Three Keys for Success for Florida Against Kentucky

In their regular-season finale, Florida has a significant opportunity to build their resumé against Kentucky. What can Florida do to come out on top in Saturday's bout?

In their last meeting just two weeks ago, Kentucky was able to hold off a pesky Gators team despite inconsistencies being a problem for both sides.

Reigning victorious 65-59, Kentucky was able to win the hard-fought battle on their home floor.

As the Wildcats travel to Gainesville for their second matchup of the year with the Gators, Florida looks to come out with a much-needed, resumé-boosting win.

With a win, Florida will secure the second seed in the SEC tournament and boost their chances to get a higher seed in the March Madness tournament.

With Joe Lunardi currently having both Florida and Kentucky tournament with Kentucky as a No. 3, borderline No. 2 seed, and Florida as a No. 9, borderline No. 8, this game means a lot to each group as they move on to the SEC tournament after today.

With plenty still to play for on both sides, if Florida can defend their home court and get the upset win against one of the country’s best teams, they could solidify a spot as an No. 8 seed in tournament play, which is quickly approaching.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at three keys to success for today’s game.

1. Limit Immanuel Quickley

When these two squads faced off in mid-January, Quickley dominated on the offensive attack and ultimately won Kentucky the game in a tight battle.

Despite a turnover-filled night for the Wildcats, the Kentucky freshman was able to tally career-high 26 points on 8 of 17 shooting from the field and was a perfect 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.

In today’s matchup, Quickley must be contained for the Gators to get a much-needed home victory against the SEC’s premier powerhouse.

Likely to see a freshman versus freshman battle with Scottie Lewis against Quickley today, Lewis will need to have a stellar day on the defensive end. Playing at a high level all season, Lewis will be relied upon more than ever for the Gators to come out victorious.

Despite the lengthy Lewis being the primary defender of Quickley, how the Gators stop him is through help defense and stopping Quickley’s attack when he takes the ball inside.

If the Gators can get a hand in his face when he pulls up and limit his production altogether, the six points they lost by in February could flip in the Gators favor for a big win at the O’Connell Center.

2. Noah Locke needs a big day offensively

Scoring zero points against Kentucky the last time these two teams saw each other, Noah Locke needs to have a big day from the field.

As the Gators' true shooting threat, Locke went 0 of 5 from the field on the year — all shots coming from three-point range — and was unable to provide the spark knocking down shots from downtown can do for a team that struggles to score offensively.

This time around, it is imperative Locke gets going early.

When shooting the ball at a high level, Locke seemingly elevates Florida’s attack by providing a sharpshooter threat that must be attended to by opposing defenses. 

Today, if Locke can get out to an early start—knocking down two-triples within the first four minutes to build confidence for the rest of the game—and match his season average of 11 points, that allows the Gators a much better chance to come out victorious on their home court.

3. Run the offense through Keyontae Johnson

All season, the Gators best all-around player has been Keyontae Johnson.

Getting it done both offensively and defensively, Johnson has been a large part of the Gators' success in games they come out on top.

In their Gators' previous matchup against Kentucky, Johnson tallied 19 points while shooting 8 of 13 and grabbing nine rebounds in a game where Florida endured a nearly seven-minute scoring drought.

Despite the loss, Johnson was able to do his part to keep Florida in the ball game until the very end.

At 1 o’clock today, the Gators must utilize Johnson by getting him touches on offense early and often. With the ability to take it inside and score the basketball along with draw fouls, Johnson is a critical piece in avoiding the brick wall that is scoreless runs the Gators have grown so accustomed to.

In this final matchup of the regular season, Johnson needs to continue his offensive success for the Gators to get a resumé boosting win, and there’s no better way to do so than getting the ball in his hands for him to take his man to the bucket throughout the game.