A year after the Kentucky Wildcats breezed through the SEC Tournament with three double-digit wins, they faced slightly more adversity against Texas A&M in the final of the 2016 SEC Tournament in Nashville on Sunday.
Kentucky wins 2016 SEC basketball tournament
John Calipari’s team has its second straight SEC Tournament title.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Yet the Wildcats still prevailed, 82-77, in overtime, earning a second straight SEC Tournament crown that should provide plenty of momentum entering March Madness.
Tyler Ulis scored a career-high 30 points for the Wildcats, continuing an amazing year for the point guard. Derek Willis (10 points) and Jamal Murray (17 points) hit massive threes in the waning minutes of overtime to help Kentucky hold off an A&M squad that won in February in the teams' only regular season meeting.
A&M sharpshooter Danuel House had a career-high 32 points of his own to more than match Ulis. But Kentucky was able to keep freshman center Tyler Davis in check, holding him to just eight points on the afternoon, and withstood a rare bit of dominance by a foe on the offensive glass, as the Aggies collected 17 offensive rebounds in the game.
Kentucky and Texas A&M were both hovering near the last No. 3 seed or first No. 4 seed for the 2016 NCAA Tournament, and it’s possible that the Wildcats’ win will be cited as the last push to get Big Blue to that line when the Selection Committee’s bracket and pairings are announced.
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