NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Otega Oweh’s 21 points and big plays on both ends of the floor down the stretch helped Kentucky to a 78-72 win over Missouri in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Thursday.
Denzel Aberdeen (16 points, seven assists) and Collin Chandler (15 points, three steals) also came up big for the ninth-seeded Wildcats (21-12), who survived a 32-point, seven-rebound performance from Missouri’s Mark Mitchell.
Mitchell scored 23 in the second half as Missouri (20-12), the eighth seed, briefly overcame a 16-point deficit.
Kentucky will face top-seeded Florida in the first of four quarterfinal games on Friday.
Missouri took its first lead of the second half when Mitchell isolated and hit a short shot in the paint with 2:34 left.
But Aberdeen hit two free throws with 2:06 left to put Kentucky ahead for good.
After Kentucky double-teamed Mitchell and denied him a clean look, T.O. Barrett (13 points, seven rebounds, seven assists) missed a corner three. Oweh’s ensuing layup extended the lead to three with 1:13 left.
The Tigers got the ball to Mitchell in the paint, where Oweh rotated over and knocked the ball loose for a turnover. Aberdeen then hit a contested layup from the left side with 22.5 seconds left to ice it.
Kentucky took a 53-37 lead on three Chandler free throws with 14:33 remaining, but the Tigers cut it to 58-53 when Barrett canned a pair of foul shots with 10:28 left.
Kentucky led 38-29 at halftime after outscoring Missouri 26-14 in the paint.
Kentucky’s Kam Williams buried a long three against the zone, and Oweh hit a short jumper following a steal for a 33-22 lead with 3:40 left in the half. It was the first double-digit lead for either side.
The Tigers seem likely to get an NCAA Tournament bid should there not be a string of bid-steals between now and Sunday.
However, as a prospective No. 11 seed, Missouri could be headed to a First Four game in Dayton.
