LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Kentucky didn't play pretty basketball in Nashville.
But the Wildcats may have discovered something they'll need next week.
Kentucky fell to No. 5-ranked Florida 71-63 on Friday in the SEC Tournament, but the Wildcats walked off the Bridgestone Arena floor having shown a level of toughness that had been harder to find earlier in the season.
Down by 17 midway through the second half, Kentucky dug in defensively and began chipping away. At one point the Wildcats, playing in their third game in three days, held Florida without a made field goal for more than nine minutes, slowly trimming the deficit until they were within two possessions in the closing minute.
For a moment, it looked like the kind of late March rally that changes a game.
Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford
But Florida — bigger, deeper and more comfortable playing through contact — ultimately controlled the things that mattered most. The Gators pounded the ball inside, dominated the glass and repeatedly found their way to the free-throw line whenever Kentucky threatened.
When Kentucky cut the deficit to five, Florida guard Xavian Lee answered with a step-back three with 50 seconds remaining — the shot that finally shut the door.
It completed a season sweep that was unusual in one respect:Â Kentucky never led Florida for a single second in the three meetings between the teams this season.
Still, few SEC teams made the Gators work harder.
Former Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen led Kentucky with 17 points, while Mouhamed Dioubate added 14 — including 12 in the first half that helped keep the Wildcats within striking distance.
Otega Oweh, Kentucky's leading scorer this season, was limited to 10 points on 5-18 shooting.
Five things to know:
1. Florida owned the possession game.
The Gators turned missed shots into second chances all afternoon, grabbing 18 offensive rebounds and turning them into 21 second-chance points, nearly triple Kentucky's eight.
More telling: Florida rebounded 43 percent of its own missesl. In a game where neither team shot well, those extra possessions kept Florida comfortably ahead most of the day.
2. The overall rebounding gap was massive.
Florida finished +21 on the glass (50–29), a staggering margin in a high-major tournament game. Three Florida big men — Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu — combined for 28 rebounds, almost matching Kentucky's entire team total by themselves. That physical advantage defined the afternoon.
3. Kentucky's defense nearly turned the game.
After falling behind 49–32 with 13:07 remaining, the Wildcats dug in defensively and began to chip away. Florida made just 7 field goals the rest of the game, allowing Kentucky to trim the deficit to two possessions in the final minute. The Wildcats never quite got over the hump, but the late defensive surge made things interesting.
Kentucky also forced 18 Florida turnovers, helping to offset its advantage on the glass.
4. Florida lived at the free-throw line.
The Gators attempted 33 free throws to Kentucky's 20, and the gap widened after halftime when Florida went to the stripe 26 times. That translated to a hefty 0.57 free-throw attempt rate — meaning the Gators were getting to the line on more than half of their shot attempts.
Those steady points helped Florida withstand Kentucky's second-half push. Florida scored more points from the line in the second half (19) than it did from the field (15).
5. Kentucky did some things well — just not the things that win this matchup.
The Wildcats actually won the turnover battle, forcing 18 Florida giveaways while committing 12, which produced an 18–9 advantage in points off turnovers. Normally that formula wins games. In fact, it turned the tables on Florida from the last meeting.
Kentucky also outscored the Gators 18-10 win transition.
But against Florida's size and rebounding, it simply wasn't enough.
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