By Keith Taylor Kentucky Today Shorthanded Kentucky gave Alabama its best shot before the Tide wore down the Wildcats in the second half and advanced to the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals with a 99-70 rout on Friday night at Bridgestone Arena.

The catalyst behind Alabama's dominance is the level of offensive relentlessness that would have made John Wooden gasp in wonderment.

Mark Pope's first season guiding Kentucky, his alma mater, always will be viewed through the prism of how the Wildcats fare in the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky basketball is out of the SEC Tournament. The Wildcats exited the 2025 edition of the conference tournament at the quarterfinal stage: 6 seed UK was thrashed by 3 seed Alabama 99-70 on Friday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope gives an update on Lamont Butler's status after the Wildcats' 99-70 loss to Alabama in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on Friday, March 14, 2025.

Otega Oweh drove the length of the court and avoided three defenders to convert the winning layup with half a second left as sixth-seeded Kentucky escaped with a wild 85-84 victory over 14th-seeded Oklahoma on Thursday night to reach the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Nashville.

Just when all hope seemed lost for Kentucky on Thursday, Otega Oweh managed to push the Wildcats past the Sooners to continue in the SEC tournament.

The chant rang throughout Bridgestone Arena in the celebratory aftermath of No. 6 seed Kentucky's stunning 85-84 victory over No. 14 seed Oklahoma in the second round of the 2025 SEC Tournament. It was like the "Olé,