Blog Bits: SEC leftovers, free throws, Coach Cal and Casey Prather's wicked slam
Sunday, March 11, 2012 | Men's Basketball, Women's Golf, Chris Harry
As we count down to the Bewitching BeBracket Hour, here are some Selection Sunday basket "Blog Bits" leftover from the Florida's two-day stay Southeastern Conference Tournament in NOLA.
* Flipping around some of the pre-game shows today, one of the topical subjects was how (if anyone) to beat Kentucky. Florida came as close as anybody during the top-ranked Wildcats' 24-game winning streak, losing 74-71 in Saturday's SEC Tournament semifinals. UF, beaten by UK for the second time in six days and third time this season, went into the game bent on making the pace fast and frenetic, hoping to take advantage the Wildcats' lack of depth [Note: UK's bench combined for three points in its first two tournament games]. Sure enough, the Gators (23-10) were off and running in the first half, looking for numbers and transition opportunities after every rebound, at one point opening a 10-point lead. Forward and shot-blocker extraordinaire Anthony Davis was noticeably winded. “I heard Kentucky guys saying on the court, 'I'm tried, I'm tired,' “ said UF guard Brad Beal, who was sensational. Maybe so, but the Wildcats (32-1) held the Gators scoreless for the final 4:20 of the first half to take a 40-39 lead at the break. And after UF gamely retook the lead and went up five points deep into the second half, the Cats held the Gators scoreless for six minutes and built a nine-point lead that was enough to stave off Florida's comeback. Winded, maybe. Winners, definitely. Again. “They played great for just about 40 minutes,” said UK point guard Marquis Teague, whose two free throws with 14.2 seconds left clinched the game. And “just about” won't do it against this team.
* The Gators fell to 2-10 all-time versus No. 1-ranked teams, with all 10 of those defeats against the Wildcats.
* You probably read Billy Donovan's post-game comments regarding the free-throw discrepancy in one of his team's most physical games of the season (Kentucky shot 20 to Florida's two). To put in context, it was the fewest free throws taken by a UK opponent since South Dakota State shot two on Nov. 13, 2005 -- a run of 249 games. The chasm also was a carryover from Friday's quarterfinals actions, where UK got to the free throw line 33 times to LSU's 10 in a 60-51 win. So through two tournament games, Kentucky shot 53 free throws to its opponents' 12.
* Sophomore C Patric Young after UK won its 19th straight SEC game. “We almost beat them. They're beatable. It can happen on any night.” Well, probably not any night, but after watching two conference opponents make the Wildcats work, it became clear that somewhere along the line in the NCAA Tournament (probably more than once), they'll be challenged matchup-wise.
* Kentucky coach John Calipari (doing what looks like a New Orleans voodoo thing to the right) is a vocal opponent of postseason tournaments, going on and on about how they don't mean anything. He prefers to emphasize the tournament after the tournament. His point is well taken by most, but it shows something of a disconnect with how Cats fans feel about the SEC postseason when they literally take over the venue, be it in New Orleans, Nashville or “Catlanta,” as they say when the event is at the Georgia Dome. Maybe that's why Cal pulled back on his stance (sort of) earlier in the week when he had this say about the UK fanbase and the need to go and win the SEC Tournament for a 29th time: “They spend their vacation money, rent money, cigarette money to go to the tournament. You feel an obligation.”
* The Gators went 11-for-22 from the 3-point line. The 50-percent number equaled UF's third-best long-range shooting display against an SEC foe this season. No team had hit double-digit 3-pointers against Kentucky this season.
* Senior point guard Erving Walker had another tough shooting performance against the Wildcats, going 3-for-10 from the floor, with one of those makes a meaningless 3-point bomb at the final buzzer. [Note: In 12 career games against UK, the Gators' No. 4 all-time scorer has shot 25.2 percent from the floor and 29.8 from 3-point range]. But Florida's coaches loved how Walker ran the offense and got teammates open looks. Erik Murphy and Beal combined to make eight of 11 shots from the arc. That threat (especially the 6-10 Murphy) will be a big concern for whoever draws the Gators in opening-round play of the NCAAs.
Finally, if Kentucky freshman Kyle Wiltjer didn't know Casey Prather before Saturday, he became quite acquainted with the UF forward at the 12:37 mark of the first half. Prather doesn't play very much, but the below posterizing of Wiltjer -- and check out the pass from Walker, by the way -- is an indication of what the sophomore from Jackson, Tenn., is capable of athletically. And you can bet Wiltjer will hear about the play from his teammates. Dudes are like that.
