With 1:54 remaining in the first half, forward Casey Prather rose above the rest.
Prather drove to the right lane and dunked over UK 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein, capping a 16-4 run that put the Gators ahead by 15.
The one-handed slam was the highlight of Prather’s night — a 12-point performance that helped No. 7 Florida (19-3, 9-1 Southeastern Conference) cruise by No. 25 Kentucky (17-7, 8-3 SEC) in a 69-52 victory Tuesday night in the O’Connell Center.
“I was just trying to give the team a big energy boost,” Prather said. “I just like to help out the team any way I could.”
Said center Patric Young: “There’s just a lot of confidence with that guy. I know he can do that day in and day out. He’s just really athletic and has great, active hands.”
Missing junior Will Yeguete for the second straight game after he underwent surgery Friday to remove bone chips in his right knee, the Gators needed all the help they could get in the frontcourt against the Wildcats’ lanky big men.
In 23 minutes, Prather went 6 of 8 from the field. He scored eight points in the first half. The junior finished with three rebounds, two blocks and two assists, playing on the low block for much of the night with forward Erik Murphy battling foul trouble.
“I kind of like the challenge, because I’m not as strong as [Kentucky’s big men], tall as them,” Prather said. “I just took the challenge and tried to use my quickness.”
Prather checked into the contest with 17:19 remaining in the first half and set the tone immediately. He drew two charges against guard Archie Goodwin and center Nerlens Noel.
“They were momentum-swinging charges,” guard Scottie Wilbekin said. “When you can have a guy who’s willing to do that, it’s great. Obviously, with Will out, we’re missing some of that stuff.”
Prather added: “They were a big energy boost. I can tell my teammates were into it from there.”
Tuesday’s games was Prather’s second straight with 12 points. He finished with
5-of-9 shooting in 22 minutes during UF’s 83-58 win against Mississippi State on Saturday. This is the first time in Prather’s collegiate career he has scored in double figures in back-to-back games.
Prather has played five games since suffering a high left ankle sprain. He suffered the injury in a 74-52 victory against LSU on Jan. 12 and missed the next four games. The junior also suffered two concussions earlier this year.
In his first three contests since rejoining the rotation, Prather scored three points in 27 minutes.
On Thursday, coach Billy Donovan said the team was not getting anything out of Prather.
He added that Prather’s cutting and jumping were not up to the junior’s usual standards, attributing his down play to confidence issues and diminished ankle strength.
But after two strong games, Donovan has seen an improvement in Prather.
“This guy, he’s got two concussions, high ankle sprains. He’s just probably saying to himself, ‘What’s next?’” Donovan said.
“The thing that was encouraging was that he started to do things a little bit more recklessly and fearlessly. In the beginning, I think he was worried, ‘Is my ankle going to hold up? Is this going to hurt? Is this going to be a problem?’ I think he’s moving past that.”
Junior forward Casey Prather celebrates during Florida’s 69-52 win against Kentucky on Tuesday night in the O’Connell Center.
