LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Florida needs a victory over Kentucky on Saturday to revive the Gators’ chances of making the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Nothing that urgent is at stake for Kentucky.
The motivation must come from other sources for the Wildcats. They can win nothing more than one-third of the SEC regular season title, and Auburn must lose at home to South Carolina for that to occur.
Either way, the Wildcats can be no better than the No. 3 seed for the SEC Tournament. Florida, meanwhile, can still be seeded as high as No. 5 and a low as No. 11.
Every game Kentucky plays after Saturday will be a single-elimination game. The good stuff is about to begin.
Time: Saturday, 2 p.m., Exactech Arena, Gainesville, Florida
TV: CBS — Brad Nessler, play by play; Clark Kellogg, analyst
Records: Kentucky 24-6 overall, 13-4 in the Southeastern Conference, tied for second with Tennessee and Arkansas; Florida 19-11, 9-8, tied for fifth with Alabama and South Carolina.
The Last Time: Oscar Tshiebwe had 27 points and 19 rebounds when the Wildcats defeated the Gators, 78-57, three weeks ago in Rupp Arena.
The Rankings: UK is ranked No. 7 in the AP college basketball poll, No. 3 in Ken Pomeroy’s computer formula and No. 5 in NCAA Net rankings. Florida is unranked in the AP poll, No. 49 in KenPom and No. 51 in Net.
The Quote: Asked to identify a player that he expects to be a legitimate difference maker in Kentucky’s postseason push, UK head coach John Calipari made a surprising selection:
Kentucky coach John Calipari is restrained by guard Sahvir Wheeler (2) during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Tennessee on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Knoxville, Tenn.Â
"I think Daimion (Collins, a freshman reserve forward) is going to be the difference between us advancing and not. He’s going to do something in a couple games that are going to be the reason we advance. And you know what's great? He's ready for it. You see him. We just have to get him in there."
The News: The Wildcats will either be the No. 3 seed or the No. 4 seed at the SEC Tournament in Tampa next week. A win will make them the 3-seed. The 3-seed will play the 8 p.m. game Friday. A loss will leave UK the 4-seed. The 4-seed will play at 2 p.m. Friday.
The Matchup That Matters: Colin Castleton, a center, has been the Gators’ top scorer all season. But Tyree Appleby and Philandrous Fleming Jr. also average in double figures. Against UK in Rupp, those two guys scored eight points and failed to make a three-point field goal. Appleby got injured and played eight minutes without scoring.
Strengths: Kentucky leads the SEC in offensive efficiency, turnover percentage and three-point shooting. Florida’s strength is two-point field goal percentage. At 54.1%, the Gators lead the SEC.
Weaknesses: UK ranks 11th in the SEC in free throw rate, getting to the line on only 31.1% of all possessions. Florida ranks last in the league in preventing opponents from grabbing offensive rebounds.
Tasty Tidbits: The Gators saved their season by erasing an eight-point deficit in the final four minutes to win at Vanderbilt. But they’ve lost at home to Arkansas, Alabama, LSU and Texas Southern this season. Keyontae Johnson, the Gators’ most talented player, will be one of seven guys who will participate in Senior Day activities even though Johnson has not played since Dec. 11, 2020, when he collapsed on the court at Florida State. UK point guard Sahvir Wheeler dropped 27 points on the Gator’ last season. Florida has not defeated the Wildcats in Gainesville since 2018.
Prediction: Kentucky 74, Florida 67.
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