At the Buzzer: No. 11 Kentucky 76, No. 13 Florida 66 (Instant Breakdown)
Saturday, February 25, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
The Gators go blitzed in the second half by the red-hot Wildcats.
AT THE BUZZER
No. 11 KENTUCKY 76, NO. 13 FLORIDA 66
WHAT HAPPENED: The Gators ran into a second-half offensive buzz saw, as Wildcats freshman guard Malik Monk went off for 33 points, including 30 after halftime, as 11th-ranked UK ran No. 11 UF out of Rupp Arena and into sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference. Kentucky, playing with starting point guard and league assist leader De'Aaron Fox (bruised knee), trailed by eight with 15 1/2 minutes left, then began chipping away, mostly behind an array of shots from Monk, including four 3-pointers, before taking the lead for good with eight minutes left -- then putting the game away with a series of mini-runs. UK forward Eldrice "Bam" Adebayo had 18 points and 15 rebounds. The Gators, who had their nine-game winning streak snapped, got 24 points from sophomore shooting guard KeVaughn Allen, 13 from senior forward Justin Leon and nine points and 11 rebounds from junior forward Devin Robinson.
WHAT IT MEANS: The loss dropped Florida a game behind Kentucky in the SEC standings with two to play and put the Wildcats in the driver's seat for the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament. The Gators, with the first loss in 10 games, can clinch the No. 2 tournament seed by winning one of their final two. UK assumed a familiar position, with chance to win its 50th regular-season league title, more than the rest of the conference's teams combined.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The scoring duel between a couple high school rivals, Allen and Monk, was pretty fierce, with Monk running away with the battle with a ferocious second half. Allen, who beat Monk in a pair of Arkansas Class 7A state title games, went 9-for-17 from the floor and 5-for-11 from the 3-point line, but Monk, the league's scoring leader, had the final say in shredding the Gators for those 30 second-half points by going 8-for-13 overall and 4-for-4 from deep. For Monk, it was the first time (high school or college) he had defeated a team Allen played on. He also became the first freshman in UK history to hit 30 points four times in a season.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Besides Monk's 30 after halftime? Florida came in rated No. 4 in the nation in defensive efficiency, but the Gators got worked by the Wildcats in the second half to the tune of 64-percent shooting, going 16-for-25. UF came into the game limiting opponents to 40.7 from the floor. UK shot 45.3 for the game. Kentucky also badly outshot Florida from the free-throw. The Cats went 22-for-27, the Gators 4-for-6.
UP NEXT: The Gators (23-6, 13-3) return home next week to face surging Arkansas in the finale regular-season home game and "Senior Night" celebration for Kasey Hill, Leon, Canyon Barry and Schuyler Rimmer. The Razorbacks (21-7, 10-5) will take a four-game winning streak into Saturday night's game at Auburn and are in excellent standing for an NCAA Tournament berth, according to bracketologists.
No. 11 KENTUCKY 76, NO. 13 FLORIDA 66
WHAT HAPPENED: The Gators ran into a second-half offensive buzz saw, as Wildcats freshman guard Malik Monk went off for 33 points, including 30 after halftime, as 11th-ranked UK ran No. 11 UF out of Rupp Arena and into sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference. Kentucky, playing with starting point guard and league assist leader De'Aaron Fox (bruised knee), trailed by eight with 15 1/2 minutes left, then began chipping away, mostly behind an array of shots from Monk, including four 3-pointers, before taking the lead for good with eight minutes left -- then putting the game away with a series of mini-runs. UK forward Eldrice "Bam" Adebayo had 18 points and 15 rebounds. The Gators, who had their nine-game winning streak snapped, got 24 points from sophomore shooting guard KeVaughn Allen, 13 from senior forward Justin Leon and nine points and 11 rebounds from junior forward Devin Robinson.
WHAT IT MEANS: The loss dropped Florida a game behind Kentucky in the SEC standings with two to play and put the Wildcats in the driver's seat for the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament. The Gators, with the first loss in 10 games, can clinch the No. 2 tournament seed by winning one of their final two. UK assumed a familiar position, with chance to win its 50th regular-season league title, more than the rest of the conference's teams combined.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The scoring duel between a couple high school rivals, Allen and Monk, was pretty fierce, with Monk running away with the battle with a ferocious second half. Allen, who beat Monk in a pair of Arkansas Class 7A state title games, went 9-for-17 from the floor and 5-for-11 from the 3-point line, but Monk, the league's scoring leader, had the final say in shredding the Gators for those 30 second-half points by going 8-for-13 overall and 4-for-4 from deep. For Monk, it was the first time (high school or college) he had defeated a team Allen played on. He also became the first freshman in UK history to hit 30 points four times in a season.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Besides Monk's 30 after halftime? Florida came in rated No. 4 in the nation in defensive efficiency, but the Gators got worked by the Wildcats in the second half to the tune of 64-percent shooting, going 16-for-25. UF came into the game limiting opponents to 40.7 from the floor. UK shot 45.3 for the game. Kentucky also badly outshot Florida from the free-throw. The Cats went 22-for-27, the Gators 4-for-6.
UP NEXT: The Gators (23-6, 13-3) return home next week to face surging Arkansas in the finale regular-season home game and "Senior Night" celebration for Kasey Hill, Leon, Canyon Barry and Schuyler Rimmer. The Razorbacks (21-7, 10-5) will take a four-game winning streak into Saturday night's game at Auburn and are in excellent standing for an NCAA Tournament berth, according to bracketologists.
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