Denzel Aberdeen's late basket pushes Kentucky past Missouri 78-72 at the SEC Tournament

Updated: Mar 13, 2026, 03:16 am

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- — Otega Oweh scored 21 points, Denzel Aberdeen added 16, including a key basket with 22.5 seconds remaining, and No. 9 seed Kentucky beat No. 8 seed Missouri 78-72 on Thursday in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

Kentucky (21-12) advances to play No. 1 seed and fourth-ranked Florida in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Kentucky led by 16 points with 14:33 left in the second half. But the Wildcats went nearly five minutes without a field goal as Missouri used a 10-2 run to get within 60-57 at the 8-minute mark.

Missouri's second-half rally was led by Mark Mitchell, who scored 23 of his 32 points after the break. His basket with 2:34 left gave the Tigers their first lead of the second half at 70-69, but they did not make another field goal the rest of the game.

After Kentucky forced an airball on a baseline jumper, Oweh drove into the lane at the other end for a 73-70 lead with 1:13 left. Then Oweh forced a turnover when he knocked the ball off the leg of Mitchell.

Aberdeen received a pass with the shot clock winding down and he used a pump fake to get into the lane before banking in a contested shot for a 75-70 lead. He added two free throws in the closing seconds to seal it.

Missouri (20-12) also got 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists from T.O. Barrett.

Up next

Kentucky lost both regular-season meetings with Florida — a 92-83 contest on the road and 84-77 at home.

------ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball