Mark Pope’s Wildcats nearly let it slip away — and the SEC isn’t doing them any favors. With just 0.6 seconds left, Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears stole the ball and made a heart-stopping layup, erasing what had been a 10-point Kentucky lead with under two minutes remaining. Pope immediately called a timeout, and with 0.5 seconds left, Otega Oweh drilled a clutch baseline jumper to give No. 15 Kentucky an 85-84 win — a narrow escape that sent the Wildcats into the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. But instead of celebrating, Pope now faces a brutal turnaround.

One arena, 4 matchups, one day. That’s how the tournament proceeds, and for the no.6 Kentucky, that was all bad news. Following Ole Miss vs Arkansas tip-off at 12 noon ET, the intensity between Texas and Texas A&M caused a bit of a mishap in the schedule. The two teams went on a back-and-forth battle for 39 minutes before Longhorns stood with a lead, 30 seconds left on the clock. However, A&M’s Henry Coleman III wasn’t letting it slide. He rushed for a layup and tied the score 73-73.

It called for overtime, but not just one. This time, Longhorns’ Kadin Shedrick’s dunk equaled the score for another OT until 4 free throws in a row sealed the deal for them. The gritty 94-89 double OT was sure a thriller worthy of an SEC Tournament. But it meant a late tip-off for the Wildcats– delayed by an hour. This had already put them in a tough spot until their win brought another realization.

Alabama beat reporter Nick Kelly summed it up on X: “Kentucky’s game just wrapped at 12:08 a.m., so that means the Wildcats will play two games in the same day.” That’s right — Kentucky’s next game is scheduled for Friday afternoon, giving Pope’s squad barely 12 hours to recover before they have to suit up again.

Matt Jones, host of Kentucky Sports Radio, pointed out the domino effect: Missouri-Mississippi State started at 7:48 p.m. Eastern, which pushed UK-Oklahoma’s start time to 10:18 p.m. The game didn’t wrap until 12:08 a.m., leaving the Wildcats with a brutal turnaround before tonight’s 9:30 p.m. clash with Alabama. Fatigue will be a factor — and so will history.

Mark Pope faces familiar foe as shorthanded Wildcats look to avoid third loss to Alabama

Kentucky already knows the challenge ahead. Alabama, ranked No. 5 in the AP poll, has beaten the Wildcats twice this season — and neither game was pretty. The first meeting in Lexington was a shootout, with Grant Nelson dropping a massive game to lift the Tide to a 102-97 win. The rematch on February 22 was even tougher. Kentucky came out swinging early but couldn’t overcome injuries, falling 96-83.

This time, Kentucky will be even more shorthanded. Senior point guard Lamont Butler is expected to miss the Alabama rematch after aggravating his left shoulder against Oklahoma. Fans know the odds aren’t in Kentucky’s favor, but as Stephen King once said, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, shame on both of us.”

 If Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr, and Koby Brea can step up, Kentucky might have a shot. Oweh, who nailed the game-winning baseline jumper against Oklahoma with just 0.5 seconds left, could be the X-factor.

The Crimson Tide boasts one of the most lethal offenses in the country, dropping 91.2 points per game — good for 3rd in the NCAA per KenPom (126.9 Ortg). Kentucky isn’t far behind, ranking 7th with 85.8 points per game (125 Ortg) on an identical 48.4% shooting clip.

But Alabama’s rebounding advantage could be a problem — they pull down 43.3 boards per game compared to UK’s 38.7. Mark Sears and Grant Nelson have been the driving force behind the Tide’s success. Sears torched Kentucky in both previous matchups, while Nelson’s size and scoring ability caused major problems inside. Kentucky will need big minutes from Andrew Carr to handle Nelson, while whoever steps in at point guard will have to keep pace with Sears.

Wildcat’s recent form suggests they’re heating up at the right time, having won three straight games, including the nail-biter over Oklahoma. Alabama, meanwhile, just bounced back from a tough overtime loss to Florida by edging Auburn 93-91 in overtime — but inconsistencies have crept in. The Big Blue Nation’s defense will have to tighten up, as without Lamont Butler, Alabama boasts better shot-blocking and steals numbers — averaging 4.5 blocks and 6.0 steals per game compared to Kentucky’s 4.1 and 6.8, respectively.

The Wildcat’s path to victory lies in controlling the tempo and finding consistent scoring options. If Pope’s squad can slow down Sears and Nelson, they might just have a shot. But with Butler sidelined and Alabama’s offensive firepower looming, the Wildcats’ toughest test is still to come.