LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Gators will need at least one more game to
clinch the Southeastern Conference East championship.
No. 13 Florida (22-6, 11-3 SEC) entered Lexington with a chance to
secure the division title, but never found a way to match up with
Kentucky (20-8, 8-6 SEC) in a 76-68 loss on Saturday.
“I think they wanted it more than us,” sophomore guard Kenny
Boynton said. “They came out ready to play.”
The Wildcats’ overall talent, athleticism and versatility were too
much for the Gators to overcome.
These traits were exemplified by 6-foot-7 guard Darius Miller, who
scored a game-high 24 points and was effective against a bevy of UF
defenders.
“It was tough getting a matchup for him tonight,” Boynton said.
“Overall he had a great game.”
Miller scored in a variety of ways, shooting over small, quick
defenders like Boynton or driving past bigger opponents like Alex
Tyus and Patric Young.
The junior connected on 9 of 15 shots, including 2 of 4 from
three-point range, and added five rebounds, three assists and three
blocks.
“I think he’s one of the most complete players in the league,” UF
coach Billy Donovan said. “He was a huge difference in the
game.”
Miller and his teammates had a great deal of success driving to the
basket against the Gators.
Although Florida employed a variety of defenses and line-up
combinations, UK usually found a one-on-one matchup it could
exploit.
“We just really need to guard the ball better,” senior forward
Chandler Parsons said. “What opens up their whole offense is the
dribble-drive.”
Kentucky was very effective when it spread the floor, as the team
connected on 7 of its 14 attempts from beyond the arc.
That efficiency opened the driving lanes even further, something
the Wildcats never hesitated to exploit.
“They were determined to get to the hole,” Boynton said. “We wanted
to keep the ball out of the middle, but those guys drove to the
middle whenever they wanted.”
That success yielded a 51.7 shooting percentage for UK, a number
padded by a 16-for-29 second half.
After the Gators were trailing by one with about 13 minutes
remaining, Kentucky hit eight of its next nine shots, including six
in a row, over a 6:18 stretch to extend the lead to 10.
“They weren’t missing,” Boynton said. “It was tough getting stops
tonight.”
Boynton led the way on offense for UF, scoring 21 points on 7-of-13
shooting, including 5 of 9 from three-point range.
Junior Erving Walker, on the other hand, had one of his worst games
of the season.
The starting point guard recorded 10 points, hitting just 2-of-11
from the field and 1-of-6 from beyond the arc.
“It’s the first time I felt like he did not necessarily play to the
level he was playing,” Donovan said. “He didn’t have a typical
Erving Walker game.”
UF also performed below its usual standards on the interior, as the
Gators were outrebounded 34-32 and outscored 36-26 in the
paint.
Although Florida lost ground in the East, it remains tied with
Alabama for the overall SEC lead thanks to the Crimson Tide’s 68-63
loss at Ole Miss on Saturday.
