9 pts, 5.2 rebs, 113 ast.-60 TO, 54.7 FG%, 32.6 3-PT FG%, 66.7 FT%, 33.5 mpg
Jan. 7 at Kentucky: 21 pts (7-15 FG, 1-1 3-PT FG), 5-7 FT, 4 ast, 37 mins
A member of the All-SEC Second Team, Mitchell is a really good scorer and shooter, and he can also distribute the ball. He has six games with five+ assists in SEC play, and he has eight games with 20+ points. Against Arkansas Saturday, Mitchell scored a season-high 32 points.
Eleven times in SEC play, Mitchell shot 50 percent or better from the floor. He’s also durable, playing less than 30 minutes just once in SEC play, including 43 minutes against Arkansas on Saturday.
2. No. 17: Jayden Stone — 6-4, 185 lbs. Gr. Guard; PERTH, Australia (West Virginia Transfer)
Stats: 13.5 pts, 5 rebs/gm., 48.4 FG%, 38% 3-PT FG, 80.2 FT%, 30.3 mpg
Jan. 7 at Kentucky: 20 pts (6-10 FG, 3-6 3-PT FG), 7 rebs, 26 mins
With 12 games in SEC play making multiple three-pointers, Stone is one of Missouri’s best three-point shooters. He also has five games with 20+ points in SEC play, including against Kentucky.
Nine times in SEC play, Stone took 10 or more shots. He’s a pure shooter, and Kentucky must contest all of his shots.
3. No. 11: Trent Pierce — 6-10, 225 lbs. Jr. Guard/Forward; TULSA, Okla.
Stats: 10.8 pts, 3.9 rebs, 49.7 FG%, 40.4 3-PT FG%, 73.7 FT%, 28.2 mpg
Jan. 7 at Kentucky: 5 pts (2-5 FG, 1-4 3-PT FG), 5 rebs, 3 ast, 4 stl, 27 mins
Another good shooter, Pierce didn’t make his season debut until SEC play started. Since then, he has scored in double figures 10 times. He’s also reached double figures five times in six games.
Pierce has six games with three or more three-pointers and has made multiple three-pointers in all but five games. In addition, he has started each of Missouri’s last 10 games.
4. No. 0: Anthony Robinson II — 6-3, 185 lbs. Jr. Guard; TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
Stats: 9.1 pts, 3.1 rebs, 48 stl, 41.1 FG%, 30% 3-PT FG, 67% FT, 26.8 mpg
Jan. 7 at Kentucky: 9 pts (4-9 FG), 4 rebs, 10 ast, 2 stl, 36 mins
Robinson is a quick defender with a knack for going after the ball. He was on the SEC’s All-Defensive Team last year, ranking second in the SEC with 2.03 steals per game.
This season, Robinson has 14 games with multiple steals. He also has five games in double figures in SEC play. Since mid-January, Robinson has been coming off the bench but still thriving.
5. No. 5: T.O. Barrett — 6-4, 205 lbs. So. Guard; OKLAHOMA CITY
Stats: 8.8 pts, 2.6 rebs, 48.1 FG%, 22% 3-PT FG, 79.7 FT%, 22.7 mpg
Jan. 7 at Kentucky: 7 pts (3-3 FG),1 reb, 17 mins
Barrett has started each of Missouri’s last 12 games, playing 30+ minutes seven times. In that stretch, he has nine games scoring in double figures. That includes 28 points in a win over Tennessee two weeks ago. Over the past 12 games, Barrett has raised his scoring average by nearly three points per game.
6. No. 35: Jacob Crews — 6-8, 215 lbs. Gr. Guard/Forward; HILLIARD, Fla. (UT Martin Transfer)
Stats: 8.7 pts, 3.8 rebs, 48% FG, 45.1 3-PT FG%, 80.7 FT%, 21.1 mpg
Jan. 7 at Kentucky: 3 pts (1-3 3-PT FG), 1 reb, 1 stl, 16 mins
Crews leads the Tigers in three-point shooting, although he wasn’t really a three-point shooter during SEC play. Most of his three-point shooting came in non-conference play, where he had five games with four or more three-pointers.
Still, though, Kentucky can’t let him get into a rhythm from beyond the arc in this game. Contesting his shots and not letting him get open looks will be key on Thursday.
7. No. 15: Shawn Phillips Jr. — 7-0, 245 lbs. Sr. Center; DAYTON, Ohio (Arizona State Transfer)
Stats: 7.7 pts, 5.1 rebs, 43 blk, 68.4 FG%, 52.9 FT%, 20.3 mpg
Jan. 7 at Kentucky: 8 pts (4-5 FG), 2 blk, 22 mins
Phillips is a beast inside. He has three double-doubles this season, including on Saturday against Arkansas. He has just three games shooting below 50 percent from the floor in SEC play.
Most importantly, Phillips is a beast at shot blocking. He had four against Arkansas Saturday and 13 other games with multiple blocks this season.
Head Coach: Dennis Gates (4th Season, 75-57; 7th Season Overall, 125-97) — 46 years old
Gates is a terrific head coach. He has done a really good job at Missouri, with the Tigers on the verge of their third NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons. Considering the Tigers were 0-18 in SEC play in 2024, that makes the job Gates has done even more impressive.
Prior to Missouri, Gates led Cleveland State for three seasons, taking them to the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Gates was a two-time Horizon League Coach of the Year and led the Vikings to two Horizon League regular-season titles.
Before becoming a head coach, Gates was on Florida State’s staff, led by Leonard Hamilton. The Seminoles won the 2012 ACC Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2018. Florida State also went to another Sweet 16 in the following season.
As a player, Gates played four seasons at California and was on the Golden Bears’ 2002 NCAA Tournament team.
Jan. 7 vs. Missouri: Tigers 73, Wildcats 68
This was a really disappointing loss. Kentucky led 66-58 with 4:37 to play, after Otega Oweh nailed a three from the corner. What followed was an epic collapse. Missouri finished the game on a 15-2 run, dropping the Cats to 0-2 in the SEC.
Oweh had a great game that night, even nailing a three-quarters court shot at the first half buzzer. It should have been the catalyst to a win, considering he had 20 points on 6-11 shooting and made three three-pointers.
What doomed the Cats in this game were turnovers. They had 13 to 16 assists. Missouri had 20 assists to just 12 turnovers.
This was also the last game the Cats had a completely healthy roster. Jayden Quaintance hasn’t played since, and Jaland Lowe re-injured his shoulder in the next game three nights later.
This game had eight ties and 11 lead changes.
Keys to the Game
1. Contest every shot
Kentucky cannot give Missouri too many open looks, if any at all, on Thursday. They must be there on every ball catch and contest every shot.
2. Ball pressure
The Tigers thrive on moving the ball, as evidenced by their 20 assists against Kentucky back in January. Kentucky has to make it tough for the Tigers to move the ball and get into an offensive rhythm. Do that, and this is a very winnable game.
3. Taking care of the ball
It’s simple. The Cats can’t turn the ball over 13 times against Missouri this time. Keep the turnovers under 10, much like Wednesday against LSU, and the Cats will be in a very good position to win this game.
4. 40 minutes
Play the best 40 minutes you’ve had all season. That should be the message from Mark Pope to this team. If they can do that, they can absolutely win this game.
Score Prediction: Wildcats 87, Tigers 86
I’m expecting a high-scoring battle Thursday afternoon. Kentucky’s defense is worrisome right now, especially against this Missouri team. However, if the Cats play like they did offensively against LSU, they can win this game against Missouri. In a classic, I think Kentucky edges Missouri to get to Friday and a third shot at Florida.
