Alex FrankThu, January 15, 2026 at 3:08 AM UTC·6 min readThat shot may have saved the season.
Malachi Moreno is becoming a star, and someone Kentucky Basketball can go to in crunch time. Moreno’s buzzer-beater on a long inbounds pass from Collin Chandler gave Kentucky a 75-74 win, after being down by as many as 18 points.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementKentucky scored 53 points in the second half and held LSU to just 36 in the final 20 minutes.
First Half
True to form, Kentucky got off to an extremely slow start offensively. They scored just three points in the first 8:48 of the game, trailing 18-3. That was Gonzaga-like bad. The Wildcats could generate any offense, could not work the ball down low, and struggled to create any shot attempts.
All of that continued in the first half, with the Wildcats shooting just 8-of-30 in the first half from the field and 2-of-12 from three-point range. Worse, Kentucky was out-rebounded 22-16.
LSU was efficient from the floor in the first half, shooting 12-of-24 from the floor and 5-of-10 from three-point range.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSecond Half
Incredibly, incredulously, however you want to say it, Kentucky took its first lead with 3:55 to play in the game when Kam Williams got a steal and took it all the way to the rim for an emphatic slam. It wasn’t the last time Kentucky Kentucky would have the lead.
Kentucky’s offense came to life in a big way in the second half, led by Otega Oweh. Having been sick leading up to the game Wednesday night, Oweh battled for 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Fifteen of those points and all three three-pointers came in the second half.
Unfortunately, when the offense got going, the defense couldn’t complement it. Whenever Kentucky really needed a stop, LSU had an answer both in the paint and beyond the arc offensively.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn the end, though, Kentucky got one last gasp. After Robert Miller III missed two free throws with the Tigers leading 74-73, Kentucky got one last chance. Moreno and Chandler made the most of it, with Moreno’s buzzer-beater evening Kentucky’s record in the SEC.
Highlights (will update)
MVP: Otega Oweh
Kentucky doesn’t win this game without Oweh. That’s now four straight games with 20+ points to start SEC play. That is how you back up being Preseason SEC Player of the Year.
Box Score
Kentucky vs. LSU Twitter Reactions
Big Blue Nation had another night with a big swing of emotions. Here are the best reactions from fans and media members during the game Wednesday night.
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