ST. LOUIS _ Neutral site. Quality opponent. Possession-by-possession requirement of poise and execution.
If Kentucky needed additional preparation for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, it came on Selection Sunday.
Kentucky got the kind of play in the final minutes of a tense game that had dominated the conversation this season. It gave UK a 77-72 victory over Tennessee and the program's 31st Southeastern conference tournament championship.
UK's record improved to 24-10.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Kentucky with 29 points. Kevin Knox added 18, Gabriel 12 and Quade Green 10.
Tennessee, the SEC's regular-season co-champion, fell to 25-8. Admiral Schofield led the Vols with 22 points. Grant Williams chipped in 15.
Heady-and-ready plays that took advantage of sudden opportunities helped Kentucky down the stretch.
A missed free throw by Knox found its way to Gabriel, who is rapidly becoming an icon after his 7-for-7 3-point shooting performance on Saturday. He laid it in to put UK ahead 64-62.
After Tennessee took and missed a quick and questionable 3-point shot, it was Sacha Killeya-Jones' turn to be in the right spot at the right time.
Gabriel missed a 3-pointer from the left corner _ despite audible anticipation from UK fans. But Killeya-Jones dunked the rebound to give UK a 66-62 lead going into the final three-plus minutes.
Although two free throws by Gilgeous-Alexander put UK ahead 68-62 with 2:53 left, it almost wasn't enough.
Jordan Bone banked in a three-pointer from the left corner _ you read that right _ to bring Tennessee within 68-67.
But Kentucky made the clutch plays in the final minute. For instance, UK made seven of eight free throws in the final 57.6 seconds.
Kentucky's hot shooting against Alabama on Saturday carried over to the first half of the championship game.
The Cats made 84.2 percent of their shots in the second half against the Tide. That was record accuracy for a half in John Calipari's nine seasons as coach.
UK made its first three shots against Tennessee. That included a pair of 3-pointers. The Cats reached their average of 3-pointers in a game (5.2) when Knox made one with 9:22 left in the first half.
Gilgeous-Alexander all but showed UK could not miss when he beat the shot clock by banking in a 3-pointer from the top of the key. That put the Cats ahead 13-5.
When Quade Green hit a pull-up jumper from the foul line with 4:31 left, Kentucky led 33-16 and the UK fans in attendance rose and applauded its approval.
No one probably knew that Green's shot brought UK's first-half lead to its zenith: 33-16.
Thereafter Schofield reminded everyone that the competition had not been completed.
Schofield scored Tennessee's final 13 points. That enabled him to match his season's average (13.6 ppg) in the final 3:15 of the half and bring Tennessee within 36-31 at intermission.
As the second half began, Tennessee kept charging. Bone's fast-break floater tied it at 38 with 17:25 left. That marked the first time Kentucky did not lead since the first 30 seconds of the game.
A 3-pointer by Schofield put Tennessee ahead 41-38. It was the Vols' largest lead and only lead since scoring the game's first basket.
Calipari called time with 16:34 left. He put in three substitutes (Green, Killeya-Jones and PJ Washington). But it was one of the players who stayed in the game that steadied Kentucky. Gilgeous-Alexander hit a floater, then scored on a three-point play off a fast-break drive.
Those shots began a 14-2 UK run that built a 52-43 lead with 12:42 left.
Then it was Tennessee's turn to call timeout. Again the stoppage of play changed the game.
UT twice went to Williams. He scored on a contested post-up, then passed out of the post to an open Lamonte Turner, whose 3-pointer reduced Kentucky's lead to 52-48.
As Kentucky wobbled (going scoreless for more than four minutes), Tennessee charged.
UT teamwork was on display on a Bone 3-pointer that reduced UK's lead to 55-54. Williams passed out of the post to a teammate at the top of the key to whipped the ball to Bone on the left wing.
Tennessee took a 57-55 lead when Turner hit a NBA-length (and then some) with the shot clock about to expire.
Then Kentucky's young squad came through down the stretch.
