Kentucky came out of the burning gate, but lost its mojo at the end of the path.
On what was Senior Day at the Rupp Arena, the Wildcats dropped to the Florida Gators by a final score of 71-67. Kentucky had a 26-16 lead in the first half, starting the afternoon with 7-11 off the ground. However, the ‘Cats would shoot for just 12-37 the rest of the way, as Florida beat them by five in the second half to get away with victory.
Davion Mintz led the way to Kentucky, with 21 points from 7 to 14 shots and a perfect 5 to 5 on the free throw line. Three of his Wildcat teammates also ended in double digits, with BJ Boston (13 points), Isaiah Jackson (11) and Jacob Toppin (11) helping to fill the scoring gaps. Free throws kept Kentucky alive all the time, as they finished 25-29 in the charity band.
After Florida employed a defense zone in the second half, the Kentucky attack stopped more than a few times. The UK experienced several droughts that exceeded three minutes in length, spun the ball 15 times in total, and dropped just seven cents. Missed opportunities, including a 1-11 distance mark over the second half, made the ‘Cats try to fight to get out of a hole that proved to be very deep.
Kentucky hit 9-27 overall in the final 20 minutes of action, while Florida made 10-19. Tre Mann was the engine of Florida, scoring 21 points while the Gators fired more than 52 percent from the ground and 47 percent beyond the arc. The ‘Cats now drop to 7-8 in the SEC and further away from a potential double-bye for the upcoming conference tournament.