Rupp Arena: where a team’s confidence and game plan go to die.
That’s been true for the last 33 straight games — in which Kentucky hasn’t lost on its home floor — and that was the case Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats overpowered Florida.
The Gators dug themselves an early, deep hole that they weren’t able to climb out of. Kentucky began the game on a 24-5 run, making 10 of its first 14 shots including four three-pointers. Florida started 1-of-7 from the field.
"I’ve lost my mind in about eight timeouts since then," UF coach Mike White said, "so it’s hard for me to remember the first five minutes of the game."
The Gators ultimately fell to the Wildcats 80-61 and shot just 39.6 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from beyond the arc.
To this point in the season, Florida (15-8, 6-4 Southeastern Conference) has relied on its defense to counteract poor shooting efforts in order to keep games close. The Gators had their worst shooting night of the season on Jan. 26 at Vanderbilt, but lost by just one point. Against Texas A&M, Florida mustered up just 68 points and lost by three.
The Florida State loss on Dec. 29, the Michigan State loss on Dec. 12 and even the Miami loss on Dec. 8 were all exceptionally poor shooting performances that were nearly rescued by strong defense.
That formula couldn’t save the Gators in Lexington.
Freshman Jamal Murray led the way for Kentucky (17-6, 7-3 SEC) with 35 points, tying a UK freshman scoring record held by Terrence Jones. Sophomore Tyler Ulis added a double-double with 18 points and 11 assists.
It was an offensive outburst that Florida’s defense couldn’t contain.
"Jamal Murray stole the show," White said. "I think he’s still open right now. Never been a part of anything like that. Very, very discouraged. It’s like we didn’t know that he was a good shooter."
Entering Saturday’s game, the Gators had won two straight games and five of their previous six. Kentucky had dropped two in a row on the road and, coming back home, had something to prove. A sense of achievement and overconfidence may have backfired on Florida.
The Gators have now given up at least 80 points in back-to-back games. Prior to those two, Florida had surrendered 80-plus points just twice all season.
"Whatever we’re thinking about, if we’re not thinking about doing our job defensively at a really high level on a consistent basis, we’re thinking about the wrong things," White said.
"That’s got to be our identity. We’re not good enough offensively, we’re not good enough in several areas, to not be great defensively."
Dorian Finney-Smith was the lone bright spot for the Gators on offense. The redshirt senior scored 24 points, tied for his season best, on 8-of-11 shooting and scored two of Florida’s six made three-pointers.
In the second half, the Gators shot a higher field-goal percentage (43.5) than Kentucky (41.4) and showed some signs of fight, but the deficit Florida had dug itself with a combination of poor shooting and defense proved to be insurmountable.
"Not that we would have won the game, by any stretch," White said, "but it’s just discouraging that we weren’t even competitive."
Contact Alex Maminakis at amaminakis@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @alexmaminakis.
Florida's head coach Mike White watches his team during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kentucky, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, in Lexington, Ky. Kentucky won 80-61. (AP Photo/James Crisp)
