Kentucky looking to use experiences from SEC Tournament to propel them

The Kentucky Wildcats had an eventful three days in Nashville and they're looking to use it to their advantage.

Kentucky guard Collin Chandler (5) leaves the court with a bloody nose against Florida during their quarterfinal game of the 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 13, 2026. | DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats had an eventful three days in Nashville at the SEC Tournament. They survived late scares against both LSU and Missouri, before falling short to Florida as a big deficit turned out to haunt them. But, it wasn't really the way Kentucky fell in the final minutes is much as it was them getting outworked in every area in the paint.

Against Florida, Kentucky was out-rebounded 50-29 by the Gators, allowing 18 offensive rebounds and getting just eight themselves. It wasn't just that, though, as the Wildcats also allowed 21 second-chance points, 30 points in the paint, and were also held to 5-23 from three against a team that is lethal at two-point defense but struggles guarding from deep. The way things unfolded was very similar to how the others went against Florida, falling down before climbing back and falling short. With all of their self-inflcicted mistakes and issues that continue to haunt them, Mark Pope says Kentucky is looking to use their eventful run in Nashville as a learning experience in order to help them be ready for when adversity strikes in the NCAA Tournament.

"I think we gained a ton of experience in the last three days. It's important for us," Pope said. "I'm proud of the way our guys competed the last three days. I thought we have so much. You're just trying to steal every lesson you can. We had a lot of lessons from the last few days that we'll take with us and make a huge push in the tournament."

Mar 13, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope yells to his team against the Florida Gators during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

What does Pope think the key is for a run in the tournament by his Wildcats? "If we can hang on to that ability to focus for 40 minutes on just trying to find answers, we're going to make a great run." But what he really got out of Friday's loss is Otega Oweh's leadership, which showed in that last hoorah by Kentucky in the final few minutes. "I thought Otega Oweh's leadership today was on an extraordinary level. I'm telling you, I'm so proud of Otega Oweh in terms of his willingness to be present in the moment through all the frustration of the day. It bodes well. If we can carry that with us, we have a chance. We'll play way better than this. We'll play so much better than this. I have no doubt."

Pope is confident in his squad heading into the big one. Like he says, it's all about his team never losing focus because when they do, they fall behind, which we have seen a lot this season. Now, the Wildcats will need to put all of their consistent issues behind them and get ready for what's next.