Kentucky Takes Care of Florida on Senior Day, 7 March 2010

It was Senior Day in Rupp Arena, so naturally, the Seniors for the Kentucky Wildcats started the game.  The Seniors honored were Mark Krebs, Perry Stevenson, and Ramon Harris.  Patrick Patterson was also honored since he will be graduating in May of this year.  Now, on to the game.

The Florida Gators came into Kentucky on the bubble watch for the NCAA Tournament.  A win against the Kentucky Wildcats would probably put them in the tournament, but it wasn’t meant to be on Kentucky’s Senior Day.  The Wildcats took the lead from the opening tip and never looked back.  The Wildcats eventually built an 18-point lead in the first half, but the Gators were able to cut it to 10 points at half-time by a score of 41-31 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

In the second half, the Gators started to chip away at Kentucky’s lead.  The lead dwindled all the way down to 2 points, but that was as far as the Gators could cut the lead to.  Behind John Wall, Kentucky was able to maintain a lead in the game to finish the season out with a win.  The final score of the game was 74-66 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.  The Wildcats finish the regular season out with a 29 win, 2 loss record and will be the #1 seed in the SEC Tournament Championship next weekend.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
Darius Miller - 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Eric Bledsoe - 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Patrick Patterson - 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks
John Wall - 11 points, 8 assists, 2 rebounds
Darnell Dodson - 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal
DeMarcus Cousins - 8 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Daniel Orton - 2 points, 4 blocks, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

The Kentucky Wildcats finish a perfect 18-0 in Rupp Arena for this season.  The Cats will have a first round bye in the SEC Tournament next week and will face either South Carolina or Alabama in their first game of the tournament.  The Wildcats are almost a lock for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, depending on how they do in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Florida Fights, but Kentucky Overcomes to Win, 12 January 2010

Kentucky (16-0) came into Florida (11-4) after a sluggish win at home in their last basketball game against the Georgia Bulldogs.  Florida started the season with eight straight wins, but have lost four of their last 7 games.  Although the Florida Gators have been in a slump, it is still difficult to beat the Gators on their home-court.  The game started with the Florida Gators scoring the first seven points as the Wildcats couldn’t seem to get the ball in the basket.  Kentucky finally settled down and got back into the game, but still could not seem to hit a shot in close.  In the half, the game was back and forth between both teams until the Cats started pulling away slightly.  The highlight of the half was when Daniel Orton (UK) blocked three consecutive shots on the same Florida possession.  The Kentucky Wildcats led at half-time by a score of 38 to 31 behind Eric Bledsoe’s 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting.

The Wildcats continued to gradually pull away in the second half until they found themselves with a 15 point lead.  Just when the game seemed to be over, the Gators’ Walker hit what seemed like three 3-pointers in a row and the Wildcats saw their lead deminish and the game was eventually tied at 72-72.  That was as close as Florida would get though, because Kentucky went on a run in the last few minutes of the game to take the lead for good and finished the game strong.  The final score of the game was 89-77 in favor of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Top Performers for Kentucky were:
Eric Bledsoe - 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals (3 turnovers)
John Wall - 19 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 block
Patrick Patterson - 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
DeMarcus Cousins - 13 points, 5 rebounds
Darius Miller - 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Darnell Dodson - 6 points, 1 rebound
Daniel Orton - 2 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks

This was a tough road game for the Kentucky Wildcats, but the Cats were able to rise above and get the win.  The Wildcats shot 51% from the field and 39% from behind the 3-point line, helping them secure the win.  Both, the Wildcats and the Gators, finished the game with only 10 turnovers.  The Wildcats were tested in a hostile environment with a rowdy crowd, but was able to overcome.  Kentucky’s next game is on the road as well, when they go into Auburn on 16 January, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. (EST).