No. 10 Kentucky put an end to sixth-ranked Florida’s undefeated start to the season with a thrilling 106-100 win in the SEC opener for both teams on Saturday.
It was a high-octane battle from start to finish. The Wildcats went 37-for-64 (57.8%) shooting and made 14 of their 29 three-point attempts.
Senior guard Koby Brea had a team-high 23 points off the bench. Brea made seven threes in the game, including this long-range shot that extended Kentucky’s lead to 83-74 with under eight minutes to play:
The 23 points were a career-high for Brea. Coming into the game, he was shooting 49.4% from behind the arc, so his hot shooting performance on Saturday should come as no surprise.
This clutch three from senior forward Andrew Carr, one of two for him in a 14-point effort, gave Kentucky a comfortable 99-91 lead with under 1:30 remaining:
The game featured several runs from Kentucky. Down 26-15 at the 11:13 mark in the first half, Kentucky scored 16 unanswered to take a 31-26 lead. The Wildcats followed that up with a 10-0 run just before the half. After Florida cut the deficit to 70-69, Kentucky went on another 10-0 run to take an 80-69 lead with 9:23 left.
Florida was efficient from the floor as well. The Gators shot 55% overall and made 12 of their 34 long range shots. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. tied his previous career-high with 33 points (9-for-15 FG).
The road does not get any easier for Florida (13-1, 0-1 SEC) with a showdown against No. 1 Tennessee on Tuesday. Kentucky (12-2, 1-0 SEC) hits the road to take on Georgia on Tuesday.
According to TeamRankings as of midday Saturday, the Wildcats have the third-best offense (89 PPG) in the nation and commit the seventh-fewest turnovers per game (9.4). If Kentucky keeps scoring at that rate and taking care of the ball, the Wildcats are going to continue to be a problem for opposing teams the rest of the way.
