Three Takeaways: Florida Gators Routed at Kentucky, 78-57

To begin a difficult stretch of games, the Florida Gators struggle to overcome Oscar Tshiebwe and the fast-paced attack of Kentucky.

A victory in Lexington (Ky.) could have changed the narrative about the Florida Gators.

According to bracketologist Joe Lunardi, the Gators are on the bubble. They were before the contest against Kentucky and they were going to stay there win or lose.

However, they must make some moves to climb from first-four out territory to last-four in.

An upset against John Calipari's Wildcats had the potential to springboard the Gators into contention for a final spot inside the tournament field. It provided the luxury of enduring a tough stretch of contests to end the season without the added pressure of being in must-win territory in the backend.

Unfortunately for Mike White and crew, Florida’s four-game win streak was not extended to five, dropping their first matchup with No. 4 Kentucky this season, 78-57.

An early second-half flurry of buckets by TyTy Washington Jr., Sahvir Wheeler and Oscar Tshiebwe woke Florida up from the pipe dream of conquering UK in Rupp Arena for the second year in a row.

Here are two takeaways from the Gators' 21-point loss to Kentucky.

Starting slow (in both halves) plagued the Gators

Kentucky’s speed and tempo is their identity.

Turning defense into quick offense, the Wildcats are able to amount sizable leads quickly, badgering opponents with elite transition basketball.

Equipped with players who can catch and shoot (Kellan Grady), attack the basket (Tshiebwe) and facilitate when running the floor (Wheeler), defenses find themselves on their heels when attempting to pick their poison against UK.

The Gators fell victim to that reality to start each half.

“Transition defense wasn’t our best effort of the season,” Mike White said postgame.

In the first half, Florida found itself down 20-6, plagued by turnovers and poor close-out efforts. UF quickly bounced back, piecing together an efficient 15-2 run to pull back within one point of the Wildcats.

The Gators were sparked by an impressive sequence by CJ Felder off the bench, who knocked down two threes and recovered after being beaten off the dribble to deny TyTy Washington Jr. from behind at the rim.

In the second, UF once again fell down by double-digits. 

The Wildcats lead that stood at five continued to amount, reaching 15 just over five minutes into the half and peaked at the final margin of 21.

The difference this time was that they couldn’t answer with a run of their own, resulting in a difficult blowout loss on the road.

In a game that Florida could have allowed to slip from their grasp when trailing by double digits early on, the Gators' ability to remain in the contest provided promise for their chances to steal a much-needed victory in the difficult stretch they tipped-off on Saturday.

However, the inability to maintain momentum and capitalize on the opportunities created during that stretch is why the Gators are where they are in the eyes of college basketball.

Tyree Appleby goes down with a leg injury

Tyree Appleby, like Colin Castleton, serves as a heartbeat of the Gators team.

He’s one of the few players to carry over from 2020-21 to 2021-22. He’s the only Gators guard with experience in SEC basketball and has had the opportunity to grow.

So, as the road has grown rocky, Appleby has consistently been the player Florida looks to for a spark.

On Saturday, that go-to piece was helped off the court after a knee-to-knee collision with Sahvir Wheeler.

“He re-aggravated an injury that occurred in the not-so-distant past,” White said.

Attempting to return to start the second half, Appleby recorded just three minutes before hitting the bench for the remainder of the contest.

His absence — despite the initial 10-0 run Florida put together immediately following his exit — was evident on the offensive end. Leaving with just one rebound and one assist on the stat sheet, the improved ball handler failed to make a substantial impact on the game, even in his eight minutes.

The Gators will hope to get their starting guard back as soon as possible as they hit the road to Texas A&M before hosting the top-ranked Auburn Tigers Feb. 19.

Florida's frontcourt had no answer for Oscar Tshiebwe

In a game White attributed as the best performance by a Kentucky player against a Florida Gators team that he’s coached, Tshiebwe dominated down low from start to finish.

Pulling down 10 offensive rebounds — and 19 total — individually, Tshiebwe provided a force for Kentucky to create second chance points opportunities he has all season.

Meanwhile, Florida as a team struggled to crash the offensive boards, grabbing just five on the night.

“It just came down to them getting more rebounds, doing the little things better, hustling harder, and transition,” said Castleton. They killed us. They outran us rim-to-rim and got so many more second-chance points.”

Holding his own on the offensive end, Castelton sufficed as a scorer against the stout frame of Tshiebwe, tallying a team-high 18 points and seven boards.

The inability of Florida’s frontcourt to stop the Kentucky big man made the difference on the night. They’ll have to tighten up the loose screws when he comes to town for the season finale Mar. 5 in a game that could possibly decide the fate of the Gators bid to March Madness.

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