The Wildcats finish their SEC season and go to 34-0 on the year. Thank you for tuning in, stay tuned to Vavel.com for all your college basketball scores and updates.
WCS says that the team is prepared because of their tough practices.
John Calipari refelcts about the game, said they played really well as a team. Still talking about how he just wants his team to be at their best.
2015 SEC Tournament Champions the Kentucky Wildcats!!!
2nd half, FInal: At the buzzer, Arky hits a 3 to make it 78-65 as the final.
2nd half, 46.1: Quick putback for Arkansas to make it 78-62
2nd half, 51.4: Towns with the offensive board and a putback. 78-60
2nd half, 1:28: Good gosh, Qualls continues to prove why he is an elite athlete...just elevated for a huge dunk in the lane. 76-58
2nd half, 1:36: Lyles fights down low and gets an and-1 and sinks the free throw. 76-56
2nd half, 1:59: Qualls with another layup...he has played a really nice 2nd half. 73-56
2nd half, 2:26: Bobby Portis gets fouled again and goes to the line, hits both free throws. 73-54
2nd half, 2:42: Ulis to Andrew Harrison for a deep 3-pointer!! 73-52
2nd half, 3:18: Harris hits both free throws to make it 70-52
2nd half, 3:18:Harris gets "fouled" by Cauley-Stein...the arena erupts in dissaproval after seeing a block.
2nd half, 3:27: Stein hits 1-2, 70-50
2nd half, 3:27: WCS with another offensive rebound and gets fouled on the putback....will be shooting 2 free throws after the break.
2nd half, 4:10: Cauley-Stein headed to the line for 2, hits them both. 69-50
2nd half, 4:35: Harris gets a breakaway for the Razorbacks and sends it home with a big dunk. 67-50
2nd half, 5:33: Portis runs over Towns and draws the offensive foul.
2nd half, 5:44: Trey hits 2 of 2 and makes it 67-48
2nd half, 5:44: Trey Lyles out on the break draws the foul and will go to the line for 2.
2nd half, 6:09: Qualls hits a free throw to make it 65-48
2nd half, 6:22:WCS with an offensive board and putback, 65-47
2nd half, 6:47: Its starting to look like Arkansas is wearing down and just cant hang for the full 40...nothing new for Cats' opponents, seems to happen to everyone around this mark in the game.
2nd half, 7:05: Ulis showing his court vision with a laser pass to Towns who finishes with a flush! 63-47
2nd half, 7:48: With the shotclock running down to 2, Andrew Harrison knocks down a jumper, 61-47
2nd half, 8:23: Kingsley gets a dunk opportunity and does a chin-up, therefore gets a technical foul and Harrison knocks down a free throw. UK leads 59-47
2nd half, 8:34: Lyles gets the offensive board and scores his first basket of the game.
2nd half, 9:40: Qualls scores again on a layup but Harrison answers again! 56-45
2nd half, 9:57: Dakari hits 1-2 to make it 54-43
2nd half, 9:57: UK continues to probe for fouls and Johnson will go to the line to shoot 2.
2nd half, 10:07: Travelling violation on Arkansas
2nd half, 10:46: Qualls continues to be aggressive with another layup. Harrison then pushes the ball back down to draw a foul. 53-43
2nd half, 11:03: With Kentucky in the bonus, Ulis gets fouled in the backcourt and heads to the line for a 1-and-1. Hits both, 52-41
2nd half, 11:11: Qualls with a layup and the Arkansas press is really bothering the UK backcourt. 2nd time in last 3 minutes they had to call a timeout to retain possession. 50-41
2nd half, 11:28: Trey Lyles hits both free throws, 50-39
2nd half, 11:28: Lyles gets fouled to take us into back to back timeouts. The pace of the game has slown down drastical with lots of whistles and timeouts.
2nd half, 11:56: Qualls with a jumper from the free throw line to get the lead down to single digits for the first time since early in the game. 48-39
2nd half, 13:43: Harrison to WCS for a layup. Madden comes right back to answer with a layup of his own. 48-37
2nd half, 14:08: The refs are really protecting Portis right now. Towns just picked up his 4th foul as Portis sinks 1-2 to make it 46-35
2nd half, 14:19: Wilile with a big block on Qualls.
2nd half, 14:55: Ball got tipped around and ended up in Portis' hands and got an uncontested layup. 46-34
2nd half, 15:16: Ulis with the pullup jumper and then Beard with the answer keeps the lead somewhat manageable at 46-32
2nd half, 16:18: The Kentucky offense is looking very crisp right now.
2nd half, 17:00: Aaron Harrison hits his 3rd 3 of the game and puts UK up 44-28
2nd half, 18:26: Portis attacks the rim and there was a questionable foul call at the tim. Portis hits 1-2. 41-28
2nd half, 18:46: First score of the half goes to Beard, cutting the lead to 41-27
2nd half, 19:38: First play of the half, end in an Arkansas tournover.
We are getting set for the second half to start in just a few minutes....let's see if UK can play another half as well as the first.
Key stat at halftime....Aaron Harrison has 6 assist. Wowzers!
The talking heads are trying to come up with a way for Arky to make a comeback...almost sounds like they are talking about a fairytale.
Arkansas was really bothered by UK's defense and Kentucky is doing what is going to be huge for them going forward and thats getting out quick in transition.
1st half, halftime: Ulis almost sunk a half court shot at the buzzer, 41-25 UK leads going into halftime.
1st half, 2.5: Arkansas will get one last shot before the half.
1st half, 38.7: Cats may be too unselfish at times, trying to pass it one to many times led to a turnover.
1st half, 1:27: Ulis is at the line, buries both to extend the lead to 41-25
1st half, 1:32: A battle between Portis and Stein, Portis gets fouled and knocks down 1-2, 39-25
1st half, 2:17: A great sequence by UK, WCS offensive board, Booker ball fake and then a bullet pass from Ulis to Johnson, Johnson knocked down both at the line. UK 39-24.
1st half, 3:09: Aaron Harrison with the pull up jumper. 37-24
1st half, 3:39: Portis hits 1-2 to make it 35-24 UK
1st half, 3:39: These next 3 and a half minutes are crucial for the Razorbacks. If they are going to have a chance to pull it off in this game, they are going to need to keep it close to single digits going into the locker rooms.
1st half, 4:18: Rashad Madden fouls Lyles, then misses the shot.
1st half, 5:12: Cauley-Stein out runs the defense and Harrison finds him for a breakaway dunk! UK 35-23
1st half, 5:43: Ulis with a beautiful drive and dish to Aaron Harrison for another 3. UK is now 5-6 from the perimeter. Kentucky leads 33-23
1st half, 6:10: Johnson makes a nice move and scores the layup and then UK forces the turnover on the defensive end. UK 30-23
1st half, 7:22: Madden knocks down both to bring it back to 28-23 UK.
1st half, 7:22: Madden draws the foul and will go to the line right after this commercial break. Cats lead by 7.
1st half, 8:07: Qualls pulls in an offensive board to silence the crowd and bring it back to 25-21....then Harrison comes back with a 3 to push it back to 28-21.
1st half, 8:48: WILLIEEE!!!!! Ulis on a break out to Harrison and the oop in transition brings they whole crowd to their feet.
1st half, 9:06: Karl Towns is showing off some offensive skills as he was double teamed and drew the foul and almost dropped the jumper with it. Sinks both free throws to give UK a 23-19 lead.
1st half, 10:15: Qualls ties up the game, then Towns comes back with an answer to take the 21-19 lead.
1st half, :1st half, 10:42: Nobody stopped the ball and Ulis took it all the way down the court for the layup! UK 19-16
1st half, 11:12: Goaltending on Cauley-Stein pulls is to 17-16 UK.
1st half, 11:53: We are at a media break....this game is very up and down, the question will be if Arkansas can keep up for the full 40.
1st half, 12:00: Portis scores on one end and then Booker comes back and nails a 3!! UK 17-14
1st half, 12:32: Marcus Lee with a massive jam!!!! Uk 14-12
1st half, 14:10: Portis with a three ties it up 10-10
1st half, 14:25: We are at another timeout...things are starting to get a little chippy already.
1st half, 14:41: Dakari Johnson fouls Bobby Portis, as Portis is really trying to establish himself on the offensive end.
1st half, 15:34: We are at our first timeout, An. Harrison has 6 points and Willie Cauley-Stein has 4. The pace of this game is going to be fun and the refs are letting them play.
1st half, 16:00: Harris scores on a defensive laps by UK. UK 10-7
1st half, 16:42: Big to big passing puts Cauley-Stein on the board for 2 points. UK 10-5
1st half, 17:25: Beard with a steal and a layup on the other end, UK up 8-5
1st half, 17:52: Arkansas gets on the board with a 3 from Beard.
1st half, 18:21: It is obvious that the Cats have come to play tonight...not a good sign for the Razorbacks.
1st half, 18:40: WCS with a big block and then Andrew Harrison with another 3 as the arena erupts!!!!
1st half, 19:01: Towns with the steal and Willie gets fouled on the offensive end and scores on 2 free throws.
1st half, 19:29: Andrew Harrison buries a 3 to open up the scoring for the Cats.
Here comes the tip-off, and we get this game underway
Michael Qualls is not in the starting lineup, Mike Anderson is just looking to switch things up.
For the Razorbacks: Madden, Beard, Harris, Williams, Portis and Kentucky: An. Harrison, Aa. Harrison, Lyles, Towns, Cauley-Stein
Here comes the starting lineups...
What a great job, the Bridgestone Arena just seems like it is about to erupt!!
Here comes the Oak Ridge Boys to sing the national anthem.
Alex Poythress has been on the floor during the warm-ups...nothing better than to see that young man get to be part of this run.
It's a sellout crowd and the arena is electric!!
3 minutes from tip-off, get the popcorn ready...the show is about to begin!!
Ashley Judd is in the house again tonight!
Jay Williams picks Wisconsin today along with VCU, UCONN, Georgia Southern, and of course, Kentucky.
Is everyone ready for this game??
15 minutes until tip-off....the Cats are warming up and everyone looks very focused. A very good sign for UK fans.
Bruce Pearl gives Arkansas a small chance at the win today, saying that the Razorbacks cant play the 40 minutes of hell style with UK because the Cats would run them out of the building.
For the fans in the house of country music, the Oak Ridge Boys will be doing the national anthem today, i envy that mans beard.
Dick Vitale is doing a pre-game preview of the game, he seems very confident in UK's chances to get the win tonight!
We are 30 minutes away from tip-off and the Big Blue Nation have absolutely flooded Bridgestone Arena. This will be the closest thing to a home game for Kentucky outside of Rupp Arena
UK opened up as a 15 point favorite against the Razorbacks but it wouldn’t be surprising to see this game much closer as we wrap up the year in the SEC. Continue to follow this LIVE for updates minute-by-minute on the SEC Championship game, and expect more preview on this LIVE closer to the game.
Kentucky, on the other hand, has all but locked up the #1 overall seed in the tournament. With a win or loss, Joe Lunardi has gone on record saying that the Wildcats will earn the top 1-seed no matter what the outcome is in Nashville on Sunday.
Arkansas is firmly in the NCAA Tournament at this point in the season, and would only benefit in seeding if they were to win this game. They are a projected 5 seed currently by ESPN Bracketologists Joe Lunardi.
UK’s starting point guard, Andrew Harrison, has been playing at a very high level over the last 12 games and proving that he will be the one to lead this team into the NCAA Tournament. He is constantly attacking the basket, shooting at a higher clip and being very vocal in huddles and on the court. Coach John Calipari has said that he has given the reigns off to the team, and Andrew Harrison seems to be the driver of the runaway train that is Kentucky basketball.
Kentucky won the SEC regular season title with ease and were presented with the trophy prior to their first game against Florida on Thursday. They will be looking to add to their long list of achievements on Saturday afternoon by clinching the SEC Tournament title.
Throughout the year, both teams have went without some of their star players because of both injuries and sicknesses. In this game, we will have both teams at full force and it should make for a very exciting matchup because of all the high-level athletes on the court.
The first match between the two teams was very emotional, especially since it was the only meeting of the year in the SEC with two ranked teams. In the 90’s Arkansas and Kentucky had a great rivalry and it seems that it has been brought back to life behind Mike Anderson’s hard nose coaching.
On February 28th, during their last meeting, Kentucky controlled the entire game and played one of their most complete games of the year. Arkansas plays a very fast style of play which can turn into a downfall because that style has proven to be when Kentucky is at their very best.
Arkansas is coming off a win against the 3-seed Georgia and has shown a high sense of confidence going into the championship game. Even stopping by the Cats near the tunnel in Bridgetone Arena to talk a little trash.
Willie Cauley-Stein had quite the opposite game of Portis in the semifinals against Auburn. In a game that coach Calipari called Willie’s “best version of himself”. Cauley-Stein finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.
The SEC player of the year, Bobby Portis, really struggled against Georgia in the semifinals, finishing with only four points on 1-14 shooting. If things are going to work out for Arkansas, Portis will need to play a much bigger role on the offensive end for the Razorbacks.
This will be the last SEC game for Brian Long, Sam Malone and Tod Lanter for UK, along with those who decide to leave early for the NBA draft. As for Arkansas, Rashad Madden and Alandise Harris will suit up for their last SEC game.
Kentucky will be seeking their first SEC tournament championship since 2011. UK have won 27 tournament titles, and will be looking to make it 28 against the Razorbacks.
These two teams have met one previous time in the season which ended in a 84-67 victory in favor of the Wildcats. The first meeting took place in Lexington, KY at Rupp Arena.
Hello, and welcome to VAVEL USA's live coverage of the SEC Championship game. I'm Nate Smith, and I'll be your host this evening. #1 Kentucky (33-0) will look to finish its perfect run through the SEC regular and post-season today at 1:00 pm EST against the 2-seed, Arkansas Razorbacks (26-7).