Kentucky Battles to Sixth Straight SEC Win, Bruises Past Florida 72-67

The Wildcats didn't make it look pretty, but they found an avenue towards their sixth SEC victory in a row.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky continues to be a proprietor of downright ugly basketball games, partaking in another eye-gouging slop-fest on Saturday night inside Rupp Arena against Florida. 

The grit that eluded the Wildcats for a majority of the season was front and center, as a game that previously would've seen UK crumble down the stretch resulted in a palpitating 72-67 win over the Gators. 

After about 30 minutes of offense so ugly only a mother could love it, both teams decided to pick up the pace, rim-running and racking up points, fooling the box score in the process.  

Freshman point guard Cason Wallace made his return to the starting lineup after missing the previous outing, helping the Cats chug along at the end with seven of their final 10 points, capping off a 20-point outing on 7-10 shooting. 

Florida managed to chop the lead to 70-67 with less than a minute to go thanks to a rainmaking Myreon Jones 3-pointer. Kentucky forward Jacob Toppin missed the front end of a 1-and-1 at the free-throw line, giving the Gators a chance to send the game into overtime, but Jones opted to play hero ball, missing another challenging look from behind the arc. 

Wallace sunk two final free throws, extending Kentucky's SEC winning streak to six games while simultaneously snapping Florida's three-game winning streak. Forward Jacob Toppin notched a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double, filling in a gaping hole that was left in the UK frontcourt on the offensive end. 

"Florida doesn't go away. They made 3's at the end that gave them a chance, we missed a free throw that gave them a chance, but we did what we had to," UK coach John Calipari said after the win. 

It was a hideous first half, as the Wildcats (16-7, 7-3 SEC) took a 33-22 lead into the locker room. The Gators (13-10, 6-4) were held to just seven makes in the first 20 minutes, shooting 26.9 percent as a team while also turning the ball over seven times. 

Kentucky kept a keen eye on UF big man Colin Castleton, as the Gators' leading scorer added just six points and collected five rebounds in the half — though both of those numbers led his team.

Seven Wildcats scored in the half, led by nine from both Toppin and shooting guard CJ Fredrick. Wallace contributed eight of his own via three tough finishes at the rim and a pair of free throws. 

"(Wallace) played great," Florida coach Todd Golden said postgame. "I would say he beat the scout a little bit, in terms of what I instructed our guys to do. I thought for the most part our guys executed our defensive coverages, but he stepped up and made some big shots." 

"He brings a different dynamic to the game," Fredrick said of Wallace. "He just does a little bit of everything."

UK led for over 19 minutes of the first period, mostly thanks to continuous field goal droughts from Florida, one of which lasted over five minutes. After a 6-0 UF run, the Wildcats accumulated seven consecutive points of their own to close the half, capped off by Fredrick's second trey of the game, lighting up the packed Rupp Arena crowd while giving the Cats a 33-22 lead. 

Stout defense shoved the Wildcats along, as they never surrendered their lead in the second half. 

Florida continued to hang around down the stretch, thanks to newfound offense from Castleton and veteran guard Kris Lofton. Kentucky continued to deny UF any momentum, winning the 50-50 battles, diving on the floor and staying consistent at the free-throw line, finishing 11-13 from the stripe. 

All eight Wildcats who played managed to score, finalized by freshman forward Chris Livingston's first four points of the game, propelling UK's lead to 56-43, adding to a stretch of 10 makes in 12 attempts. 

Florida found a way to prod at the lead, never letting it grow larger than 14, eventually leading Big Blue Nation to pucker in the dying embers. 

The win for UK came without the now-expected help of center Oscar Tshiebwe and shooting guard Antonio Reeves on offense. 

Tshiebwe — who entered Saturday night averaging 16.5 points-per-game — struggled to get out of first gear in a rare sight. After shooting 1-8 from the floor in the first half, he managed just one more make, finishing with four points on 2-14 shooting, though he managed his usual rebound total of 15 while throwing in three assists. It's just the sixth time this season that he's failed to reach the 10-point mark. 

Calipari was even stunned when he saw his final stat-line, despite standing courtside as an eye-witness. 

"Did he only have four? Phew, he missed a bunch." 

As the game neared the end, Kentucky continued to look for its rock in the paint, but he just couldn't close the deal at the basket. With 1:38 left, Tshiebwe would foul out, ending one of the uglier performances of his Wildcat career. 

Reeves was the hottest of hands for the Cats, coming off the bench to lead the team in scoring in four of their last six games, including a career-high 27 in UK's win over Ole Miss on the road on Tuesday night. The Illinois State transfer didn't seek to stuff the stat sheet on Saturday, taking just five shots, making two to acquire four points in the win.

Point guard Sahvir Wheeler continued to contribute off the bench, racking up eight points, three assists and a pair of boards. Castleton finished with 25 after erupting for 19 in the back half.

The Wildcats will stay at home for their next contest, welcoming the Arkansas Razorbacks to Rupp Arena for another late-night showdown in the Bluegrass. 

Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 7. 

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