Mark Pope explains why Kentucky didn’t panic after Mizzou erased lead
By David Wasson
Published:
The Kentucky Wildcats kept their SEC Tournament hopes alive Thursday by downing Missouri 78-72 in the second round at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville – a second straight victory that was made possible by sound second-half play in the face of a furious Tigers rally.
Ninth-seeded Kentucky (21-12) led by as much as 16 points with 14:33 remaining before eighth-seeded Missouri (20-12) began trimming the deficit – with a Mark Mitchell jumper pushing the Tigers ahead 70-69 with 2:34 to play. But Kentucky reeled off a 7-0 run to retake the lead and sealed the victory at the free-throw line.
“Our guys are good. Listen, we’ve been really blessed to be all over the map in games. Up big, down big, sways big,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said after the game. “Our guys and staff are good at staying focused in the moment, understanding what’s happening.
“Credit Missouri. We were in a place where we felt comfortable. They just said we’re going to bully you inside. They bullied us inside. The guys, our guys, are pretty well-trained. They’ve adopted trying to stay as steady as they can, focus on finding answers and solutions rather than getting sideways with scenarios. They did a good job with that today.”
Otega Oweh scored 21 points to lead Kentucky, which now gets top-seeded Florida in Friday’s tournament quarterfinals (1 pm ET, ESPN). Mitchell led Mizzou with 32 points.
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An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
