At the Buzzer: Kentucky 64, Florida 49 (Instant Analysis)
Friday, March 13, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
KENTUCKY 64, FLORIDA 49
WHAT HAPPENED: At Nashville, Tenn., freshman center Karl-Anthony Towns scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while sophomore guard Andrew Harrison tossed in another 13 points, as the top-ranked and unbeaten Wildcats turned a close game at halftime of the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals into yet another blowout in their quest for college basketball immortality. UF trailed by just two early in the second half, and by only five with less than eight minutes left, when a 14-2 UK blitz of mostly free throws put the game away and sent the Gators back to Gainesville. It was a tough night for Florida's best players, as junior forward Dorian Finney-Smith managed just four points on 2-for-10 shooting and junior guard Michael Frazier II, still trying to come back from an ankle sprain went 0-for-4 from the floor for two points. If both of those guys aren't scoring, chances are Florida is not going to be in the game. As it was, UF's 49 points was a season low.
WHAT IT MEANS: Florida is back below .500 after a second loss to the Wildcats in six days and the Gators' season could be over, pending a call from the National Invitational Tournament folks after the NCAA bracket is sorted out Sunday night. If the NIT takes a pass, this will be Coach Billy Donovan's first losing season since going 14-15 in 1997-98 and a run of 16 straight 20-win campaigns (1999 to 2014) comes to end. Kentucky, meanwhile, continued its "pursuit for perfection," in trying to become the first program since 1976 Indiana to completing a college hoops season unbeaten. As it stands, the Wildcats are two SEC tourney wins from matching Florida's feat last year of becoming the first team in league history to capture both the regular-season and tournament titles by going 21-0 against conference foes.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: UF senior center Jon Horford had a terrific game on the offensive end, hitting seven of his 10 shots to finish with 15 points, his most since scoring 17 against Miami in the second game of the season. If this was Horford's final college game, he went out fighting against UK's monster front line.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Despite driving hard to the basket for the better part of the game, the Gators got to the free-throw line just five times (making three), compared to 23 for the Wildcats (who made 19). In their three meetings this season, Kentucky went 55-for-66 from the line (83.3 percent), while Florida went just 13-for-26 (50 percent).
UP NEXT: For the Gators (16-17), the season could be over. It all depends on whether the NIT wants to extend a bid to a team with a losing record for the first time in the tournament's 77 years. UF's body of work, though, is not the garden variety sub-.500 record, what with seven games (all losses) against Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas and Connecticut, four programs that account for six of the last 10 NCAA titles. Florida, by the way, accounts for another two -- which could count for something, also.
